Nigeria’s flag was hoisted in China on Friday as the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics commenced.
The games are holding as the world continues to struggle to turn the
page on a troubled build-up overshadowed by human rights concerns
and Covid.
The lattice-shaped “Bird’s Nest” stadium took centre stage, just as it did
at the 2008 Games — seen as China’s coming-out party on the world
stage — as Beijing becomes the first city to host both a Summer and
Winter Olympics.
The opening ceremony was attended by President Xi Jinping, under
whose rule China has adopted a more muscular attitude internationally
compared to 14 years ago.
Xi, who will declare the Games officially open, will be joined by more
than 20 world leaders including Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the
two presidents having met earlier in the day.
China and Russia have both seen ties with Washington deteriorate
markedly, and with tensions rising in Europe over Russia’s troop build-
up on the Ukrainian border, Putin hailed the “truly unprecedented
nature” of relations with his hosts.
