The Beijing Winter Olympic Games 2022 is drawing to a close and we’ve seen some history being made right before our very eyes in the city we live in – how exciting is that! While it’s a great pity that the pandemic cost many of us the opportunity to watch the competitions in person, a select few individuals were lucky enough to receive invites. One such lucky individual was Jingkids teen correspondent Rosa Mary Crocetti, who attended the ice hockey quarterfinals that pitted the US against Slovakia. Watch the video below to see Rosa at the scene!

Crocetti also shared with us that when she hears “Olympics,” she thinks of “sports celebrities with terrific sportsmanship.” The 9-year-old from British School of Beijing, Sanlitun sees a future for herself in playing a sport professionally in front of a crowd like in the Olympics. You go, girl!

While Jingkids editor Julie Wolf shared some great lessons from the Olympic Games last year, so far, some of my Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics takeaways are…

1. Beijing’s winters are truly harsh

What sweet validation I felt when I read that not one, not two, but several athletes have been complaining about the frigid temperatures Beijing’s winter brings. Headlines such as “Olympic skiers are complaining of dangerously cold conditions in Beijing with subzero windchills pushing athletes to the brink of collapse” say it all. If even these human beings in their peak physical condition get the chills, no wonder I’m freezing the minute I step outside.

2. Social media brings out the best and worst in people

There’s no doubt that seeing the online trolls blast Chinese ice skater Zhu Yi for her falls during the ice skating team event was disheartening, but thankfully, upstanding members of the online community came to her defense, restoring our faith in humanity. Shake it off, Zhu Yi, and show us what you’re really made of!

3. Quarantine messes with your head, literally

It has not been a great time for Norwegian skier Jarl Magnus Riiber. Not only did he test positive for Covid but he also had to spend two weeks in isolated quarantine instead of training, so it’s no surprise that when he finally competed in the biathlon on Monday, his “body was not working.” As a result, he took a wrong turn during the 10km combined event, costing him his 44-second lead and ultimately landing him in eighth place. Poor guy.

4. Listen to your mother

Golden girl and China’s current favorite Asian-American athlete Eileen Gu revealed that speaking to her mom and listening to her advice before competing in the Freeski slopestyle final helped her to win her second medal at Beijing 2022. See kids, mother or father knows best.

What are some of your favorite Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics moments? Share them with us in the comments below!

KEEP READING: Discover Indoor Skiing at SNOW 51 With 9-Year-Old Henry

Images: Erin Crocetti, Pexels, Eileen Gu’s Instagram

You’d have to be living under a rock if you still don’t know who Eileen Gu is. The Olympic gold medalist is China’s newfound golden child and she’s everywhere.

The 18-year-old Olympic skier is currently featured in campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Victoria’s Secret, and Estée Lauder, as well as sponsored by Red Bull, Bank of China, the People’s Insurance Company of China, Kohler, Mengniu, Luckin Coffee, Cadillac, and many more. According to campaignasia.com, a marketing deal with Gu could reach about RMB 15 million. Everybody wants a piece of Gu, and for good reason. She’s basically the dream child that every parent wants.

She’s an Olympic gold medalist, a pianist, a model, and a confident wholesome young woman who seems to have her head on straight. Oh and let’s not forget that she was accepted into Stanford.

The latest brand to jump on Eileen’s coattails is China Mobile, now selling MeetGu collectible figurines.

Since a collectible Winter Olympics Bing Dwen Dwen is essentially impossible to get a hold of now, you can still get your hands on a piece of the Winter Olympics festivities with one of the Eileen Gu collectibles.

One collection features Eileen working out in a pink headband and doing stretches with an adorable kitten, as well as Eileen on a ski slope in a white beanie, sitting next to pink skis and waiting to take on her next challenge.

The other features Eileen on the slopes, along with Eileen dressed in a purple qipao running around Beijing’s hutongs holding a red lantern.

To purchase your Eileen Gu collectible, scan the QR code below to visit China Mobile’s WeChat store.

Images: Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool, wikipedia, China Mobile, Weibo

As well as traditional snow and ice sports such as skiing and skating, recent reports have suggested that a surprising new entry might feature in the Beijing Winter Olympics: mahjong.

Yes, that’s right. A game perhaps more associated with old people sitting around in parks or housewives with secret gambling problems, mahjong has been mooted as a possible “demonstration event” at the 2022 Games. Demonstration events haven’t been a part of the Olympics since 1992, when for both Curling in the Winter Games and Taekwondo in the Summer it was a step to full inclusion. Other sports have not been so lucky: pigeon racing, cannon shooting and kite flying all failed to make the leap from demonstration to Olympic sport.

The origins of mahjong are murky and disputed. Despite some claims for ancient provenance, most experts agree that it emerged in its modern form in Shanghai in the late 19^th century, when the crucial shift from cards to tiles took place. In the 1920s the game became popular in the west, and the craze for Mahjong parties where guests dressed up in “Chinese” costumes even inspired a novelty pop song, “Since Ma Is Playing Mahjong.”

Mahjong faces some challenges before being accepted as an Olympic event though. It has only recently been admitted by the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA), and has to wait in line behind longer-established games like chess and bridge.

“The six mind sports can be divided into three levels”, according to Chen Zelan, President of IMSA. “Chess and bridge, which have already been recognized as sports by the IOC, have the priority to be admitted to the Games. Among the other four mind sports, go and draughts are official member sports of SportAccord, while Xiangqi and Mahjong are still just observers of it, let alone (could they be included in the) Winter Olympic Games.”

There’s also the many different variations of the rules, and the strong element of luck involved. However the prospects for Olympic Mahjong are not as dim as it may appear. From 1912 to 1948, poetry was an official event at the Games, for which medals were awarded. So anything is possible.

Photos: Audrey via Flickr, pinterest.com