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Beijing (AFP) – The opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics kicked off in the Chinese capital on Friday, in the first city in the world to organize two Summer (2008) and Winter Olympic Games, at the National Stadium.
Later, Chinese President Xi Jinping will announce the official launch of the Games, in the presence of several heads of state, including Russian Vladimir Putin, amid a diplomatic boycott, especially from the United States and Britain.
The Olympics kicks off once morest the backdrop of the Chinese giant’s attempts to turn the page on criticism of human rights violations and its fears of an outbreak of the Corona virus.
As in 2008, the spectacular National Stadium in Beijing known as the “Bird’s Nest” hosted the opening ceremony.
Fourteen years ago, Chinese director Zhang Yimou designed a colorful and breathtaking patriotic show with 14,000 artists, dancers and acrobats, with intense fireworks and special effects.
As expected, the director himself put on an “innovative” show as he promised while acknowledging that he had to take into account winter temperatures (-6°C expected) and the pandemic threat to design his concert, this time involving 3,000 artists, mostly teenagers.
By tradition, the XXIV Olympic Winter Games will not officially begin in history until following Xi announces that they have “opened”.
As for the rest, from the events of the ceremony to the last bearer or bearers of the torch that will set fire to the Olympic cauldron, they all fall under the item of state secrets.
© 2022 AFP