New look Winter Olympics gets youth and gender revamp

The Beijing 2022 Winter Games will feature seven new events as the IOC pushes for a more gender-balanced and youth-focussed format, say organisers. Mixed gender teams play their role as they are seen as less stressful and more fun by the athletes, and 2022 will have mixed events in short-track skating, aerials, snowboard cross and ski-jumping "The addition of these new events for Beijing 2022 reflects our continued commitment to make the Olympic Games more youthful and gender balanced," IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell said on Wednesday. "I am very pleased to see the increase of female athletes, especially in such exciting, ground-breaking events," he said. Another novelty will be the introduction of Big Air skiing, an extreme version of slopestyle where tricks are performed in the air after a jump and a mono-bobsleigh event is also due to make a bow. The plan is to have 1,314 women involved in the Games, which is just over 45 per cent of the total.