Covid keeps Winter Olympics opening a muted affair
Xi presides over lavish ceremony in Beijing stadium, US broadcaster pulls no punches
Flag bearers Karen Chanloung and Nicola Zanon lead Team Thailand athletes and coaches into the stadium during the opening ceremony for the Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday evening. (Reuters Photo)
BEIJING: President Xi Jinping declared the Beijing Winter Olympics open on Friday as China tried to turn the page on a build-up overshadowed by human rights concerns, Covid and a US-led diplomatic boycott.
Fireworks exploded over the “Bird’s Nest” as the lattice-shaped stadium took centre stage, just as it did at the 2008 Games, as Beijing became the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympics.
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