After four years since the most recent Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the USA team of athletes is ready to perform at the highest level and show competitors what they are capable of. Asia has seen a lot of Olympic Games in the past year, thanks to the delayed 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and now the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. Surprisingly, COVID has yet to get in the way of this year’s winter games, so they are set to begin this week.

The opening ceremony will kick off on February 4 at about 7:30 pm. All the countries participating will be welcomed to Beijing and have the opportunity to show spectators their culture through music and dance.

The most frequently watched sport of the Winter Olympics is freestyle skiing, followed by downhill skiing, luge and snowboarding among the top five list. From the US, there are two rookies, Winter Vinecki and Jaelin Kauf, who are looking to break past all barriers and make their Olympic debut memorable.

Two-time defending halfpipe gold medalist David Wise is searching for a three-peat in Beijing, as he is the only one to hold his current title. Wise, a 32 year old from Reno, Nevada, talks about his goals for this year’s winter games.

“The reality for me is, I’m still in a state of my career where I am trying to find what the limits are and, it’s not necessarily about comparing myself to my peers and my competitors. It’s more about what can I do with the body I was given and how far can I take this,” Wise said according to Olympic.com.

Another crowd favorite of the Winter Olympics is figure skating. The United States has mostly dominated this sport for years, but now and then there are a few contestants from countries like Russia and Canada that are hard to beat. Nathan Chen, a skater for the US, has been nearly undefeated for the past four years since the 2018 games. Chen has won six consecutive national titles and three back-to-back world championships. There is no doubt Chen will make a great impression on this year’s games.

“I’m just really excited for it. I’m focusing on every single step from now until the Olympics: do the steps as best as I can and prepare the best I can. So by the time I get to the Olympics, whatever I do, as long as I try my best, I’ll be happy and fulfilled with the results,” Chen stated on Olympic.com.

Overall, there are 15 sports competing in the 2022 Olympic Games, and the United States is known to have a dominant team in every competition. Make sure you tune in to honor these amazing athletes and all the time they have put in to prepare for the biggest athletic competition of the year!