The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing have arrived and with them comes what is sure to be a show-stopper of an opening ceremony.
Beijing is becoming the first city to ever host both summer and winter Games and judging by the opening ceremony the Chinese hosts put on for the 2008 edition of the former we are in for a treat.
Some preliminary action at the Games is already underway but the Winter Olympics do not formally open until he opening ceremony itself.
So, here’s everything you need to know...
When is the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony?
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony will take place on Friday, February 4.
The first events of the Games - including early rounds of the mixed doubles curling and ice hockey tournaments - begin earlier, on Wednesday and Thursday.
What time is the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony and how long will it last?
The ceremony is due to get underway at 12pm GMT and has been given a provisional running time of around one hour and 40 minutes, though these events tend to overrun.
Where is the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony being held?
The ceremony will be held in the iconic Beijing National Stadium, better known as the Bird’s Nest, which also hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
During these Games, the stadium will also be the venue for the closing ceremony.
What can we expect from the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony?
Globally-acclaimed film-maker Zhang Yimou, who directed the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony, is once again in charge of putting on the ceremony, but says this show will be “different and unique”.
The show will feature around 4,000 performers but is expected to be scaled back in comparison to the incredible 2008 show, because of the cold weather and pandemic. Organisers have yet to announce who will light the Olympic torch.
Will there be fans at the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony?
No tickets for the Games have been made available for general sale due to Covid-19 restrictions, with organisers announcing in January that they would instead use an “adapted programme that will invite groups of spectators to be present on site during the Games”.
Numerous host nation and foreign dignitaries are expected to attend but Great Britain, Canada, USA and Australia are among the countries staging a diplomatic boycott of the Games over human rights abuses.
Who will carry the flag for Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony?
On Thursday, Team GB announced that their flagbearers will be curling skip Eve Muirhead and alpine skier Dave Ryding.
