the seven new events that are appearing in Beijing

The Winter Olympics are evolving. The International Olympic Committee pursues its objective of offering events in keeping with the times. And Beijing 2022 will be no exception. In addition, female athletes will represent 45.44% of participants in this 24th edition, compared to 41.2% four years ago in Pyeongchang. So, seven new events will see the light of day in China with objective of moving closer to full parity. Discovery.

Women’s and men’s big air

The “big air” freestyle ski event will host two competitions: one for women and one for men. This novelty consists of achieving the best figure while resting perfectly on your skis. Athletes take off on a descent of a hundred meters before arriving on a large ramp at 40% which will propel them fifty meters lower before the finish area. These aesthetes of the air will be rated by judges and will have two chances to achieve their best score in the qualifications, three in the final.

France can expect a lot from this new Olympic event with its two great champions, both winners of the X-Games, Tess Ledeux for the women and Antoine Adélisse for the men.

Mixed team ski jumping

This is the logical next step for women’s ski jumping at the Olympic Games. After the first individual event in history disputed in Sochi in 2014, a mixed team event will see the light of day at these 24th Winter Olympics. The concept is simple, two men and two women will be aligned by their nation and the cumulative scores of each will give the final ranking.

Alternating with a jumper, a jumper, this twice. Slovenia will be the big favorite at the start of the event, notably with Ursa Bogataj and Ema Klinec, respectively 3rd and 4th in the world.

A mixed snowboard cross event

Like the mixed single relay in biathlon, the mixed event in snowboard cross sees the male athlete go first before giving way to his teammate. It is once the thrower has crossed the line that the door will open in front of his compatriot’s board. The team that crosses the line first wins.

In the only event contested this winter, the France of Quentin Sodogas and Chloé Trespeuch finished in third place. The duo composed of Léo Le Blé Jaques and Julia Pereira de Sousa Mabileau had also been tanned at the last Worlds of Idre Fjäll in February 2021.

A mixed short-track event

Present in the World Cup since the winter of 2018/2019, this spectacular format will delight viewers of the Olympic Games. Around the 111 meter ring, two female athletes then two male athletes will each cover two laps, twice, alternating between a woman and a man. The team that puts the last kick in the lead will be titled.

There will be no French team in the running, the selected being only two with the Havrais Sébastien Lepape and the Bisontine Tiffany Huot-Marchant.

The feminine single-seater

Like the two-man and four-man bobsleigh but with a shortened bob, the athlete who achieves the fastest time at the bottom of the Zhangjiakou track will become the first ever Olympic champion in women’s single-seater.

Margot Boch will be at the start of this event and will form a duo with Carla Sénéchal on the duo event.

A mixed event in acrobatic jumping

The acrobatic jump event will also have its mixed version. Each nation presents three athletes at the start with at least one man or one woman. That is to say that there can be either a man alongside two women, and vice versa. In the balance of points, the team with the highest score is declared the winner.

China, at home, will be the ultra-favorites as they have dominated the World Cup circuit for years. France will not be represented on this new event.