Beijing, China, February 17, 2022: There are 236 Olympic Solidarity scholarship-holders from 67 National Olympic Committees competing at the Olympic Winter Games, and many of them have already achieved landmark results for their countries.
Olympic scholarships contribute essential funding to cover an athlete’s training, travel and participation in qualification events. They are available to all NOCs but, in particular, those with the greatest need.
Olympic Solidarity highlights at Beijing 2022 include:
*USD 17.5 million invested in athletes’ preparation through the Olympic scholarships for athletes programme
*429 athletes from 80 NOCs received scholarships to support their efforts to qualify for Beijing 2022
*236 individual athlete scholarship-holders (139 men and 97 women) qualified for the Games, representing 67 NOCs, five continents and five winter sports
*At the halfway point of the Games, six medals had been won by scholarship-holders
The success of Olympic Solidarity is not measured just in medals, but rather in the number of athletes who qualify for and compete at the Games.
Diplomas are also awarded for a top-eight finish, and have so far gone to athletes across a range of sports and NOCs, including Kazakhstan in short track speed skating.
Elsewhere, other athletes have made history simply by competing at Beijing 2022. These include Alpine skier Aruwin Salehhuddin, who became the first Malaysian woman to compete at the Olympic Winter Games.