Britain's flag bearers Eve Muirhead and David Ryding lead the delegation
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)All eyes were on the Winter Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing as the parade of athletes started on Friday.
The XXIV Olympic Winter Games have been officially declared open.
During the ceremony, Team GB’s flag bearers Eve Muirhead and Dave Ryding made quite the impression when they carried their flag during the Opening Ceremony.
The locked-down Winter Olympics began in spectacular fashion at the same lattice-encased National Stadium which famously hosted the inaugural event at the 2008 Olympics.
The venue is famously known as the Bird's Nest because of its design, the web of steel resembling the way branches would be turned into a nest.
Many world leaders planned to attend the opening ceremony, despite some staying away amid the Covid pandemic.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made an appearance to cheer on his nation’s athletes at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.
He made the trip to Beijing as tens of thousands of Russian troops are poised for a possible invasion of Ukraine.
The opening ceremony started shortly after the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
There were representatives from 91 nations taking part.
As always at an Olympics, Greece were the first nation to enter the stadium.
From there, it was in alphabetical order but by the language of the host country.
Greece were followed by Turkey, Malta, Madagascar, Malaysia, Ecuador, Eritrea, Jamaica, Belgium and then Japan.
The US was 56th in the order.
The team of Russian athletes marked the official midpoint of the parade.
Tradition named the two last teams in the parade - Italy, who will host the next Winter Games in 2026, and then China will close the parade.
Beijing made history as it became the first city to host both winter and summer Games.
Fourteen years ago, a Beijing opening ceremony featured massive pyrotechnic displays and thousands of card-flipping performers set a new standard of extravagance to start an Olympics that no host since has matched.
IOC President Thomas Bach gave his speech at the glittering ceremony.
He said: “Unfortunately the global pandemic is still a reality for all of us. Therefore our gratitutde is even greater for the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee and all the Chinese people. Thank you for making these Games happen in a safe way for everyone.
“We all could only get here because of the countless medical workers, doctors and scientists who are going beyond the call of duty. Thank you for your outstanding efforts and solidarity.
“In the same spirit, our heart goes out to all the athletes who because of the pandemic cannot make their Olympic dream come true. Dear fellow Olympians, your stage is set. You have arrived here after overcoming so many challenges, living through great uncertainty. Now your moment has come, the moment you have been longing for; the moment we all have been longing for. Now your Olympic dream is coming true in magnificent venues.”
He added: “Over the next two weeks you will compete with each other for the highest prize. At the same time, you will live peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic village. There will be no discrimination for any reason whatsoever. In our fragile world where division, conflict and mistrust are on the rise, we show the world that it is possible to be fierce rivals while at the same time living peacefully together. This is the mission of the Olympic aims: bringing us together in peaceful competition, and always building bridges.”
The Olympics - and the opening ceremony - have always been a form of performance and a chance for the host country to showcase its culture.
The Covid pandemic hangs over this year’s Games as it did last summer in Tokyo.
It has been more than two years ago since the first Covid cases were identified in China.
