2022 Winter Olympics to Be Hosted by Snowless Beijing

Beijing, China has been awarded the 2022 Winter Olympics, making it the first city to host both summer and winter games since the ancient athletic competition was resurrected in 1896.

The Economist reports that Beijing beat out much snowier Almaty, Kazakhstan to win the honors of hosting the 2022 event. Almaty was the only remaining contender in the bidding process at the time of the decision.

One reason China was awarded the games is its penchant for getting large infrastructure and other projects done in a timely and efficient manner. It also has extensive high-speed rail networks that link the country together, making it easier to travel.

However, the one problem with awarding the games to Beijing is that there is no snow, so the event will take place in a desert outside the city and the government will essentially manufacture a winter wonderland from nothing. The government has already greenlit a $90 million plan to divert water from the country's wetter south to its more arid north.

While its not unheard of for Winter Olympics hosts to use fake snow, usually they are supplementing what snow they already have, not pulling it out of thin air.

The New York Times reports that the lack of natural occurring snow was not some sort of obvious oversight by the International Olympic Committee, as a report that it released in June flatly stated that the games would be totally dependent on artificial snow.

While Beijing was ultimately victorious despite not having any snow, it was a close vote to give China the games, with China receiving 44 votes and Almaty 40.