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The Winter Olympics are already underway

The Winter Olympics are already underway

The opening ceremony took place on February 4: the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, just like the summer Olympics before it, are feeling the pandemic hit, together with protests and diplomatic boycotts. For its part, the Olympic Committee has called for athletes to be "responsible" in how they approach political issues.

The competition began on February 2 and the closing ceremony will take place on February 20, with the games being held in three different areas of China: Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou. In addition, the ice sports will be held in downtown Beijing, as well as some snow events (snowboard big air and freestyle ski big air, men’s, and women's).

 

Ticket sales to the public were cancelled

Initially, the organization had decided to sell tickets only to China residents China to reduce the risk of Covid-19 contagion. But, come mid-January, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that only specific groups of spectators would be allowed, cancelling the sale of tickets to the public due to the pandemic. The Winter Games are being held in a restricted “health bubble”, from which sportsmen and women and other participants are not expected to leave.

With 109 total events across 15 disciplines in 7 different sports, the competition will bring together 2,871 athletes, with 1,581 men and 1,290 women.

They are Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Nordic Combined, Curling, Alpine skiing, Cross-country skiing, Freestyle skiing, Ice field hockey, Luge, Figure skating, Speed skating, short track speed skating, Ski jumping, Skeleton and Snowboarding.

This edition will have seven new medal events, with the introduction of several categories for women, the arrival of men's freestyle skiing, the “big air”, and several mixed competitions.

Portugal will be represented at the 2022 Winter Olympics by three athletes. Ricardo Brancal and Vanina de Oliveira will compete in alpine skiing, and José Cabeça in cross-country skiing.

 

The controversy

The persecution of the Uighur population for birth control in the autonomous province of Xinjiang, the treatment given to Tibetan people, and the repression of freedoms in Hong Kong are some of the several political foci that overshadow this event and that have already led to several diplomatic boycotts by several countries.

The United States and the United Kingdom were the most prominent to announce a diplomatic boycott, without any representative at these games, particularly in the ceremonies – while maintaining a sports presence –, and they were followed by many others. Canada and Australia, among others, followed suit in withdrawing their diplomatic and political support without harming the participation of their national athletes. On January 19, the European Parliament also recommended a "diplomatic and political boycott" to member states.

Criticism of the event also extended to the apparent disappearance for some time of tennis player Peng Shuai, who accused a former Chinese ruler of sexually assaulting her, recalling the closeness of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to the Chinese government.

Portugal will not have political representation at the opening and closing ceremonies "for various reasons," claimed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, although the ceremony was attended by another Portuguese, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres.

Meet the four best sporting events of 2022

Meet the four best sporting events of 2022

Move Sports' new year arrives with the Chinese New Year! We have much of 2022 already planned out and filled with significant events to present to all our customers and friends, occupying the best part of the sporting year.

Mark your calendar with the year’s best tournaments and consider registering your team and participating or bringing your workmates, family, or friends to cheer in the stands!

Max Verstappen: from childhood go-karts to Formula 1 glory

Max Verstappen: from childhood go-karts to Formula 1 glory

Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) became the Formula 1 world champion in December 2021 by beating Britain's Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) on the final lap of the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Mercedes took the constructors' title for the eighth consecutive year.

Simone Biles: the merit of mediatizing mental health

Simone Biles: the merit of mediatizing mental health

Simone Biles, the 24-year-old American and one of the world's most prominent athletes, pulled out of the women's team final at the Tokyo Olympics and announced she was also pulling out of the individual final. The world was in shock last July, but Simone Biles has done more for the world with this gesture than with all the medals that put her on the world sport's Olympus. 

Move Sports 2021 in review: back to life, back to sports!

Move Sports 2021 in review: back to life, back to sports!

2021 was a very challenging year. The COVID-19 pandemic made life difficult for everyone, in every possible way, and sports was no exception. But we at Move Sports don't ever stop or waver at a challenge! If anything, our resolve grew stronger and our undying love for sports grew deeper. Despite the hardships, we managed to put on bespoke amazing sports tours and training camps for our clients, organise team-building corporate events, and deliver on large scale tournaments and special events. Read on to recap some of the year's highlights.

2021: the biggest sports events of the year

2021: the biggest sports events of the year

If 2020 was a year of unprecedented stoppage in the world, and in sports too, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was another year of enormous challenges for the sports' universe of sports, from professional to amateur, with an Olympic Games' edition that took place without public, as it happened as well with a good part of the professional leagues of the most impactful sports. Depending on the area of the globe, there were confinements, reopenings, and many rules to be followed. As always, the sports world gave a lesson in resilience, bringing inestimable joy to the fans. 2021 ended up bringing a handful of victories to celebrate. Everyone hopes that 2022 will bring the definitive resumption of sports. 

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Move Sports organizes training camps, sports tours and corporate events in Portugal and Spain around sports such as football, rugby, field hockey, swimming, basketball, athletics and lacrosse, amongst others. Move Sports offers a comprehensive service to schools, clubs and companies from all over the world, ranging from sports organization to travel and transfers, accommodation and ancillary entertainment and leisure programs.

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