On Sunday, Beijing saw the highest Covid-19 cases in a year and a half, as the Chinese city prepares to organize the Beijing Olympics in 5 days.

As part of their zero-Covid policy of focused lockdowns, China will host the Event in a stringent "closed-loop" shell. The strategy has helped the world's largest country contain new infections at a much lower rate than other nations. Although, it is still dealing with local outbreaks in a handful of cities, and also in the Olympic shell.

The number of infections among players and team personnel at the Beijing Winter Olympics increased to 19 on Friday. Organisers indicated that more cases will emerge in the days ahead. However, The organising committee stated in a statement on Saturday that 36 Games-related personnel, including organisers, were determined to be contaminated — 29 when they landed at the Beijing airport and seven already within the "closed-loop" bubble that protects event staff from the general public.

"We are now just going through the peak period of people arriving in China and therefore we expect to see the highest numbers at this stage. Organizers are "confident" in their system of Covid-19 prevention, and infections are unlikely to leak out into the public," the Games' medical chief, Brian McCloskey declared in a press conference.

Read also: 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: Arif Khan creates history, qualifies for two events

For the very first time since China began providing the statistics of Olympics-related coronavirus infections on Jan. 23, infections amongst players and team officials outnumbered those among "other stakeholders," such as media, and employees, according to a Reuters tally of earlier declarations.

The player's reactions

According to Russian hockey player Anton Slepyshev, "it's annoying that every morning you need to get up a little earlier especially to get a PCR test. I think that in a few days, it will be like brushing your teeth."

"Everyone is concerned that the test result will suddenly turn out to be positive. But the reality is such that we are living with Covid. We accept all the risks and fears," he further added.

The status of the event

The Games will take place from Friday through February 20, in a bubble isolated from the rest of China by the government's zero-tolerance Covid19 policy, which has effectively closed China's gate to outside visitors.

When Timothy LeDuc and Ashley Cain-Gribble walked to the ice as a pair, they made history as the first publicly nonbinary winter Olympians at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. In their first appearance, they finished in seventh place.

Read more: Shailaja Kumar: the first Indian woman to compete in the Winter Olympics

So, what exactly is the meaning of a 'Non-binary' athlete?

Being non-binary in the sense of gender means not identifying as either a man or a woman. It expresses a rejection of the notion that there are two genders: man and woman. Some civilizations do not employ a gender binary, despite the fact that most do. Meanwhile, the presence of a third gender has been officially recognised in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. In the context of athletes competing in competitive sports events, the term "non-binary" has the same meaning as in other gender situations.

Many sporting tournaments demand contestants to fit neatly into either "man" or "woman" categories. Thus, It makes it particularly difficult for non-binary people to compete. However, keeping all these restrictions and taboos behind, Timothy LeDuc became the first-ever non-binary Olympian in figure skating to compete in the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.

Basically, in these cases, instead of using "he" or "she" to refer to anyone, you use "they." You use "them" instead of "he" or "her" when you would normally use "him" or "her." However, when it comes to the pronouns, LeDuc uses gender-neutral pronouns. These are "they" and "them".

Read more: Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: China's Eileen Gu becomes first freestyle skier to win medals in three different events

LeDuc's reaction after becoming the first-ever non-binary Olympian to compete in the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Participating in a sport where the typical male-female dynamic is often openly displayed has been challenging for LeDuc and their pairs partner Ashley Cain-Gribble, who has complained about being "body-shamed" as a freakishly tall female skater.

At the Beijing Games, the pair skated to a season-best score of 74.13 in the short programme. Afterwards, LeDuc stated, "It was such a joyous moment for us out there today. I think both Ashley and I have had to overcome so many different things so many times when people have told us no or that we don't belong."

After finishing seventh in the short programme, the duo will compete in the final free skate on Saturday.

"Both Ashley and I, we had something to prove today. I hope people watching us feel like maybe there is space for them to come into figure skating. And for them to be able to celebrate what makes them unique and different," they went on to add.

"I know for me, people who are non-binary, it's only possible because amazing queer people have come before me and laid the groundwork for me. And so now I want to do that for others to come after as well," LeDuc concluded.

Read more: Shiva Keshavan becomes the first Indian to be included in Olympians for Life, Beijing 2022 edition

Furthermore, The American figure skater in pairs aspires to pave the path for others to participate in the sport without being limited by gender prejudices.

As per LGBTQ+ news site Outsports, a record number of publicly LGBTQ+ athletes are participating in the Winter Olympics — at least 36, or double the amount from Pyeongchang in 2018. Also, the first openly transgender and non-binary Olympians competed in the Tokyo Summer Games last year.

On day 14 of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, Eileen Gu, China's 18-year-old American-born skier, won gold in the Freeski halfpipe with a tally of 95.25. As a result, she added to her medal tally on Friday in Beijing and cemented her place in history.

Gu earned a 93.25 on her first run, which was strong enough to fetch her the win. However, she stepped it up with a 95.25 on her second run after beginning with clean back-to-back 900s. Gu was in first place going into the third run, and when it came time for her to slide in as the final competitor, she had nothing except a triumphant race ahead of her.

Read more: Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: India's Arif Khan records DNF in the slalom as the campaign ends for India

The champion's reaction after the sublime triumph at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Gu unveiled that her win was the culmination of years of hard effort, during which she hurdled hours of daily practice with her employment as a model and student.

In her words, "I feel at peace. I feel grateful. I feel proud. Skiing is all about fun and individuality and being able to express yourself and find that flow, and for myself, I really find that in halfpipe."

"It's really great to see and it's so inspiring. It makes me want to be a better skier myself. I think she's amazing for the sport. It has been two straight weeks of the most intense highs and lows I've ever experienced in my life. It's changed my life forever. The second I landed the last 16 in big air I knew my life was never going to be the same," Gu went on to conclude.

