Olympics: With rings breaking from block of ice, Games ceremony begins

BEIJING - The opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics kicked off on Friday night, the culmination of preparations beset by the COVID-19 pandemic and criticism over human rights in China that led several countries to mount a diplomatic boycott.

Held on the first day of Spring by the Chinese calendar, it began with a performance by dancers waving glowing green stalks to convey the vitality of the season, followed by an explosion of white and green fireworks that spelled the word "Spring".

On a three-dimensional cube resembling a block of ice, lasers carved imagery from each of the previous 23 Winter Games. The block was then "broken" by ice hockey players, enabling the Olympic rings to emerge, all in white.

That was followed by the traditional "parade of nations", with each of the 91 delegations preceded by a women carrying a placard in the shape of a snowflake resembling a Chinese knot.

In keeping with Olympic tradition, the parade was led into the stadium by Greece with the rest ordered by stroke number in the first character of their Chinese name, which meant Turkey was second, followed by Malta, with host China set to go last.

The entrances for "Hong Kong, China", as well as for Russia, generated applause in the partially filled stadium.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, the highest profile foreign leader present for the Games, could be seen in the stadium without a mask. However, the athletes from his country were unable to carry its flag due to doping violations, marching instead under the standard of the Russian Olympic Committee.

RETURN TO BIRD'S NEST

Friday's ceremony began shortly after President Xi Jinping and International Olympic Committee Chairman Thomas Bach entered the iconic Bird's Nest stadium.

Soon after the start, the Chinese flag was passed among 56 people representing China's different ethnic groups before it was raised and the national anthem performed.

Directed by Zhang Yimou, reprising his role from Beijing's 2008 Summer Games triumph, the event was to feature 3,000 performers on a stage comprised of 11,600 square metres of high-definition LED screen resembling an ice surface.

All of the performers are ordinary people from Beijing and nearby Hebei province, with "the Story of a Snowflake" its central thread.

With temperatures of about -4C (25F) at the start, the show was set to be about half as long as the four-hour marathon that opened the 2008 Games, also at the Bird's Nest.

The crowd itself was pared down, with organisers deciding last month not to sell tickets to Olympic events to curtail the spread of COVID-19. A "closed loop" separates competitors and other personnel from the Chinese public throughout the Olympics.

MORE CONFIDENT CHINA

Though smaller in scale than the Summer Games, the Beijing Winter Olympics are being staged by a much more prosperous, powerful, confident and confrontational China under Xi.

China's hosting of the Winter Games has drawn criticism since the International Olympic Committee selected Beijing in 2015, and countries including the United States, Britain and Australia staged diplomatic boycotts, meaning they did not send government representatives to the Games.

Putin arrived on Friday for a meeting with Xi ahead of the opening ceremony, bringing a deal https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/russian-president-putin-arrives-beijing-winter-olympics-state-tv-2022-02-04 to increase natural gas supply to China amid rising tensions with the West and winning a pledge from Xi to deepen mutual cooperation.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV noted that Putin, like China, expressed opposition to the "politicisation" of the Games.

Zhang, the director, said the ceremony takes into account the changed global backdrop, including the pandemic and what he said were hostile forces "suppressing and blackening" China.

"In this new and complex global situation, the Winter Olympics will show the confidence and pride of the Chinese people, the love of Chinese people, the affection of Chinese for the people of the world," he told state news agency Xinhua.

The official start of the Games will come as a relief to organisers navigating the extreme complexity of staging them during a pandemic while adhering to China's zero-COVID policy.

Organisers also hope it quietens a steady drumbeat of criticism from activists and governments over China's human rights record in its far western Xinjiang region and elsewhere - criticism that China rejects.

"I believe that at the instant in which the Olympic flame is lit, all of this so-called boycott banter https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/boycott-banter-be-doused-by-opening-says-games-organiser-2022-02-03 will be extinguished," Zhao Weidong, a spokesperson for the Beijing Games, told Reuters.

(Reporting by Tony Munroe, Muyu Xu and Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Shri Navaratnam and Alex Richardson)

-reuters

Joint Koreas hockey team ends historic Olympic run

GANGNEUNG, South Korea — They cheered. They cried. They hugged. They watched as fans by the thousands shouted, “We are one.” Unification flags for the two Koreas, longtime rivals and sometimes bitter enemies, flapped across the Olympic arena.

And now they go back home, quite possibly never to see each other again.

The Korean women’s hockey team, which included players from both North and South, ended its historic Olympic run on Tuesday with a fifth straight loss but a host of unforgettable feel-good sparks.

Team Korea was defeated by Sweden 6-1 in a seventh-place match in the Pyeongchang Games on Tuesday, a healthy crowd again on hand to cheer them on.

The team lost by a combined score of 28-2 in its games and was rarely competitive. Yet the repeated defeats were, for many, insignificant. Instead, this notion dominated discussion: the significance of the Koreas’ first-ever joint Olympic squad taking the ice smack in the middle of an abrupt, now ongoing reconciliation between the rival Koreas.

