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Photos: Winter Olympic Games 2022 opening ceremony in Beijing

Published  February 4, 2022 9:50am EST
Olympics
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The Beijing 2022 Olympic Games logo is pictured ahead of the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games at the National Stadium on February 4, 2022 in Beijing, China (Photo by Douwe Bijlsma/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

BEIJING - The Olympic flame has officially arrived at the Beijing Games. An opening ceremony on a frosty night had a fiery conclusion Friday, when the flame was placed inside a giant snowflake to give China’s first Winter Olympics the symbolic opening — followed by the third major fireworks show of the night. 

The snowflake was composed of placards used to introduce the athletes from the 91 different nations that will compete in China through Feb. 20. There was no cauldron to light, the traditional ending to most opening ceremonies.

Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier declared the Games open during an opening ceremony heavy on ice-blue tones and winter imagery that was held in the same lattice-encased National Stadium that hosted the inaugural event at the 2008 Olympics.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.