New Winter Olympic Sports in 2022 - All you need to know

The 2022 Winter Olympics are all set to get underway within less than a month's time in Beijing, China. The mega-event is slated to take place between February 4 and 20, 2022.

The Winter Olympics 2022 are scheduled to include a record 109 events across 15 disciplines, with an additional seven brand-new sports included in the Olympic program.This marks an increase of seven events from the 2018 Winter Games.

A few of the new sporting events at the Beijing Winter Games are an extension of the existing disciplines, while others are thoughtfully introduced to make the spirit of the Olympics truly universal.

Figure skating is the oldest winter sport in the Olympics, having been introduced to the Summer Olympics in 1908 and then to the Winter Olympics in 1924.

The highlight of the 2022 Winter Games has to be the fact that the quota of female athletes participation increased from 41 per cent in PyeongChang to over 45 per cent, making it a gender-balanced Winter Games in Olympic history.

The inclusion of female athletes to compete in ski jumping, for the first time ever since the sport was first introduced in 1924 makes it another reason for fans to gear up for the colossal event.

New Winter Olympic 2022 sports

Seven new sports have been introduced in the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The new additions comprise of several mixed team events, including men's and women's big air freestyle, women's monobob (or single person bobsled), mixed team competitions in freestyle skiing aerials, ski jumping, and snowboard cross, and a mixed relay in short track speed skating have been added to the list.

1. Ski jumping mixed team event

Ski jumping is one of the oldest events in the Winter Olympics, ever since it first appeared in 1924.

The interesting fact is, the ski jumping mixed team event is set to appear for the first time at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. As many as 12 nations will be participating in this event, where each team will include four members — two men and two women. Two rounds will be held and the team with the highest combined total, after eight jumps, will be announced the winners.

2. Freestyle skiing big air (Men and women)

The freestyle skiing big air will feature two events, one each for men and women.

The rules are like- the participants will have to exhibit most number of tricks in mid-air. Points are awarded based on what is popularly known as ‘DEAL’ — difficulty, execution, amplitude and landing.

3. Snowboard cross mixed team event

Snowboarding made its debut at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Yet the sport's mixed team event is making its debut at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Each team in the mixed event will have one male and one female athlete in action. It follows almost similar rules like the men’s and women’s events of the sport. There will be four competitors — one from each team — racing next to each other on a course almost 1km long.

4. Short-track speed skating mixed relay

The mixed relay of short-track speed skating is a relatively new event on the international stage, having made its debut in the 2018-19 World Cup season.

The short-track speed skating mixed relay works similar to the ski jumping mixed team event. It will comprise of 12 teams, with four members comprising two men and two women. A total distance of 2,000m divided into 18 laps will be covered by each team. However, each skater will appear twice in the relay.

5. Freestyle skiing mixed team aerials

This event features three competitors in each team. Each team consists of three skiers, with a mandatory participation of one athlete from each gender, while teams are free to pick the third member from either gender.

Points will be awarded to each of the three members of a team based on the technique of jump, tricks and landing. Their individual scores are added together and the team with the highest overall score wins.

6. Women’s monobob

Monobob (single person bobsledding) is the newest addition to the Winter Olympic program, making its debut next month in Beijing as a women’s only event. This has been introduced to level the number of Olympic bobsleigh events between men and women.

Normally, to bobsled, two to four people push and then leap into a sled before shooting down an icy course.

However, this time the monobob features a sled designed for one athlete. Each athlete will not only be responsible for pushing their sled but also piloting it through the course.