The Tokyo Olympics might already be on its concluding stage but the Winter Olympics are approaching fast and are highly anticipated by those who did not get their fill of sports this year. The Winter Games, which will be hosted in the Chinese national capital Beijing, are scheduled to commence in less than six months.

Here is all you need to know about the upcoming Winter Olympics:

1) The Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held in early 2021, between February 4-20, according to reports from Washington Post.

2) China’s capital city Beijing secured the right to host the upcoming games in 2015 after beating Kazakhstan‘s city of Almaty. Norway’s capital city Oslo was also a top contender for being the host but was removed due to issues that revolved around funding.

3) Beijing, which will become the first city ever to have hosted both Summer and Winter Games. The Summer Games were organised in the city in 2008. 

4) The climate of the Chinese capital city is not ideally suitable to host the Winter Olympics, however, man-made snow will be produced to fulfil the requirements for the games. The average high temperature of the city is nearly 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the month of February, according to reports from Washington Post citing data from the World Meteorological Organization.

5) About six months before the games are about to start, there is not enough clarity if spectators and a live audience would be permitted at the venues of the Winter Games due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation.

The International Olympic Committee’s executive director Christophe Dubi said in an interview with Bloomberg, “Let’s see how the pandemic evolves around the globe and especially in China, and then let’s look at the consequence of participation for spectators”, according to reports from Washington Post.