2022 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony More Politics than Pageant

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games officially began with the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing, China, on February 3. The shorter-than-usual program was directed by famed film producer Zhang Yimou (The House of Flying Daggers, Hero). The 2022 Winter Olympics marks the first time that a city has hosted both winter and summer events in modern Olympic history. Beijing was the host for the 2008 Summer Games, which featured an Opening Ceremony directed by Yimou, who became the only individual to direct both ceremonies.

The 2022 Winter Olympics ceremony featured spectacular visuals highlighted with Chinese skaters and dancers participating in the laser and LED-enhanced performance. Despite the glitz and glamor, the tension between world powers and the seemingly never-ending coronavirus pandemic stole the show.

With a format that pits competitors representing one nation against another, it should be of little surprise that early commentary from the few journalists allowed into the games swirls around some of the most significant geopolitical issues facing the world today. The United States is leading a representative boycott, refusing to send dignitaries to occupy the VIP booths. Most Western nations, including Great Britain, France, Germany, and dozens of others, have joined the boycott meant to call attention to alleged human rights abuses committed by China.

Not to be outdone, China made a statement of its own in the Opening Ceremony. China selected cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, who is of Uyghur descent, and Nordic Combined skier Zhao Jiawen, who is of the country’s majority Han-descent, to hand off the Olympic torch. The West accuses China of genocide in the nation’s internment of around 2 million residents, mostly hailing from Xinjiang, including the Uyghur people who are predominantly Muslim. 

NBC, who owns the rights to broadcast the Olympic Games through 2032, hired Andy Browne from Bloomberg’s and Yale professor Jung Tsu, a Chinese cultural historian, to provide political commentary during the Opening Ceremony.

“[The U.S.] allege that this is a massive program of social engineering aimed at suppressing Muslim Uyghur culture, language, tradition, identity,” said Browne. “They allege a host of human rights abuses, forced labor, coercive birth control practices, indoctrination, and that this all adds up to a form of cultural genocide.”

The Chinese Government, which has had a policy of cracking down on Uyghurs since at least 2015, claims the region is overrun with Muslim extremists and terrorists. The “internment camps” that Western governments have identified as human rights violations are considered to be vocational training camps essential for maintaining national security.

Of the few foreign political dignitaries to attend the ceremony, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was the most prominent and was the guest of honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Putin and Jinping stand at odds with Western leaders about the troop build-up by Russia along the border with neighboring Ukraine, a significant supplier of natural gas to Europe. State media in China reports that the two leaders met to discuss importing Russian gas to China.

The global Coronavirus pandemic has continued to cause problems for the second batch of games in a row. Originally scheduled for 2020, the Summer Games were delayed until 2021 due to the virus. At the Winter Games, more than 300 athletes and coaches have tested positive and are in extended quarantine. One of the American competitors who tested positive is bobsledder Elana Myers, who was selected to be one of the torch-bearers but could not participate. 

Competitions began on February 2 and will continue through February 20. The first opportunity for medals will come on February 5, with six events culminating in medals that day. A total of 327 medals, 109 events, and 15 disciplines will be awarded.