Supporting Team USA athletes in their journey

As with Tokyo 2020, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games will continue to look different from Games past. Despite our limited on-the-ground presence in Beijing, as a Worldwide Olympic  Partner, we will continue to support the thousands of competing athletes who have set their sights on making history.  We know that the pursuit of the Olympic and Paralympic dream is a long path that goes far beyond the Games themselves and often requires significant travel, and accommodation costs. That’s why we are proud to support athletes all throughout their journey, from providing accommodation when they train, to offering resources for self care when they need to relax and recuperate.

In the US, we are working closely with Team USA to provide support to athletes by leveraging our community of Hosts who open their homes and provide unforgettable stays.

“I have been using Airbnb for years while traveling for races, so I know the difference it makes in my training. When arriving in a new country, dealing with multiple race bikes makes logistics extremely difficult. My experience with Airbnb hosts has been extraordinary. They always help me find storage, and a place to assemble my equipment. Traveling with a disability is not easy, and Airbnb just makes it so much easier”

Todd Key, Team USA para-cyclist

He continues: “Airbnb hosts are always excited to help me navigate the local area. There is a very critical psychological component to racing, and every part of travel that’s made easier and less complicated, makes my performance even more successful“

In addition to Todd, this year almost 100 American athletes were chosen to receive the 2021 Airbnb Athlete Travel Grant, a program that offers Airbnb promotional credit to use for training, qualification, and other travel accommodations, including for rehabilitation needs. 

“This season was supposed to be my big breakthrough at the professional level, setting me up going into the Olympic season. However, last December while crossing the finish during a World Cup downhill training, I crashed and sustained a very bad right hand and right knee injury. I am currently in the middle of an 11-month rehabilitation process to return to competition before the Olympics in February. Because of the crash I was not able to win any money last year racing, which is how I support myself. This promotional credit will go directly to my housing here so I can continue the rehab I need to get back and fight for a medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics”

Kyle Negomir, Team USA alpine skier

Airbnb is also proud to support athletes as individuals by celebrating their voices and personal journey.

“My journey to becoming the first African and black woman to compete in Olympic skeleton began with a desire to expand representation in a sport where the continent of Africa is severely underrepresented. As we look ahead to Beijing 2022, I know that changing the narrative in winter sports – showing up in a space where black and African women have barely been represented – comes with major obstacles. To win the fight to qualify for Beijing, I’ll need to overcome the financial barriers that limit access to winter sports. Travel and accommodation are amongst the most critical financial barriers. I plan on using the Airbnb travel support credit to cover my accommodation expenses en route to qualifying for the Beijing Olympics. With relentless drive, unparalleled determination, and the Airbnb support, I’ll fight for greater representation in winter sports”

Simidele Adeagbo, Team USA skeleton athlete

As athletes prepare to compete at the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, Airbnb has also been working to support the USOPC and the Team USA organization by offering experiences as well as accommodations.

Here are just some of the initiatives that Airbnb carried out in the last year to support Team USA through Airbnb Experiences:

• Keeping athletes’ morale high through experiences: In an effort to lighten the darkest days of quarantine last year, we worked with the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee for our Olympian and Paralympian Experiences Hosts to offer support to 500 of their Team USA peers who were quarantined at US Olympic and Paralympic Training Centers. 
• Supporting Team USA staff through team building: Airbnb provided more than 500 staff members access to the Olympian and Paralympian Experiences platform to connect with each other and athletes from around the world to keep the spirit of sport alive. 
• Supporting Team USA Staff, LA28 Staff & Team USA Donors during the Tokyo 2020 Games: During Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 Airbnb provided 1000 experience seats to Team USA staff, LA28 staff and Team USA donors who were unable to travel to Tokyo. This allowed them to connect with athletes and share in the magic of the Games from home.