Winter Olympics (Beijing Winter Olympics 2022): High Energy Opening Ceremony live at the 'Bird's Nest'

Opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games

The wait for the Beijing Winter Olympic games is over. The opening ceremony took place at Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium on February 4 with incredible light shows and spectacular fireworks. It was a high energy event that impresses audiences worldwide. 

The venue for Friday's opening ceremony was the Bird's Nest stadium originally built for the Summer Olympics back in 2008. It's the first city ever to host both the winter and summer games. 

All eyes were on the flame as it lights the cauldron in the Bird's Nest Stadium. The opening ceremony was packed full of Chinese culture with a modern take. The Olympic flame's journey shortened because of Covid-19 but it's still pass landmarks like the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.

Inside the Bird's Nest are athletes from all over the world marching in the parade of nations. While everything was significantly scaled back because of Covid, everyone felt the Olympic spirit. 

Between 3,000 and 4,000 performers a huge drop from the 15,000 in 2008 and this time most of them will be teens. The length also much shorter. A whopping 4 hours in 2008 cut way down in just 100 minutes because it's so cold and because of Covid. 

Like the Tokyo Olympics last year, Covid-19 has given these games a different complexion. They're taking place inside a closed loop system keeping competitors and staff away from the general public.

The event is not open to the public. Instead tickets have been given to a pre-selected group who must all follow strict covid protocols. Heavy security has been enforced with venues sealed off by high fences. 

Athletes must get tested for Covid-19 daily and there are no foreign fans with only a small hand-picked domestic audience allowed to attend. Some of the world's best winter athletes are unable to compete after testing positive.

Beyond the security and barricades the public mood is one of pride. Despite the excitement, Covid-19 and politics have become an unavoidable part of the games. 

How China tackles these issues will be the ultimate test of whether the games will be as safe and splendid as promised by President Xin Jinping. 

Already more than 300 have been detected amongst games personnel with about a third linked to athletes and team officials. But Chinese organizers remain unfazed saying the situation is within their expected controllable range.

The games are also fraught with political tension centering on allegations of human rights abuses and boycotts. President Xi were joined by 25 world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin at the Bird's Nest but other nations including the US, Britain, and Canada have declared a diplomatic boycott over China's human rights record specifically its treatment of Muslim Uighurs. China denies human rights abuses.

Beijing 2022 organizers say the games will be carbon neutral. All venues will be powered by renewable energy and five of them have been repurposed from 2008. But with very little snowfall more than 200 million liters of water have been used to generate fake powder for the alpine locations. 

 

With the lead up to the Olympics dominated by politics and Covid-19, most of the athletes will hope the focus now shifts to the action as nearly 3,000 competitors from 91 nations fight to take home a gold medal.