The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are officially underway, after a stirring opening ceremony at the Bird's Nest. The Games begin as the athletes march in freezing conditions.
While the Australian team looked great, American Samoa's flagbearer and sole athlete at these Games Nathan Crumpton stole the show as he carried his nation's flag shirtless in the Beijing night.
The ceremony featured a snowflake motif, and a theme of honouring the people of China and the world. IOC president Thomas Bach urged world leaders to "give peace a chance" amid the traditional Olympic truce.
Chinese President Xi Jinping officially declared the Games open, before the cauldron in the shape of a snowflake was lit in the centre of the stadium.
Fireworks lit the sky to signal the beginning of 16 days of competition.
Look back on all the action from our live blog.
Key events
Live updates
By Andrew Mcgarry
That's it for tonight
By Andrew Mcgarry
The moment of truth
The flame enters the stadium. There are seven torchbearers involved in the ceremony,
They include Yang Yang, a short track speed skater who was China's first-ever Winter Olympics gold medallist, and Zhou Yang, women's 1500m two-time champion.
Now the last two torchbearers step up behind the big snowflake, and take the torch to link it in with the small snowflakes representing the countries.
The large snowflake rises to the ceiling of the stadium, as a choir sings in the background. The flame burns brightly, and then it sets off a series of fireworks and the Olympic rings in their five colours appear in the sky above the stadium.
Dancers are on the floor of the stadium moving as the large snowflake spins around and shines bright as the centrepiece of the Bird's Nest.
The cauldron is lit, the Games are underway, the fireworks are soaring into the Beijing night and the opening ceremony is over!
By Andrew Mcgarry
The snowflakes return
After a video highlighting children as the sporting champions of tomorrow, we return to the snowflake motif with hundreds of kids running and dancing while holding dove props to mark the traditional Olympic symbol of peace.
As they dance, the stadium floor lights up beneath them, with shining stars and snowflakes.
The large snowflake reappears - I'm sensing a theme, aren't you?
The children are standing around it forming the shape of a heart.
It's a lovely song they are singing, with the lyric: "Snowflake, snowflake, blossom in the sun, at home or afar, shining wherever you are".
By Andrew Mcgarry
The Olympic Oath
The oath is taken by athletes Qiang Wang (cross country skiing) and snowboard halfpipe athlete Jiayu Liu.
The judges are represented by Yongchun Tao (freestyle skiing aerials).
The coaches and officials are represented by Chinese Snowboard parallel giant slalom coach Xiao'ou Ji.
By Andrew Mcgarry
The Olympic flag is raised and the Olympic anthem is sung
The anthem is sung by 40 children from the Malanhua'er Children's Choir from Hebei province.
They sway as they sing up a storm. They look well wrapped up, thank goodness, because God knows what the temperature is by now in the stadium. They are wearing stylised tiger heads on their costumes to mark the Year of the Tiger.
The anthem is as always a stirring number.
By Andrew Mcgarry
The Olympic flag enters the stadium
The flag is carried by six Chinese champions:
Speed skater, Zhihuan Luo
Short track speed skater, Hui Zhang
Short track speed skater, Jiajun Li
Pairs figure skater Xue Shen
Freestyle skiing aerials Xiaopeng Han
Speed skater Hong Zhang
By Andrew Mcgarry
Now there are 76 young people from around the world walking on the floor of the stadium to represent unity, while a river of images flow past.
"Imagine" plays in the background, as dancers dip their feet in the "river".
By Andrew Mcgarry
The Beijing Winter Olympic Games are officially open!!
By Andrew Mcgarry
Bach invites Chinese President Xi Jinping to the podium.
By Andrew Mcgarry
Bach calls on the world to give peace a chance
This is the mission of the Olympic Games. Bringing us together in peaceful competition, always building bridges, never erecting walls. Uniting humankind in all our diversity. This mission is strongly supported by the United Nations general assembly. It adopted the Olympic truce resolution by consensus, with all 193 UN-member states. The resolution explicitly mentions you - the Olympic athletes mentions you - the Olympic athletes - welcoming how you promote peace and human understanding through the Olympic ideal. In this Olympic spirit of peace, I appeal to all political authorities across the world, observe your commitment to this Olympic truce. Give peace a chance.
By Andrew Mcgarry
Bach speaks about peace at the Olympics
You, the Olympic athletes, you will show how the world could look like, if we all respect the same rules and each other. 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... 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, yes, it is possible to be fierce rivals while at the same time living peacefully and respectfully together.
By Andrew Mcgarry
As is traditional, Bach thanks all the volunteers saying their smiling eyes "warm our hearts".
He touches on the COVID situation which is ongoing through the Games.
Unfortunately, the global pandemic is still a reality for all of us. Therefore, our gratitude is even deeper for the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee, the public authorities and all the Chinese people. Thank you for making these Olympic Winter Games happen and making them happen in a safe way for everyone.
We all could only get here because of the countless medical workers, doctors, scientists, everybody in China and around the world who is going beyond the call of duty. Thank you for your outstanding efforts and solidarity.
And then, the athletes:
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 Olympic stage is set. You have arrived here after overcoming so many challenges. Living through great uncertainty. But now your moment has come... The moment you have been longing for... The most we all have been longing for. Now, your Olympic dream is coming true in magnificent venues, supported by hundreds of millions of new Chinese winter sport fans.
By Andrew Mcgarry
Now it's time for the IOC president
Thomas Bach wishes Chinese friends a Happy New Year, in English and Mandarin.
He welcomes everyone to the Beijing Winter Games of 2022 and refers to the Year of the Tiger. He says it and the Olympic year stand for "ambition, courage and strength".
China is a winter sport country. Well over 300 million people are engaged in winter sports in about 2,000 ski resorts and ice rinks. This extraordinary achievement opens a new era for global winter sport. It will raise the global participation to a new levels, benefitting the Chinese people as well as winter sport enthusiasts around the world. We can only write this new chapter in sporting history because of our gracious hosts, the Chinese people, whom we thank wholeheartedly for welcoming us all so warmly.
By Simon Smale
Clock-watch
We're currently around 20 minutes behind schedule...
By Andrew Mcgarry
First up is Beijing Organising Committee president, Cai Qi, who addresses the crowd.
By Andrew Mcgarry
Time for the speeches
Here is IOC president, Thomas Bach.