Read more: Shiva Keshavan becomes the first Indian to be included in Olympians for Life, Beijing 2022 edition

With this victory by her side, Gu has become the first freestyle skier in history to win three Olympic medals in a single Tournament. Canada's Cassie Sharpe and Rachel Karker took silver and bronze, correspondingly. Kelly Sildaru of Estonia, who, like Gu, competed in all three Freeski events, landed narrowly off the podium in 4th position.

However, Hannah Faulhaber was sixth, Brita Sigourney was tenth, and Carly Margulies was eleventh among Americans.

On Wednesday, Indian alpine skier Mohammad Arif Khan received a DNF in the men's slalom category at the current Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. DNF means 'Did not finish'. Khan failed to finish his first run at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre. As a result, he was unable to compete in the second run.

Read more: Shailaja Kumar: the first Indian woman to compete in the Winter Olympics

Johannes Strolz of Austria led the race after Run 1 with a timing of 53.92 seconds. Arif ranked 45th out of 89 competitors in the men's giant slalom race on Sunday. The Indian skier from Jammu and Kashmir ended in 2:47.24, 37.89 seconds behind the winner.

Arif Khan shared his experience on his debut at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

In his words, "It's one of my dreams to be at Winter Olympics and this is my first time. It really means a lot. It's a great message back to our country and to our people to join winter sports in the future."

However, at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, Arif Khan was India's sole representative.

"There were like millions of people watching me live back home. I was trying my best to give the best I have got. But the weather was uncertain, you couldn't see much. Like how the slope was used but it was good," He added further.

Read more: Shiva Keshavan becomes the first Indian to be included in Olympians for Life, Beijing 2022 edition

Nevertheless, despite his abysmal performance in Beijing 2022, Arif Khan has already created a name for himself during his first Winter Games, achieving the best-ever finish by an Indian in giant slalom.

USA's Kaillie Humphries clinched her inaugural gold medal in the mono bob at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics just two and a half months after becoming a US citizen. She is now a 3-time Olympic champion following her gold medals in two-man in 2014 and 2010.

Read also: Commonwealth Games 2022: Bajrang Punia's achievements in CWG till now

Kaillie Humphries produced the final run of 1:05.30 to cross the finish line. With an overall time of 4:19.27, she finished the fourth heat and made the medal to her name. She emerged victorious at a margin of 1.54 seconds. In fact, this is the largest margin in an Olympic bobsled race in the last 42 years.

Humphries said after the victory, "This one feels more emotional than most. It just really hits the heartstrings a little bit to know that I had to fight so hard for something that I wanted, and I had the backing and the support, and the nation stood behind me, and it worked. I get to bring home a gold medal for a country that believes in me and a team that really backed me over these last four years." 

Read also: Shailaja Kumar: the first Indian woman to compete in the Winter Olympics

Elana Meyers from the USA won the silver. Meyers Taylor said after the win, "This is better than gold. This is definitely the most difficult medal I've ever earned. It's definitely been the hardest journey to get here. So this is the most special, by far, and I am so excited to take it back to my son."

Both the Olympians hugged each other while waiting for the medals ceremony. They wrapped the U.S. flag around their shoulders and celebrated the win.

The Indian contingent has taken part in the worldwide athletic event, which began on February 4th in Beijing. Arif Khan, an alpine skier from Jammu & Kashmir, is the lone Indian competitor in the competition. Arif Khan has won direct quota slots in two different Winter Olympics events. That made him the first and only Indian athlete to do so. In the Men's slalom and Men's giant slalom, he will partake.

Read also: 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: Arif Khan creates history, qualifies for two events

India, on the other hand, is not taking part in the Winter Olympics for the first time. India's involvement in the Winter Olympics dates back to 1940 when Jeremy Bujakowski became the first Indian to compete in the Winter Games. He made history by becoming the first and only Indian to compete in the men's downhill alpine skiing event at that edition. However, following the Jeremy Bujakowski era, skipped did not compete in the Winter Olympics for the next 20 years.

The expertise of Shailaja Kumar

India then again returned to the Winter Olympics at the Calgary 1988 Games in Canada. In the midst of a male-dominated era, there appeared a woman who offered a ray of hope to the deteriorating status of Indian women in sports. She is none other than Shailaja Kumar, the first Indian woman to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Read also: Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics: Mohammad Arif Khan first Indian to win a quota

She partook in the tournament alongside Gul Dev and Kishor Rahtna Rai who competed in the men's slalom event. Shailaja Kumar is an alpine skier who competed internationally for India. Having been born on January 17, 1967, in India, she depicted interest in Alpine skiing from the very beginning. It's not easy to navigate your way through a blizzard of white ice while demonstrating your skiing abilities. Kumar, on the other hand, aced it with utter grace. She began to practise more and became the best version of herself over time.

Her performance at the 1988 Winter Olympics astounded the entire world. The confident straight running, solid stem turn on piste, and forceful kick run attracted admiration and applauses from the audience. Her outstanding traversal abilities, along with her strong telemarks, provided the perfect climax to her performance. Thus, Shailaja Kumar became the first Indian woman to compete at the Winter Olympics, finishing 28th in women's slalom.

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However, after Kumar's expertise in the field, India had to wait for 18 years to see another woman participating in the mega event. That was Neha Ahuja, who was featured in women's slalom and giant slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy. By fulfilling the minimum qualifying standards, she became the first Indian woman to qualify for the Winter Olympics.

However, Shailaja Kumar's slot was an invitational one. Till date, She and Neha Ahuja are the only two women Winter Olympians from India.