2022 Winter Olympics Take Center Stage In Beijing With Opening Ceremony
2022 Olympics Opening Ceremony Takes Center Stage ... In Beijing
The Beijing Olympic Winter Games are officially underway ... kicking off with an elaborate opening ceremony at Beijing National Stadium.
Chinese President Xi Jinping officially declared the games open ... marking the start of the historic sporting event.
The Olympics are being held in China -- across three different time zones -- as various athletes from all over the world compete for medals in 15 different sports.
These games mark the second time China is hosting the Olympics -- they previously held the Summer Games back in 2008 -- and won the bid for the 2022 Winter Games in 2015.
Beijing -- where the games are being played -- is the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Of course, Team USA will be there ... and is expected to perform well. But, they'll have to do it without the support of their govt. officials -- at least, in person, that is.
President Biden and his administration are imposing a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games ... due to China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity."
The move from #46 is a deviation from the norm -- it's tradition for the U.S. to send high-profile delegates to represent the country and support America's athletes.
The boycott, however, does not stop the athletes from competing ... and the White House still supports Team USA in their endeavors. In fact, a "record number" of 177 US athletes walked during the opening ceremony, according to CNN.
But, the U.S. ain't alone in protesting the Beijing Olympics -- United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, India, and Taiwan refused to send delegation as well.
