4.02.2022
The XXIV Olympic Winter Games, which will be held from 4-20 February in China’s capital, Beijing, has officially begun after the Opening Ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest.
Our cross-country skier Ayşenur Duman and our short track speed skater Furkan Akar carried the Turkish flag during the ceremony.
The Olympic Rings emerged from a frozen block of ice after a projection took viewers through the history of the Winter Olympic Games from the first edition in Chamonix in 1924 through to the 24th edition in Beijing.
Athletes from the 91 nations and regions taking part in the Games then entered the arena from underneath the Olympic Rings for the Parade of Nations. In keeping with tradition, the Parade began with Greece whilst Turkey was the second nation to enter the arena in accordance with the Chinese alphabet. Our cross-country skier, Ayşenur Duman, who is competing in her second Olympic Games for Turkey after PyeongChang 2018, and Furkan Akar, the first short track speed skater in our Olympic history, carried our flag at the Opening Ceremony.
Each procession marched with a snowflake-shaped board bearing the names of their nation or region, and these 91 snowflakes came together to form a single, larger snowflake framed by olive branches to symbolise peace and harmony.
Then, Beijing 2022 Organising Committee President Cai Qi, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping made their opening speeches. During his speech, Thomas Bach thanked the people of China, the volunteers, the Organising Committee and everyone who contributed to the realisation of the Games. He also wished many successes to the athletes and conveyed their messages of support.
After the speeches, the Olympic Flag was brought to the stadium by Chinese athletes after which Wang Qiang and Liu Jiayu took the Olympic Oath on behalf of all the athletes.
The Games officially began when the final two torchbearers, Zhao Jiawen and Dinigeer Yilamujiang, brought the spectacle to a close by lighting the cauldron, which was placed in the middle of a giant snowflake.
Turkey at Beijing 2022
At Beijing 2022, seven athletes, of which three are women and four are men, will represent our country in four sports disciplines.
Our national athletes will compete in alpine skiing, ski jumping, cross-country skiing and short track speed skating. For the first time in our history, our country will participate in Olympic short track speed skating through Furkan Akar.