California Sends 29 Athletes To Beijing For 2022 Winter Olympics

CALIFORNIA— With COVID-19 protocols restricting spectators to a select few in the 2022 Beijing Olympics starting Friday, the only way to cheer on 29 Winter Olympics athletes with ties to California is from home.

The Olympic schedule shows competition beginning Wednesday, ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony. Our California athletes will be there in full Ralph Lauren-designed gear, waving the red, white and blue while we cheer from home during opening ceremonies.

See: Photos: California Athletes Off To 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

The 29 athletes sent by the Golden State vary in the events they have trained for: from Alpine Skiing, Bobsled, Ice Hockey, Figure Skating, Snowboarding and a broad range of events in between.

Carlsbad and Tahoe City are the most represented cities in California, with three athletes each.

As expected the mountain towns of Wrightwood, Mammoth Lakes, Mount Shasta, South Lake Tahoe are also represented.

By city, athletes with ties to California who are representing the United States in the Feb. 4-20 XXIV Olympiad are:

Avon:

• Kai Owens, Event: Freestyle/Freeski, Women's Moguls.

Carlsbad:

• Tessa Maud, Event: Snowboarding, Women's Snowboard Halfpipe.
• Shaun White, Event: Snowboarding, Men's Snowboard Halfpipe.
• Kaillie Humphries, Event: Bobsled, Women's Monobob, 2-woman.

Carmel:

• Brita Sigourney, Event: Freestyle/Freeski, Women's Freeski Halfpipe.

Carnelian Bay:

• Aj Hurt, Event: Albine Skiing, Women’s Alpine Skiing.

Corona:

• Cayla Barnes, Event: Ice Hockey-Women, Women’s Team.

Fremont:

• Karen Chen, Event: Figure Skating, Women’s Single Skating.

Irvine:

• Mariah Bell, Event: Figure Skating, Women’s Single Skating.
• Nathan Chen, Event: Figure Skating, Men’s Single Skating.

Los Angeles:

• Chloe Kim, Event: Snowboarding, Women’s Snowboard, Halfpipe.

Mammoth Lakes:

• Tyler Wallasch, Event: Freestyle/Freeski, Men’s Ski Cross.
• Dusty Henricksen, Event: Snowboarding, Men’s Snowboard Big Air, Men’s Snowboard, Slopestyle.

Manhattan Beach:

• Brendan Brisson, Event: Ice Hockey - Men, Men’s Team.

Mount Shasta:

• Robert Burns, Event: Snowboarding, Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom.

Newport Beach:

• Carlo Valdes, Event: Bobsled: 2-man, 4-man.

Palo Alto:

• Vincent Zhou, Event: Figure Skating, Men Single Skating.
• Joanne Reid, Event: Biathlon, Women.

Redondo Beach:

• Madison Chock, Event: Figure Skating, Ice Dance

Richmond:

• Alysa Liu, Event: Figure Skating, Women Single Skating

San Clemente:

• Hailey Langland, Event: Snowboarding, Women’s Snowboard Big Air, Women’s Snowboard Slope Style.

South Lake Tahoe:

• Jamie Anderson, Event: Snowboarding, Women’s Snowboard Big Air, Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle.

Strawberry:

• Keely Cashman, Event: Alpine Skiing, Women’s Alpine Skiing.

Tahoe City:

• Bryce Bennett, Event: Alpine Skiing, Men’s Alpine Skiing.
• Travis Ganong, Event: Alpine Skiing, Men’s Alpine Skiing.
• James Clinton Schoonmaker, Event: Cross-Country Skiing, Men’s.

Truckee:

• Maureen Lebel, Event: Alpine Skiing, Women’s.
• Hanna Halvorsen, Event: Cross-Country Skiing, Women’s.

Wrightwood:

• Maddie Mastro, Event: Snowboarding, Women’s Snowboard, Halfpipe

The Beijing Games are the second Olympics competition to be held during the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were delayed until 2021, and athletes in Beijing will face similarly rigid protocols, as COVID-19 numbers remain high around the world.

Olympic organizers in mid-January suspended ticket sales to the general public, saying that selected groups of spectators would be invited on-site. International spectators cannot attend.

How To Watch The Olympics

NBCUniversal is the main broadcast partner and will offer 2022 Beijing Olympics programming across its cable, broadcast and digital platforms, including NBC, USA, CNBC and the Olympic Channel.

People with basic cable packages that include access to NBC can watch livestream coverage with the NBC Sports app.

Here are some other options:

• SlingTV’s Blue Plan includes access to channels broadcasting live Olympic coverage.
• Sling is offering a free trial of its Blue Plan, which includes access to channels broadcasting live Olympics coverage.
• fuboTV offers Olympic livestreams;
• Hulu + Live TV gives you access on TVs, tablets, laptops and other devices.
• NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, offers livestreaming via laptops, smartphones and smart TVs.

COVID Protocols For Athletes

The Olympic athletes face a number of hurdles under a COVID-19 safety plan that includes daily testing of both athletes and workers. A positive test could sideline athletes, even if they’re no longer contagious, but Olympic organizers say the plan is flexible and allows for a case-by-case review on the need for isolation.

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Photos: California Athletes Off To 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics