Feb 4, 2022 - Sports
In photos: Winter Olympics opening ceremony kicks off Beijing Games
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Torchbearers Dinigeer Yilamujiang, who China said has Uyghur roots, and Jiawen Zhao of Team China light the Olympic Cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Photo: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
The Winter Olympics opening ceremony kicked off in Beijing on Friday, becoming the second Games to start during the pandemic.
Why it matters: But unlike in Tokyo last summer, the Beijing Olympics began against a backdrop of concerns about China's strict COVID policies, geopolitical tensions and a U.S. diplomatic boycott over human rights abuses.
- The opening ceremony — reportedly pared back because of COVID concerns and cold weather — was directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and ran for more than two hours.
- It was held in Beijing's National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, the same venue that hosted the opening and closing ceremonies during the 2008 Olympics.
In photos:
