Team Ireland Move from Official Training Camp to Beijing
Today Team Ireland move from their pre-games training camp in Innsbruck, Austria, to Beijing for the Winter Olympic Games which run from the 4 – 20 February 2022. The six athletes who will compete in the Winter Games will be spread across two athlete villages, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, with high speed trains linking the two venues.
The official winter kit supplier for Team Ireland has also been revealed today as VIST Italy Srl, a renowned company in the winter sports sector which is engaged in the manufacture, distribution and sale of high quality winter products. The agreement between VIST and the Olympic Federation of Ireland will run from the Beijing Olympics right the way through to Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Speaking from Beijing, Team Ireland Chef de Mission for Beijing 2022 Nancy Chillingworth is pleased with the quality of the clothing, as she prepares for the arrival of the rest of the team,
“We are delighted to work with VIST, who have worked with us on creating clothing for Team Ireland that not only is attractive but is comfortable and of high quality. This is the Olympic Games, the pinnacle of an athlete’s career, and we believe it is important that the athletes look and feel good. The temperatures here drop as low as -12 degrees, so having the right kit is increasingly important, and we are looking forward to watching the athletes proudly walk into the stadium together looking good on the 4th February for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games.”
Operations Manager for VIST, Tamara Gisem said,
“VIST is proud to be the official winter kit supplier for the Irish Olympic Team at Beijing 2022. Our expertise have allowed us to create state of the art apparel to support our athletes on the Olympic stage. Let’s go Team Ireland!”
The schedule for Team Ireland in Beijing 2022 is as follows:
| Sport | Name | Event | Competition Date |
| Ceremony | All | Opening Ceremony | 04-Feb |
| Alpine Skiing | Jack Gower | Downhill | 06-Feb |
| Cross‑country skiing | Thomas Westgard | 15km+15km Skiathlon | 06-Feb |
| Alpine Skiing | Tess Arbez | Giant Slalom Run | 07-Feb |
| Luge | Elsa Desmond | Run 1 & 2 | 07-Feb |
| Alpine Skiing | Jack Gower | Super G | 08-Feb |
| Luge | Elsa Desmond | Run 3 & 4 | 08-Feb |
| Alpine Skiing | Tess Arbez | Slalom Run #2 | 09-Feb |
| Snowboard | Seamus O’Connor | Halfpipe Q | 09-Feb |
| Alpine Skiing | Tess Arbez | Slalom Run #1 | 09-Feb |
| Alpine Skiing | Jack Gower | Alpine Combined | 10-Feb |
| Snowboard | Seamus O’Connor | Halfpipe Final (1,2, 3) | 11-Feb |
| Alpine Skiing | Tess Arbez | Super G | 11-Feb |
| Cross‑country skiing | Thomas Westgard | 15km Classic | 11-Feb |
| Alpine Skiing | Jack Gower | Giant Slalom | 13-Feb |
| Freestyle skiing | Brendan Newby | Halfpipe Qualifying | 17-Feb |
| Freestyle skiing | Brendan Newby | Halfpipe Final (1. 2 & 3) | 19-Feb |
| Cross‑country skiing | Thomas Westgard | 50km | 19-Feb |
| Ceremony | All | Closing Ceremony | 20-Feb |
The winners of the art competition to celebrate the launch of Road to Beijing were revealed this week, with the winning posters selected out of hundreds of entries. These posters are displayed across the team rooms in the pre-games camp and the Olympic Villages to inspire the athletes. The Road to Beijing Olympic Schools Challenge was officially launched last week and will see schools around Ireland celebrate Team Ireland at the Olympics in Beijing, while getting active. The first of the teacher’s webinars were held this week. Schools nationwide are invited to sign up and register AT THIS LINK.