BEIJING -- The Beijing 2022 organizers on Saturday released the latest version of the competition schedule for the Paralympic Winter Games, with the first gold to be won in para Alpine skiing downhill.

The new update was released following approval by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and is still subject to change as preparatory work progresses.

The Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games will be held from March 4 to 14, with top athletes to compete in 78 events across six sports, namely para Alpine skiing, para snowboard, para ice hockey, wheelchair curling, para biathlon and para cross-country skiing.

The world wheelchair curling championships are scheduled to be held in Beijing in October 2021, subject to agreement between the IPC, the World Curling Federation and the Beijing 2022 organizing committee. The final decision over the event will be made three months beforehand after evaluating the COVID-19 situation and associated restrictions on international travel.

Test runs for snow sports were completed in February, and those for para ice hockey and wheelchair curling will be held in April, all of which are restricted to domestic athletes given COVID-19 considerations.