Beijing to host 2022 Winter Olympics

Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee announced Friday morning.

The Chinese capital will have the shortest gap between games in modern Olympic history — and become the first city to host both summer and winter games.

{mosads}The New York Times reports that Beijing will use a number of venues used in the 2008 games and will rely on snow-making operations to account for a dearth of real snow.

Beijing edged out its only competitor, Almaty, Kazakhstan, by a vote of 44 to 40. That’s a smaller victory than expected considering the differing international prominence and resources of the two cities. 

The city had the help from former NBA star Yao Ming, who said at a press conference ahead of its selection that “it’s the right time, the perfect time, for the Olympics to return to Beijing,” according to The Times.

America last hosted an Olympics in 2002, the Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Boston had been vying for the 2024 Summer Games, but recently pulled its bid.