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    Winter Olympics 2022: See China's stadiums from space in these snowy satellite photos

    News
    By Alexander Cox Contributions from Hanneke Weitering published 4 February 2022

    The quadrennial sporting event kicked off in Beijing today (Feb. 4).

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    The Winter Olympics of 2022 are here and Maxar Technologies has released satellite images revealing what many of the venues in Beijing and around China look like from space. 

    The winter games are taking place in Beijing, the same host city as the 2008 Summer Olympics. The opening ceremony kicked off the event Friday (Feb. 4) at 6:30 a.m. EST, although some events like curling had already begun earlier this week. 

    With this being the Winter Olympics, these satellite images are able to show off cool, large outdoor venues used for sports such as skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, bobsledding and more. Some images also show off what the stadiums look like at night.

    Related: Watch astronauts hold their own Summer Olympics in space with zero-g synchronized swimming and more

    Page 1 of 13
    Page 1 of 13

    This satellite image shows the National Speed Skating Oval (also known as "The Ice Ribbon") in Beijing, as seen by Maxar's WorldView 2 satellite on Nov. 14, 2021. 

    Page 2 of 13
    Page 2 of 13

    This WorldView 2 satellite image, captured on Jan. 11, 2022, shows the Shougang Big Air Venue in Beijing. This is where the freestyle big air competitions and snowboarding big air competitions will take place.

    Page 3 of 13
    Page 3 of 13

    Maxar's WorldView 2 satellite captured this nighttime view of Big Air Shougang, on Jan. 31, 2022.

    Page 4 of 13
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    The Wukesong Sports Center, seen here in a WorldView 2 satellite image captured on Jan. 28, 2022, will host ice hockey matches during the Winter Olympics. 

    Page 5 of 13
    Page 5 of 13

    The biathlon and cross-country ski courses that will be used in the Beijing Winter Olympics are seen here in an image captured by Maxar's WorldView 3 satellite, on Dec. 10, 2021.

    Page 6 of 13
    Page 6 of 13

    A satellite image shows the Olympic stadium and cross-country ski course in Beijing. The image was acquired by Maxar's WorldView 3 satellite on Dec. 10, 2021.

    Page 7 of 13
    Page 7 of 13

    This WorldView 3 satellite image, captured on Dec. 10, 2021, shows the Snow Ruyi National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou, located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Beijing. 

    Page 8 of 13
    Page 8 of 13

    This WorldView 3 satellite image shows Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, China, on Dec. 10, 2021. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, this is where the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events will take place.

    Page 9 of 13
    Page 9 of 13

    Genting Snow Park is seen at night in this WorldView 3 satellite image, captured on Jan. 31, 2022.

    Page 10 of 13
    Page 10 of 13

    The National Sliding Center, located in the Beijing suburb of Yanqing, will host the Olympic bobsleigh and luge events. This image was acquired by Maxar's GeoEye 1 satellite on Dec. 19, 2021.

    Page 11 of 13
    Page 11 of 13

    The Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre will host the alpine skiing events during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. This image was acquired by Maxar's GeoEye 1 satellite on Dec. 19, 2021.

    Page 12 of 13
    Page 12 of 13

    This nighttime image shows the Beijing National Stadium (also known as the Bird's Nest) and the Beijing National Aquatics Center (aka the "Frozen Cube"). Maxar captured this view on Jan. 31, 2022.

    Page 13 of 13
    Page 13 of 13
    Alexander Cox
    Alexander Cox
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    E-commerce Staff Writer

    STAFF WRITER, E-commerce — Alex joined Space.com in June 2021 as staff writer covering space news, games, tech, toys and deals. Based in London, U.K. Graduating in June 2020, Alex studied Sports Journalism in the North East of England at Sunderland University. During his studies and since his graduation, Alex has been featured in local newspapers and online publications covering a range of sports from university rugby to Premier League soccer. In addition to a background in sports and journalism, Alex has a life-long love of Star Wars which started with watching the prequel trilogy and collecting toy lightsabers, he also grew up spending most Saturday evenings watching Doctor Who. 

    Contact Alexander: E-Mail Twitter

    With contributions from
    • Hanneke WeiteringContributing expert
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