Winter Olympics

Winter Olympics is the premier competition for sports that are played on ice or snow.
It is held every four years and features participants from across the world.
Ice skating, ice hockey, skiing and figure skating are some of the popular sports that are played at the Winter Games.

Background of Winter Olympics

The first Winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France.
Winter sports were initially played at the Summer Olympics, with the 1908 London Olympics hosting four figure skating events and Antwerp 1920 having figure skating as well as ice hockey.
However, in 1924, a separate event was created for winter sports, called the International Winter Sports Week.
- It was held in Chamonix, France – the host country for the 1924 Summer Olympics.
Two years later, the International Winter Sports Week in Chamonix was officially recognised as the first Winter Olympic Games.
India has been participating in the Winter Olympics since 1964.

This years’ edition of the Winter Olympic Games will be held in Beijing, China from 4^th February to 20^th February 2022.
The Russian President, Pakistan Prime Minister and five Presidents from Central Asia will reach China for the opening of the Winter Olympics.
India announces “diplomatic boycott” of Beijing Winter Olympics as a Chinese soldier involved in the Galwan incident as an Olympic torchbearer.
- It will send an athlete for the event.
The US, the UK, Canada and Australia have also announced a “diplomatic boycott” of the games due to the alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang province of China.