Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: Manager of the Indian contingent tests positive for COVID-19

Mohammad Abbas Wani, the manager of India's Winter Olympics delegation, tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival at Beijing Airport. Abbas Wani is one of six Indian athletes competing in the Winter Olympics, with Kashmir skier Arif Khan being the only one from the country to qualify this time. During the Games, Arif will compete in slalom and giant slalom events.

Harjinder Singh is the team's chef de mission, Ludar Chand Thakur is the alpine coach, Puran Chand is the technician, and Rop Chand Negi is the team official. Narinder Batra, president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), announced Abbas Wani's positive COVID result and stated that chef de mission Harjinder is liaising with the Winter Olympics organisers for a re-test.

"The manager of the Indian contingent Mr. Abbas Wani tested COVID positive at Beijing Airport. The chef de mission Mr. Harjinder Singh is coordinating for a re-test. The athlete and his coach have been shifted to another flat to avoid any interaction," Batra said.

The Beijing Winter Olympics to be held from February 4 to 20.

The 'intense rivalry' between the United States and Canada is heating up:

The United States and Canada do not have the same sporting rivalry as Argentina and Brazil, but when it comes to the Winter Olympics, the North American neighbours ramp up the heat. In the summer Olympics, Canada may be outmatched by the United States, but in the winter, when medals are determined on the snow and ice, Canada punches above its weight.

The 2022 Beijing Winter Games provide another opportunity for Canada, which prides itself on its winter sports, to outshine its southern neighbours. Analyzing data According to Nielsen's Gracenote, Canada and the United States will compete for a total of 22 medals in the Games, which will take place from February 4 to February 20.

The Americans are expected to finish fourth in the table, behind Norway, Germany, and the Russian Olympic Committee, with seven gold medals versus six for the Canadians. Canada has won more gold medals than the United States in the previous three Winter Games, according to the International Olympic Committee's medals table (IOC).

The US spin puts it ahead in 2010 and 2014 by referring to the total medals count, which includes a then-record 37 during the Vancouver Winter Games. As a result, a dividing line has been painted in the snow for North American bragging rights in Beijing, with several of both countries' top medal contenders competing in the same events.

Men's and women's ice hockey medals are more important than any other for Canada.

Since women's hockey was added to the Olympic programme in 1998, Canada and the United States have won every gold medal. The United States took first place in Nagano and finished last in Pyeongchang. The four games in between were won by Canada. If the two nemeses don't meet in the Olympic final again on Feb. 16, it will be considered one of the major upsets of the Beijing Games.

The men's medal contenders are more difficult to gauge now that the National Hockey League pulled out of the Beijing Games in December after COVID-19 forced the postponement of over 100 games. The United States and Canada, once considered gold favourites until the NHL's withdrawal, are again medal contenders.

Canada will also be seeking to make amends for their catastrophic defeat at the Pyeongchang curling rink, when both the men's and women's teams failed to bring home a medal. The Canadian men's four-year winning streak came to an end in South Korea, while John Shuster's rink won gold for the United States for the first time and is back for a fifth Games to defend their championship.

There will be some animosity on the bobsleigh track, where Kaillie Humphries, a gold medalist for Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, defected to the United States after a dispute with the national federation and will participate as an American in Beijing. Snowboard will also feature some cross-border battles between Canada's Mark McMorris and the Americans.

The United States will hope to dominate the halfpipe once again, with Shaun White competing in his fifth Olympics and Chloe Kim attempting to defend her Pyeongchang title.

On the alpine ski slopes, where American all-rounder Mikaela Shiffrin is poised to be a one-woman medal machine attempting to reach the podium in five events, the United States will have a significant advantage.