USA TODAY Sports
The 2022 Winter Olympics officially began Friday with the opening ceremony at the famed "Bird's Nest" stadium in Beijing, the first city to ever host a Winter and Summer (2008) Games.
The ceremony opened with fireworks, a lights show and ended with ice hockey players breaking a block of ice to reveal the Olympic rings. Snowflakes with the names of participating countries were held high in front of the large Olympic Rings.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and IOC President Thomas Bach were in the stands alongside a smaller-than-usual crowd restricted due to COVID-19 regulations.