Focus on Arts and Ecology

We bring to you the latest highlights from this year's Winter Olympics hosted by Beijing, China. 

Want to know more about the sports being played at Beijing Winter Olympics? Find out more here.

In the midst of gravity-defying jumps and record-breaking performances by the athletes at this year's Beijing Olympics, something unusual is catching the eye of those following the Winter Games on TV: what are those factory-like towers in the background?

Exclusive: Albania's only Olympian spoke with us on his childhood, ambition, and newfound fame
 

Catch up on the latest news from Beijing Winter Olympics:

• Nine new COVID-19 cases have been detected among games-related personnel – six among new airport arrivals, with the other three being either an athlete or a team official in the "closed-loop" bubble
• China's Gu Ailing kicked off her Olympic debut campaign with a gold medal in the freestyle skiing women's Freeski big air event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on Tuesday. Watch her move here
• A host of new technologies have been showcased at the Beijing Winter Olympics, including 5G tech and events being broadcast in 8K resolution
• Special features at medal ceremonies will mark Valentine's Day and China's Lantern Festival next week
• How is passenger safety ensured at Beijing's Daxing International Airport during a Winter Olympics that is taking place amidst a pandemic?
• A trio of music superstars – Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Chinese pianist Lang Lang and Chinese soprano Lei Jia – have teamed up to create a song that celebrates the 2022 Beijing Olympics and the role of China's capital as the first city to host both summer and winter games
• Chinese alpine skier Zhang Yangming finished the men's Super Giant Slalom event on Tuesday in 33rd place
• Xi Jinping on Sunday met with leaders of  Poland, Argentina, Pakistan, Singapore, Luxembourg, Kyrgyzstan, Monaco and Mongolia, who were in Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Olympic-themed commodities are becoming popular in China amid the Beijing 2022 winter games. A cute little panda named Bing Dwen Dwen, the winter game's official mascot, stands out among all the merchandise. The mascot has quickly gained worldwide popularity and sold out of stores all over China. 

Online sales of Winter Olympics souvenirs -> up by 21.2 times 
Sales of snow sports equipment -> up by 62.9%
Sales of clothing -> 61.2%

The figurine of Bing Dwen Dwen, priced at 88 yuan ($13.83), was released with 2,000 of it three times on Monday evening but was out of stock in just seconds.

What's behind the popularity? Find out here. 

Chinese citizens who can't attend the Beijing Winter Olympics are coming up with creative ways to show their support. That includes an acrobat from Tianjin who can twist her body into all 24 event logos from the Games. 

Watch the latest highlights from our Augmented Reality Panda, Xiaomo.

How did Norway, a country with just about 5 million people, bag the most medals in the history of the Winter Olympics? We asked the Norwegian team's Chef de Mission Tore Ovrebo, who says the secret might lie in the fact that 93 percent of Norway's youth plays organized sports, making up a huge talent pool.

Hosting a global event of this magnitude – and during a pandemic – is no easy feat. Tens of thousands of people are in Beijing for the Olympics. CGTN’s Gerald Tan reports The Gist on some of the main facts and figures.

(Sources: China Report)