2022 Winter Paralympics opening ceremony
Date | 4 March 2022 |
---|---|
Time | 20:00 - 21:33 CST (UTC+8) |
Venue | Beijing National Stadium |
Location | Beijing, China |
Coordinates | 39°59′30″N 116°23′26″E / 39.99167°N 116.39056°ECoordinates: 39°59′30″N 116°23′26″E / 39.99167°N 116.39056°E |
Theme | "Blossoming of Life" |
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The opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Paralympics took place on 4 March 2022 at the Beijing National Stadium (also known as "Bird's Nest")[1] in Beijing, China. The Games were opened by Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of China.
Preparations[]
The site of the opening ceremony, the Beijing National Stadium, was redeveloped in preparation for the ceremonies of both the 2022 Winter Olympics and the 2022 Winter Paralympics.[2][3][4]
Announcers (masters of ceremony)[]
- English: Zhao Ying[5]
- Mandarin Chinese: Gang Qiang
Proceedings[]
The ceremony, directed by Zhang Yimou,[2] had the theme "Blossoming of Life"[6] and began at 20:00 CST (UTC+8) in the Beijing National Stadium.[7][8][9] The games were opened by Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of China,[6] and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons were in attendance.[10] As well as representing the IPC, Parsons represented the International Olympic Committee in the absence of president Thomas Bach who tested positive for COVID-19.[6]
The curling rink: Countdown performance[]
Entry of the National flag[]
Parade of Nations[]
Reactions to Russian invasion of Ukraine[]
Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from participating after the countries' invasion of Ukraine.[1] During the ceremony, Parsons did not mention Russia by name, but he publicly declared his horror at the fighting in Ukraine and called on world authorities to promote peace.[1][11]
Arrival and lighting of the Paralympic flame[]
Visually-impaired Paralympic champion Li Duan, who won gold medals at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, which was also held in Beijing, lit the cauldron, becoming the third visually impaired person to light the Paralympics cauldron at the Opening Ceremonies.[12]
Dignitaries in attendance[]
Host nation dignitaries[]
- People's Republic of China
- Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, President of the People's Republic of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission[6]
- Li Keqiang, Premier of the People's Republic of China
- Cai Qi, Communist Party Secretary of Beijing, Executive President of the Organizing Committee for Beijing 2022
Dignitaries from International organizations[]
- International Paralympic Committee – President Andrew Parsons.[10]
- International Olympic Committee – IPC President Andrew Parsons in place of IOC Vice President Ng Ser Miang who is unable to attend after testing positive for COVID-19. Ng was to attend in place of IOC President Thomas Bach.[13][14][6]
Anthems[]
- National Anthem of People's Republic of China
- Paralympic Hymn
Controversy[]
Parsons's speech about how he was "horrified at what is taking place in the world right now", which implied the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, was not translated by China Central Television (CCTV).[15][16] The IPC later asked CCTV to explain why the speech was not translated.[17] As of 12 March 2022, the IPC has not yet received an update from CCTV.[18]
In his speech, Parsons wrongly referred Xi Jinping as the president of the Republic of China, which is the official name of Taiwan. The actual president was Tsai Ing-wen, who herself did not attend the ceremony. Parsons later apologized for this.[19]
See also[]
- 2008 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony
- 2008 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony
- 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony
- 2022 Winter Olympics closing ceremony
- 2022 Winter Paralympics closing ceremony
References[]
- ^ a b c Moritsugu, Ken (4 March 2022). "As war rages, Paralympics open in Beijing without Russia". Associated Press. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ a b Burke, Patrick (23 January 2022). "Full rehearsal held for Opening Ceremony of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics". Inside the Games. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ Ma, Zhen; Katz, Teddy. "Beijing 2022 assures a Winter Games spectacle". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ Houston, Michael (31 July 2021). "Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony stadium to complete transformation in October". Inside the Games. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ Zhao Ying [@ZhaoYing_CRI] (4 March 2022). "I'm soooooo honored to be the announcer at the #OpeningCeremony of the #Beijing2022 #Paralympics!This is so special especially during this time of uncertainties. Wish all the athletes enjoy their stay in Beijing, and enjoy the games! Change starts with sports. #paralympics2022 t.co/DGHyysb7Xe" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e Barker, Phillip (3 March 2022). "Chinese President set to open Winter Paralympics with all eyes on Parsons' speech". Inside the Games. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ Prashant, ND (3 March 2022). "Excitement mounts as Beijing gears up for Opening". paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "Beijing 2022 Venues". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ Pavitt, Michael (3 March 2022). "Countdown to Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony". www.insidethegames.biz. Inside the Games. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ a b "As war rages, Paralympics opening in Beijing without Russia". The Independent. Associated Press. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "Highlights from the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing". NPR. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Paralympic Opening Ceremony highlighted by bold call for peace". 4 March 2022.
- ^ IOC MEDIA [@iocmedia] (20 February 2022). "In a call this week, IOC President Thomas Bach and International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons agreed President Bach would not attend the Beijing 2022 Winter #Paralympics. President Bach wished President Parsons and the competing Paralympians well for the event" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Iveson, Ali (2 March 2022). "IOC vice-president Ng to miss Beijing 2022 Paralympics with COVID-19". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "China Censors Paralympics Opening Ceremony, Premier League Over Ukraine". The Wall Street Journal. 4 March 2022.
- ^ "Opening ceremony speech by IPC president Andrew Parsons at Winter Paralympics censored in China". The Associated Press. 4 March 2022.
- ^ "Beijing censors Beijing Paralympic opening speech". AFP. 6 March 2022.
- ^ Burke, Patrick (12 March 2022). "IPC still awaiting update from CCTV over Parsons speech translation controversy". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "IPC apologises after Parsons mistakenly refers to Xi as "President of the Republic of China"". Inside the Games. 5 March 2022.
External links[]
- Media related to 2022 Winter Paralympics opening ceremony at Wikimedia Commons
- 2022 Winter Paralympics
- Ceremonies in China
- Paralympics opening ceremonies