John Shuster, 39, Elana Meyers Taylor, 37, and Brittany Bowe, 33, are three of the 224 athletes representing the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Hosted by Beijing, China, the international winter multisport event will be held from February 4-20, 2022.

Including China and the U.S., there are 91 countries and territories participating in the event. At the 128th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July 2015, Beijing was elected as the event’s host city, marking the first time the Winter Olympics is held in China.

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On February 4, 2022, the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics was held at Beijing National Stadium in Beijing. The final seven torchbearers mounted the torch itself into the center of a stylized snowflake that was constructed from placards bearing the names of the delegations competing in the event.

Shuster and Bowe served as the flagbearers of the U.S. during the opening ceremony. Taylor was originally selected to join Shuster but she tested positive for the new coronavirus (COVID-19) two days after arriving in China so she gave the opportunity to Bowe.

Bowe will compete in speed skating, particular in women’s 1500m, 1000m and 500m events, while Taylor has been clear to compete in women’s monobob and the two-woman bobsleigh. Shuster will compete in curling.

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Born in Chisholm, Minnesota, USA, Shuster won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. In 2018, he led the U.S. curling team, which won the country’s first gold medal in curling in the Winter Olympics.

Taylor was born in Oceanside, California, USA and raised in Douglasville, Georgia, USA. Representing the U.S., she competed in the two-woman bobsleigh in the Winter Olympics in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

Bowe currently holds the world record on the 1000m distance for women’s speed skating. Born in Ocala, Florida, USA, she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and social science from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida in 2010.

Including Shuster, Taylor, Bowe and 221 other U.S. athletes, a total of 2,871 athletes will compete in 109 events in seven sports. The events will be held not only in Beijing but also in other parts of China including Yanqing and Chongli.

Beijing is the largest city to host the Winter Olympics. It is also the first city to have hosted both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics.