China’s Not Letting Some Pesky Pandemic — or Geopolitical Tensions — Stop the Winter Olympics’ Opening Ceremony
Against a backdrop of a global pandemic and rising geopolitical tensions, the 2022 Winter Olympics got underway in Beijing, China Friday, Feb. 4, with a handful of preliminary events and a colorful opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was held at the Bird’s Nest stadium — the same space that held the famous kickoff event for the 2008 summer games in Beijing — though because of the pandemic, fan attendance was limited (Russian President Vladimir Putin was, however, in the crowd). Below is a gallery of photos from the opening ceremonies, while the full show will be re-broadcast tonight during NBC’s primetime coverage of the games.Â
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Stay Safe
Image Credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum A double masked fan takes a photo during the opening ceremony pre-show. China has implemented strict pandemic policies for the Olympics in an effort to support its own Covid-zero policy. However, The New York Times notes that Chinese authorities said they’ve already detected over 300 positive cases in people seeking to enter or stay in the Olympic bubble.
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Stripped-Down Spectacle
Image Credit: Ashley Landis/AP Images Compared to the four-hour blowout that launched 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the opening ceremony for the 2022 Winter Olympics was decidedly shorter and smaller — both because of the pandemic and cold weather.
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Approved Fans
Image Credit: Michael Kappeler/picture alliance/Getty Images At the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were held last year, no fans were allowed to attend the opening stadium or the events. China is largely following that lead this year, declining to sell tickets to the general public, though some fans that have been screened by organizers have been allowed to attend.
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A Director’s Big Sequel
Image Credit: MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images The 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony was directed by the same man, filmmaker Zhang Yimou, who helmed the 2008 Summer Olympics spectacle. “In 2008, the Olympics was a brilliant stage and chance for our country to show ourselves,” Zhang told the state-run media outlet Xinhua (via CNN). “In fact, there are a plenty of pages across our 5,000-year history that we would like to present to the world. Our civilization, our history, and how we got to where we are today. It’s different now. China’s status in the world, the image of the Chinese, and the rise of our national status, everything is totally different now.”
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Everyday People
Image Credit: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images Where the 2008 opening ceremony was a lavish, historical spectacle, Zhang said in another interview with The Beijing Daily (via The New York Times), that this year’s event would focus more on China’s folk traditions and people. “This time the opening ceremony will emphasize ordinary humanity,” he said.
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Martial Arts Maestro
Image Credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images Zhang — whose directed martial arts classics like House of Flying Daggers and Hero — said helming an Olympic opening ceremony isn’t that much different than making a movie. “Being simple, just as in martial arts films, is like a master’s sword,” he told Xinhua (via CNN). “All his spirit is focused on the tip of the sword, and the power of his stab is different. It looks like a very simple stab, but with fateful power.”
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Mr. President
Image Credit: Matt Slocum/AP Images Chinese President Xi Jinping waved to the crowd as he and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arrived for the opening ceremony. Hours before appearing at the Bird’s Nest, Xi was sitting down with one of a handful of world leaders who has decided to make an appearance at the games…
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Putin Pops Up
Image Credit: Carl Court/Getty Images While the United States is leading a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Olympics in protest of China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang and its crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of 22 national leaders to attend the opening ceremony. In a meeting prior to the event, Xi backed Putin as tensions between Russia and the West rise over a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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No Disrespect
Image Credit: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images Despite the diplomatic boycott going on outside, don’t expect many — if any — athletes to stage any protests inside the 2022 Winter Olympic bubble. Not only could athletes run afoul of China’s own laws, but there are also International Olympic Committee rules against political statements. “I know there is a temptation on the part of some to speak out while they are there,” Nancy Pelosi said Thursday, Feb. 3. “I respect that. But I also worry about what the Chinese government might do to their reputations, to their families.”
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Back to the Show
Image Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Benjamin Alexander and Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian carry the Jamaican flag during the opening ceremony. Jamaica is one of 84 countries participating in this year’s Olympics.
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East Timor’s Alpine Skiing Hero
Image Credit: Adam Petty/Getty Images) Yohan Goutt Goncalves, the lone representative for East Timor at the 2022 Olympic Games, waves the country’s flag during the opening ceremonies. This will be Goncalves third Olympic Games having competed in the the alpine skiing event in 2014 and 2018 as well.
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Patriot Games
Image Credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images Members of Team USA pose for a photo during the Opening Ceremony. The U.S. has sent 223 athletes to this year’s games and is a gold medal contender in figure skating, hockey and freestyle skiing, among other events.
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Leading the Team
Image Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Speed skater Brittany Bowe and curler John Shuster carried the stars and stripes for Team USA in the opening ceremony. This is Bowe’s third Olympics (she won a bronze medal in 2018), and Shuster’s fifth (he helped the U.S. take home gold in curling in 2018).
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Presidential Address
Image Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, addresses the crowd during the opening ceremony. “In our fragile world with division, conflict and mistrust on the rise, we show the world, yes, it is possible to be fierce rivals while at the same time living peacefully and respectfully together,” Bach said.
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A Familiar Soundtrack
Image Credit: AP During this portion of the Opening Ceremony, a familiar tune blared across the Bird’s Nest: John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Imagine.” The song has practically become an unofficial Olympic anthem at this point: John Legend, Keith Urban, and others collaborated on a version last year in Tokyo, while the song was also performed at the 2018 PyeongChang games, the 2012 London games, the 2006 Turin games, and the 1996 Atlanta games.
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A Torch Lighting Twist
Image Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images In an unexpected, albeit probably very pointed decision, an athlete with Uyghur roots — cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang — helped light the torch at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (she was joined by men’s Nordic combined athlete Zhao Jiawen). The Chinese government’s repressive treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang has long been source of tension between China and the West, with the United States calling it genocidal and citing it as a major reason for their diplomatic boycott of this year’s games.
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