I was thinking this morning about how odd it is to have the Winter Games happening so soon after the Summer Games. It wasn't long ago, however, that both sets of games were always held just months apart. The 1992 Olympics was the last time both the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics were held during the same year.

That was the last time, until now, that both versions of the Olympic games were held within 12 months of one another.

The International Olympic Committee decided to break up the games so that there wouldn't be the traditional four-year drought after they were over, which was a terrific PR move. Instead of waiting the traditional four years after the 1992 Olympics, the Lillehammer, Norway Winter Games were held in 1994. Then, the Winter Games resumed their four-year cycle. Ever since, there has been some version of the Olympic Games every two years, until COVID.

Now, the regularly-scheduled 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are underway. After so much uncertainty about whether or not the games would even happen, athletes from all over the planet are finally going to have the chance to compete against the best in the world.

It's incredible how many of the world's best Winter Olympic athletes live right in our region. A ton of Team USA members call New England their home, and a good number of them are right here in Massachusetts. We clearly have some strong hockey and skating programs in the Bay State, because there are a significant number of them on this year's Team USA. There's even one from New Bedford!

Here's a list of all of the Massachusetts athletes competing in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Massachusetts Athletes Competing in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Here's a list of the Bay Staters to watch out for in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

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