Beijing has opened its second Olympics in 14 years at the lattice-encased National Stadium overnight, bringing an official start to the two-week sporting competition; held despite challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and a diplomatic boycott from several governments over the way China treats millions of its own people.
Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the Games open before a limited crowd that included Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met privately with Xi earlier in the day as a dangerous standoff unfolds at Russia's border with Ukraine.
Aided by a dazzling series of digital displays on a massive HD LED floor, hundreds of Chinese students and ordinary citizens ushered in the Olympics with an homage to winter heavy on references to local folklore.
![Flag bearers Finn Bilous and Alice Robinson lead the New Zealand team into Beijing's National Stadium. Photo / Getty](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/5VHA5J34P2HPK5YBBYJKUBLDDY.jpg?auth=f55e39ea77b7d92940d1a7b69afdcd007e7ac4874f4ab4bda55f88e826e7a2a4&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
![The New Zealand team enter Beijing's National Stadium. Photo / Getty](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/KOTXGW7YB6RPZ2OK6L4LTHU3FQ.jpg?auth=db62f5578403ddfef9562e3f45d0290127e81e62fd47a1a3435195440d525e97&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)