Getty The National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, is the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
Athletes from around the world have gathered in Beijing, China for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games. The games will officially kick off with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, February 4, 2022.
With China 13 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone, according to NBC Sports, there will be two opportunities to watch coverage of the event: the two-and-a-half-hour live broadcast and the three-hour enhanced primetime presentation.
“Opening Ceremony LIVE” will air on NBC from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Eastern time. It will be available to simultaneously stream on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. According to NBC Sports, it will be NBCUniversal’s “first-ever live morning presentation of a Winter Games Opening Ceremony.”
The ceremony will once again air from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time on NBC, while able to be streamed on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. According to NBC Sports, this broadcast will be “An enhanced primetime presentation of the Opening Ceremony with a special focus on the athletes of Team USA in addition to the traditional performances, pageantry, and Parade of Nations.”
The Washington Post, citing Xinhua News Agency, reported the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics will be significantly shorter than previous ceremonies due to “the coronavirus pandemic and cold weather.”
While the 2008 Summer Olympics also hosted in Beijing had a four-hour opening ceremony, the publication is reporting this one will only last for about 100 minutes.
NBCUniversal Will Have Additional Opening Ceremony Coverage Throughout the Day
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NBC will have additional coverage of the Opening Ceremony and the Olympics throughout the day.
“A special edition of the ‘Today‘ show featuring reaction to the Opening Ceremony and athlete interviews” will air from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Eastern time, NBC Sports reported.
NBCUniversal “will review the highlights of the Opening Ceremony and look ahead to the biggest storylines of the Winter Olympics with its first-ever daytime show,” from 12:00 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern time.
The Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics Will Be Held in Beijing’s National Stadium
The Bird’s Nest looks ready for the Opening Ceremony! 77 hours away ⏰
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The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games will be held at Beijing’s National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest.
China broke ground on the venue in 2003 in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics, reported Reuters. It was used for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of those games.
While NBC Sports notes that it was used for Track and Field events, as well as the men’s 2009 gold medal soccer game, it will not host any sporting events this year.
The director of the 2008 Opening Ceremony, Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, will once again direct, as reported by the Washington Post. Though the publication revealed it will be “a simpler affair,” with about 3,000 performers rather than the 15,000 featured in 2008.
The Washington Post also just noted the ceremony’s theme will reflect the world today. As he said, “In 2008, the Olympics was a brilliant stage and chance for our country to show ourselves. It’s different now. China’s status in the world, the image of the Chinese, and the rise of our national status, everything is totally different now.”
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How Long Is the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony 2022?