Notes

Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

Sam
And I’m Sam.

Neil
Sam, would you describe yourself as ‘sporty’?

Sam
Well, I do like to go running and I might watch some sport on TV.

Neil
Would you watch sport like bandy, skeleton or perhaps luge?

Sam
Ah, you’re talking about quite specialised sports, played on ice or snow, and that’s because it’s almost time for the Winter Olympics.

Neil
Yes, you’re right. The 2022 Winter Olympics starts in Beijing on the 4th February. This event will mark the return of the Olympics to Beijing for the first time in 14 years, having previously hosted the 2008 Summer Games.

Sam
That means Beijing will become the first city in the world to have hosted both the Winter and Summer Games. But these latest Games are not without controversy – that’s disagreement or argument about something people have strong feelings about.

Neil
More about that later – but as usual, I have a question or you, Sam. The Winter Olympics have not been around as long as the Summer Olympics, so do you know when the first Winter event took place? Was it in:
a) 1904
b) 1924, or
c) 1934?

Sam
Well, as they are relatively new, I’ll go for c) 1934.

Neil
OK, Sam, we’ll find out if that’s right later in the programme. Now, this latest Winter Olympics are scheduled to include a record 109 events over 15 disciplines in seven sports - biathlon, bobsledding, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing. A discipline in this context is a particular way of doing a sport.

Sam
The BBC’s China correspondent, Stephen McDonell, went to a recent test event for the Olympics and explained what the organisers are hoping for…

Stephen McDonell, BBC China correspondent
In the mountains outside Beijing, the test events are in full swing. (The) Games organisers will be hoping (that) despite the coronavirus headaches, despite the alleged human rights abuses, despite the allegations from a former Chinese Olympian - a tennis star at that - involving a senior government official - they can still produce a memorable Winter Olympics.

Neil
So that was Stephen McDonell at a test event which he described as being in full swing – so, at its highest level or activity – its busiest. And he mentioned the controversy surrounding the games.

Sam
Yes, he mentioned the coronavirus headache – not an actual headache but something that causes a lot of problems. Covid-19 certainly makes it difficult to plan a huge event like this, particularly managing people who are travelling from all parts of the world.

Neil
On top of this, China is accused of human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslims. And there is the controversy around the tennis player, Peng Shuai