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The 2022 Winter Olympics from Beijing — 13 hours ahead of the eastern time zone in the US — kicked off on our local airwaves Wednesday night with my four-year fixation on the great sport of curling, with the opening ceremony slated to take place on Friday.
There are plenty of intriguing competitive storylines to follow over the next two weeks, beyond the politics of the United States and other countries not sending diplomatic delegations of non-athletes to China and, of course, the lingering effects of COVID-19 and its various regulations. and restrictions in place to ensure that the 24th Winter Games are disrupted as little as possible.
Here’s an introduction to some of the key storylines and athletes we’ll be watching from around the world: