Axios

LGBTQ Olympians are speaking out against the Chinese government's record of human rights abuses as the Winter Olympics kick off in Beijing.

Why it matters: Critics have dubbed the Beijing Games the "genocide Olympics" due to the Chinese government's treatment of Uyghurs and other minority groups, among other atrocities.

Despite engaging in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympic Games, the U.S. will have 224 athletes competing in Beijing across 15 sports.

Here are ten athletes we're watching.

U.S. figure skater Nathan Chen is looking for his first gold in Beijing after failing to reach the individual podium in 2018.

Background: Chen (aka "Quad King") won bronze in the 2018 Olympics team event, but a poor showing in singles left him off the podium. He's heading to Beijing with an attitude adjustment.

Ads for this year's Super Bowl are sold out, according to NBC, which will broadcast the game alongside its Olympics coverage on Feb 13. Some 30-second spots sold for a record $7 million.

Why it matters: The Super Bowl is one of the few major TV events that can still draw a huge audience, making advertising around the event very valuable.

U.S. alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin is looking to continue her dominant run at this year's Winter Olympics and further cement her status as one of the best in the history of the sport at only 26-years-old.

The big picture: Shiffrin, a Colorado native, is heading to her third Olympics, already has three Olympic and 11 World Championship medals, plus 73 World Cup wins — nine shy of Lindsey Vonn's all-time women's record. She's arguably the best to ever strap on skis and isn't even close to finished.

U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim is looking for her second gold in snowboard halfpipe at age 21, after a transcendent performance led to her winning gold four years ago.

The big picture: When then-17-year-old Kim became the youngest woman ever to win Olympic snowboarding gold in 2018, it was hardly a surprise. If anything, it was long overdue because she was simply too young to compete at the 2014 Games.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping projected unity against Western "interference" in a thinly veiled joint statement on Friday, as the two leaders met ahead of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

Why it matters: The two authoritarian powers have fostered deeper ties, including in military cooperation, as tensions with the U.S. have soared over the past several years.

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 Beijing Winter Olympics were less than a month away when an underwater volcano erupted and sent a tsunami hurtling toward Tonga. Within hours, Olympian Pita Taufatofua had set up a GoFundMe and sent out calls for help on social media.

Why it matters: Taufatofua, who isn't competing in Beijing but first gained international attention as the Tongan flag bearer at three other Games, has used his platform to amplify Tonga's needs as the tropical island nation struggles to recover. The dual disasters killed at least three people and wiped out all communications on the island.

Americans' concerns about the Chinese government's human rights abuses, surveillance and international competitiveness — and fears of another COVID-19 outbreak — are driving down enthusiasm about this year's Winter Olympics, according to a new Axios-Momentive poll.

The big picture: Seven in 10 survey respondents disapprove of allowing China to host these Olympics — but half plan to tune in anyhow.

Figure skater Nathan Chen scored a career-best 111.71 in the men's short program to put the U.S. in top spot at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, on Friday.

The big picture: Chen's actions leaving Team USA well placed for a medal were among many highlights from the Beijing Games day 0 action ahead of the opening ceremonies later Friday, which mark the official launch of the event.