The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony will take place Feb. 4 in a world that has changed dramatically since the last time the Chinese capital held the Olympic Games.
The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics marked China’s “coming out” as a global superpower. One third of the world tuned in to the $100 million event. Some 15,000 performers participated in a production that showcased the best of Chinese history and culture. An estimated 91,000 people, including U.S. President George W. Bush and other world leaders, attended the event, which Steven Spielberg had called the “grandest spectacle of the new millennium.”
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In contrast, the Beijing 2022 Games will be the second Olympics to take place under strict COVID-19 restrictions as the global pandemic enters its third year. Foreign fans are banned, as are nearly all local spectators. And geopolitical tensions hang over the Beijing Winter Olympics: The U.S. and some allies announced a diplomatic boycott amid criticism of China’s human rights record, and athletes are being warned against speaking out while in the country.
But China vowed it will stage a historic opening ceremony nonetheless, including a cauldron lighting that is “unprecedented in the over 100-year history of the Olympic Games,” with performers from across the country of 1.4 billion people.
Here’s what you need to know about the 2022 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.
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When is the 2022 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony?
The opening ceremony for the 2022 Winter Games is on Feb. 4. The Beijing Olympics’ formal opening will begin at 7:30 p.m. China Standard Time—or 6:30 a.m. ET and 3:30 a.m. PT.
How can I watch the 2022 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony?
Viewers in the U.S. can watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies live on NBC, USA Network and the Olympic Channel at 6:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 4. NBC will also have a primetime broadcast on the same day at 8 p.m. ET, and a re-airing at 12:38 a.m. ET on Feb. 5. Premium users…
Source : time
