By Saphora Smith—
NBC News
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics kick off this Friday with a much smaller opening ceremony than the 2008 one at the Chinese capital's Bird's Nest National Stadium.
The Asian giant aims to impress billions of people around the world with these games, and perhaps transcend for a moment the politically charged environment and the strict restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic that have characterized the period leading up to the competition.
"The world is turning to China, and China is ready
," President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.
“We will do our best to bring agile, secure and splendid games to the world,” he assured.
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Four-time bobsled Olympian Elana Meyers Taylor and five-time curling Olympian John Shuster were chosen to be the flag bearers for Team USA at the opening ceremony.
Meanwhile, three-time Olympic speed skater Brittany Bowe will walk on behalf of Meyers Taylor after she recently tested positive for the coronavirus.
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In stark contrast to the epic opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing,
this year's parade has been streamlined and shortened to less than 100 minutes due to the pandemic and cold weather,
according to Xinhua, the state news agency. chinese news.
Only
3,000 artists are expected to participate,
the vast majority of whom are expected to be teenagers, down from 15,000 in 2008, according to Xinhua.
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It will also be missing the sea of spectators from 2008 after China banned international fans from entering, and Olympics organizers said they would not sell tickets to the general public in the country.
Instead, a "selected" group would receive tickets.
Some world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, will also not attend, after announcing
a diplomatic boycott of the games
on human rights grounds.
Fireworks during a rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics at the iconic 'Bird's Nest' National Stadium in Beijing, China, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022.Wang Xinchao/AP
However,
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Xi, in a show of unity with China
amid Moscow's standoff with the West over Ukraine.
The games come at a time when Russia and China have increasingly turned against the West, and all eyes will be on Russia to see if it decides to take advantage of the start of the competition, and the world's distraction, to invade Ukraine, as it did in 2008 when it invaded the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
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Renowned Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou has been tasked with making the ceremony a success despite the pandemic and freezing temperatures, promising to distinguish it from the ceremonies he led to open and close the Summer Olympics in 2008.
Zhang told Xinhua last month that the theme of the opening ceremony reflects that times have changed.
"In 2008, the Olympic Games were a brilliant stage and an opportunity for our country to showcase itself," he told Xinhua.
“Now it's different.
China's status in the world, the image of the Chinese and the rise of our national status, everything is totally different."
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The world needs a new vision after the pandemic, a vision in which people come together globally to face difficulties and look forward to a bright future, he said.
The 'Bird's Nest' stadium, a saddle-shaped structure wrapped in steel latticework, was the centerpiece of the Olympic venue in 2008. The motto of the 2022 Games is “Together for a shared future”.
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Zhang promised a bold new method of lighting the Olympic cauldron that meets environmental concerns and low carbon emissions.
After being relieved by some 1,200 torchbearers, in a smaller act than in 2008, the Olympic flame will light the main cauldron in the National Stadium, marking the start of the Games.
In 2008, the dazzling opening ceremony began with 2,008 drummers playing their instruments in unison.
In the end, former gymnast Li Ning was hoisted on cables to the top of the stadium, where he appeared to walk up the wall to light the giant scroll-shaped cauldron that towers over Beijing.