The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China kicked off this morning with an opening ceremony in the Bird’s Nest stadium, the same venue that was used to open the 2008 Summer Olympics that were also in Beijing. These games marked the first time that a city has hosted both the Winter and Summer Olympics.
Although the ceremony has already occurred, NBC will re-air the event for American viewers tonight during their primetime broadcast.
Chinese New Year
The Lunar New Year began on Tuesday this week, and the Opening Ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate.
There was a show of green LED lights that represented the color of spring, which eventually culminated into fireworks displaying the letters SPRING in both Chinese and English.
立春 = "Beginning of Spring."
The Chinese believe the coming of Spring, in a season of freezing temperatures, often breeds new life. Friends come together and welcome the Lunar New Year, a new season – and #Beijing2022!
#StrongerTogether | #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/WrgpZ0YxDM— Olympics (@Olympics) February 4, 2022
Fireworks! Goosebumps. It's that #OpeningCeremony feeling! 🎆#StrongerTogether | #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/IprbuqsAAg
— Olympics (@Olympics) February 4, 2022
Parade of Nations
As they have done at every Olympics opening ceremony, athletes walked in grouped by country, carrying their respective flags. 206 nations will compete in this year’s Olympics.
Each country was led by a Chinese escort wearing all white, who held up a snowflake with the name of the country printed on it in both Chinese and English. Eventually, those escorts formed a circle with the snowflakes around the Olympic rings.
We have arrived! 🇺🇸#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/PlcDhP7Wja
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 4, 2022
The host nation is in the house! 🇨🇳
Led by speed skater Tingyu Gao and skeleton athlete Dan Zhao, the athletes of the People’s Republic of China enter the stadium.#StrongerTogether | #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/e0GlA7Ei0O
— Olympics (@Olympics) February 4, 2022
🌃🌐Tonight the world will celebrate together under the Olympic rings.
⬆️Let's go faster, aim higher↗️ and grow stronger💪 by standing together at Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
#Beijing2022 #Olympics #OpeningCeremony#TogetherForASharedFuture
📸 GettyImages pic.twitter.com/3o5ioueqD8— Beijing 2022 (@Beijing2022) February 4, 2022
No Pita, But He Might Have A Replacement
For the first time since 2014, the famous Tongan flagbearer Pita Taufatofua will not be competing in the Olympics or carrying his country’s flag while shirtless in the opening ceremony. Instead, he is staying in his home country to help them recover from the recent tsunami and volcano disasters that have recently occurred there.
However, American Samoa flagbearer Nathan Crumpton may have just stepped up to fill Taufatofua’s role. Crumpton, a skeleton athlete, walked shirtless during the ceremony the same way that Pita did for the last three Olympics.
Nathan Crumpton braved freezing temperatures to wave the flag for American Samoa to kick off the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. https://t.co/YJkrcR5gGl
— HuffPost Women (@HuffPostWomen) February 4, 2022
Pita Taufatofua, who was the "Shirtless Tongan" flag bearer in 2016, 2018, and 2020, won't be at the #WinterOlympics this year.
Instead, he's working to help his country after a devastating tsunami. https://t.co/n0XeD2dYc6
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 4, 2022
Cauldrons and Snowflakes
Cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang and nordic combined athlete Zhao Jiwen were the Chinese athletes that lit the Olympic cauldron. However, the “cauldron” wasn’t a traditional one. Instead, they placed it inside of a snowflake suspended in mid-air, which was surrounded by doves.
According to Chinese government organizations, the swapping of a traditional cauldron for a snowflake was to conserve natural gas.
🔥✨The Olympic flame has been lit inside the beautiful snowflake at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games #OpeningCeremony.
💓💪Such an innovative and inspiring moment to see!#Beijing2022 #Olympics #OpeningCeremony#TogetherForASharedFuture
📸: GettyImages pic.twitter.com/L1zhAB1BOw— Beijing 2022 (@Beijing2022) February 4, 2022
Why there is no cauldron in #Beijing2022 #WinterOlympics? Director Zhang Yimou revealed that by doing so, it would save 5000 cubic meters of natural gas per hour compared with #Beijing2008. #GreenOlympics pic.twitter.com/aPpnAoG5An
— Mission of China to the EU (@ChinaEUMission) February 4, 2022
