Emblematic events, such as the Rio Carnival or the Soccer World Cup in Qatar, will take place this year.
High-risk elections for Joe Biden in the United States, an unprecedented soccer World Cup and an expected resurgence of festivals: these will be some of the events expected for 2022, a year that will pass amid uncertainty over the advance or end of the pandemic of the COVID-19, which currently reaches one million infections a day.
Winter games under tension in Beijing
The world elite of winter sports has an appointment at the Beijing Olympic Games, from February 4 to 20, for which China applied drastic measures, undoubtedly the most radical for a sporting event of this magnitude since the beginning of the pandemic .
All participants will have to be vaccinated or respect a 21-day quarantine and then they will enter a “sanitary bubble” for the entire duration of the Games. Only people living in China could or will be able to buy tickets.
The Chinese government also faces allegations of human rights violations, particularly in the Muslim-majority region of Xinjiang (northwest).
For this reason, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Australia decided on a “diplomatic boycott” of the Games, to which they will send athletes but not official officials.
Opposed to “any attempt to politicize sport and the Olympic movement,” Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed – instead – that he will be present in Beijing.
Carnival returns to Rio de Janeiro
The Rio de Janeiro carnival prepares its great return, from February 25 to March 1, after two years of waiting due to the pandemic.
The mayor of the city, Eduardo Paes, said that he would not impose any rule of physical distancing, or the use of a mask, thanks to the advance of vaccination in the country, since 60% of Brazilians have already received two doses.
But the authorities condition the celebration of the carnival, which attracts two million tourists each year, to the epidemiological situation.
The consecration of Xi Jinping
Often considered the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao, Xi Jinping will be ratified in the fall for a third term as head of the party (and thus the country) during the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
Since his arrival in command of the country, the leader of has concentrated power in his hands and has modified the Constitution to be able to continue governing more than two terms.
This increase in power has been accompanied by tighter control by the opposition, either in Hong Kong or in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, which has a significant Uighur minority population.
Crucial choices for Joe Biden in America
The Republican party will try to retain control of both houses of the US Congress during the midterm elections on November 8.
A little less than a year away from those traditionally delicate elections for the ruling party, the Democrats do not have them all with them, following their defeat in Virginia and a fairer-than-expected victory in New Jersey. And as a backdrop, there is the decline in popularity of President Joe Biden.
Kevin McCarthy, leader of the opposition in the House of Representatives, predicts a Republican surge, betting on an additional 60 seats for his party, which currently has 213 (compared to 221 for Democrats).
A World Cup in the desert
Qatar will host, from November 21 to December 18, the first soccer World Cup organized in the Middle East, hoping to change the controversial image of that small but rich Gulf emirate that has invested billions in the sport.
The country faced allegations of vote buying after its election in 2010 and was criticized for its treatment of migrant workers, especially those who built stadiums.
The event will be held for the first time in autumn, to avoid the sweltering heat of summer in Qatar. (I)
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