Rome – The countdown is over. At 1 pm, Italian time, the opening ceremony of the XXIV Winter Olympic Games in Beijing began. The Olympics are “simple, safe and exciting” as Chinese President Xi Jinping defined them. And armored. The area of the Olympic Park where the Bird’s Nest is located, the Chinese National Stadium, is absolutely impenetrable from the outside. The parade of 91 participating nations is held in the cold, with various degrees below zero.
Norway parades, the team to beat
After Bosnia and Bolivia it is the turn of Norway, the team to beat par excellence with its historic medal table in first place of all time. Standard bearers are Kjetil Jansrud, rival of Dominik Paris, and Kristin Skaslien of curling. Next, the United States.
The Virgin Islands brave the cold
The representative of the Virgin Islands parades shirtless as in the two previous editions, sprinkled with coconut oil.
The color of Nigeria and East Timor
Among the many delegations, the most colorful are those from Nigeria, with the athletes sporting green hats over ice-white jackets, and East Timor with its ethnic scarves.
The Russian national team also parades for Putin
The 212 athletes of the Russian Olympic Committee enter the stadium. No Russian flag, as was known, due to the disqualification for doping. Russian President Putin is present in Beijing, who met Xi Jinping.
India parades, no live TV
India parades with its flag bearer Arif Mohd Khan. But the Indians won’t see it. Like the United States, India is among the countries that diplomatically boycotted the Games and has decided not to broadcast the races live.
The show follows the Chinese alphabet
After Greece comes Turkey, Malta and Madagascar and again Malaysia, Ecuador, Eritrea. And gradually the other teams, following the Chinese alphabetical order.
The parade begins from the «ice gate»: Greece leaves
A gigantic block of ice that melts and shows the Olympic circles and an immense door that opens into a futuristic scenario, letting the athletes parade. The first national team to enter the stadium, as per the tradition of the Olympic Games, is Greece. The public is also present at the ceremony, obviously contingent on anti-Covid measures.
Fireworks and the Chinese flag
It starts with the fireworks and a deluge of 11,000 square meters of LED panels to cover the stadium. A tribute to spring, as a symbol of rebirth after the coldest months of the year. 3000 artists, mostly ordinary people and young people, engaged in the ceremony under the supervision of director Zhang Yimou. The Chinese flag is passed from hand to hand among the representatives of the Chinese regions. Chinese President Xi Jinping, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, and the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, attended.
Italy will make his entrance into the National Stadium second to last, followed by his home country. To witness the passing of the baton of the Games in view of Milan-Cortina 2026. Blue flag bearer is Michela Moioli, Olympic snowboard cross champion at PyeongChang2018. “I’m super excited and super happy,” the flag bearer posted on Instagram. He was supposed to be the standard bearer of our colors at the closing ceremony, but he took the place of Sofia Goggia, gold in downhill in Korea, struggling with the bad injury of a few days ago and still hoping to succeed in the miracle of being able to present at the starting gate on February 15th. The Azzurri present at the Games ceremony are 50, representing the 118 total, led by the general secretary of Coni Carlo Mornati. They will compete (some have already started their competitions) in curling, figure skating, alpine skiing, short track, skeleton, snowboard and speed skating. Uniform designed by Giorgio Armani and mask.
The Games represent an important test bed for China by Xi Jinping, with the shadows linked to the diplomatic boycott of the United States and several allied countries. But sport is not there: according to the number of the IOC Thomas Bach, Beijing 2022 enjoys the “strong support of the international community”, with a unifying message capable of rejecting “ghosts of the boycott of the past” because “it is possible to compete for the highest prize. high, living together peacefully and with respect “.
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