“They are an amazing group,” said the team’s Canadian coach, Sarah Murray, who wept while hugging some of her squad.

“I could have never imagined our players being this competitive in the Olympics,” Murray said after the game. “So when I was standing there I was just so proud of them, just watching them skate around and salute the fans.”

South Korean forward Kim Heewon wiped away tears as she and teammates waved to cheering fans during a standing ovation. Some spectators wept as Korean players — North and South — stood in a circle at the center of the rink and hit the ice with their sticks in a post-game ceremony before leaving the rink.

“It’s been a special opportunity to get to know those girls, and we’ll miss having them around,” said player Randi Heesoo Griffin of Cary, North Carolina, whose mother is South Korean.

The two governments bar their citizens from visiting each other’s country and exchanging phone calls, letters and emails. Griffin said she understood that when it came to staying in touch, “there’s some barriers to that, obviously.”

“I mean, none of them have Facebook, so might be hard,” Griffin said. “But there were definitely bonds that were formed. And I think if we end up playing against each other again, South Korea vs. North Korea, there’s definitely going to be some hugs and some smiles.”

The team was formed just days before the Pyeongchang Games began during an eleventh-hour push by the two Koreas to improve ties after a year of spiking nuclear tensions that triggered fears of a war on the Korean Peninsula.

The team’s makeup was a key part of agreements the Koreas struck to cooperate in the Olympics, which eventually provided a breather from a nuclear standoff involving the North, the South and the United States.

Despite initial worries about their teamwork, North and South Korean players were seen getting along with each other. There were many small moments of warm relations that seemed to improve as the games went on.

During Tuesday’s classification round game against Sweden, the Korean team played with newfound pace and more confidence against a team they were earlier routed by 8-0 in a preliminary-round match. On Sunday, they lost 2-0 to Switzerland, which beat them 8-0 in their landmark debut match. The Korean team lost 4-1 to Japan its final preliminary-round match.

The Koreas’ improving performances were likely because players gradually got over nervousness and pressures from the spotlight.

Every minor interaction between North and South Korean players was in the news because it was so extraordinary. They took selfies, visited a beach and created a dictionary to overcome the North-South dialect divide.

“We have really enjoyed working with the North’s players and coaches and we really do want to help them in the future,” Murray said. She said a possible “exchange game” has been discussed to maintain the connection.

“They want to get better, they want to keep learning from us and we want to help them,” she said. “And there are things that we can learn from them, too.”

The team’s formation raised hopes that Olympics-related warming gestures could transcend beyond sports and contribute to easing nuclear tensions.

But it is unclear if the good mood will last after the Olympics end, particularly since Seoul and Washington are set to kick off delayed springtime military drills that Pyongyang views as a rehearsal for invasion.

Joo Moon-sook, a 43-year-old who attended the game Tuesday with her husband and 12-year-old daughter, said the joint team’s Olympic appearance has helped soften South Koreans’ hawkish views on North Korean people after years of animosity.

“It’s an educational experience for children, letting them see for themselves that North Koreans aren’t scary and bad people, but part of who we are as a nation,” Joo said. “I can’t forget the first game — the moment they stepped onto the ice. I was choking with tears.”

For South Korean goalie Shin So Jung, the opportunity to experience such a moment from the inside — and appreciate it while it was happening — was unforgettable.

“Our win-loss record isn’t good, but I hope we brought them joy and heartfelt moments,” Shin said. “I don’t think I will experience anything like this again. So many people came here to see us and cheer for us. I hope their love for us lasts.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

10 ways to enjoy Russia

To the intrepid traveler in search of exotic sites and adventures, Russia is the perfect starting point for the trip of a lifetime.

Aside from being the largest country in the world, spanning two continents and covering 1/7 of the earth’s total land area, Russia is also home to some of the most awe-inspiring natural and manmade wonders on the planet. (Some of the most widely televised events in the world will be held there, such as the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in November and the July 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.)



If the mere thought of navigating your way through this vast territory overwhelms you, fear not. Here are some must-sees and dos to get you started.


Moscow

1. Get to know Russia’s rich and colorful past in Moscow. Start at the Kremlin and get to know the seat of Russian political power. Inhabited since the 2nd century BC and known as a kremlin (“fortress”) beginning 1331, here is where you’ll see five palaces, four cathedrals, as well as the official residence of the president of the Russian Federation. The Moscow Kremlin is also home to what the Unesco describes as “religious monuments of exceptional beauty,” such as the Church of the Annunciation and the Church of the Archangel, as well as the Senate and the historic Red Square.

Another interesting tidbit about Moscow: It is home to the largest number of billionaires in any other city in the world—beating New York by a handful of ultra-rich citizens. If you’d like to get more than the usual taste of glitz and glamour, Moscow is the place to be in.

St. Petersburg

2. Feel like a tsar in St. Petersburg. Approximately 400 miles from Moscow and only 90 minutes via a nonstop flight on Aeroflot, St. Petersburg is home to some of the most stunning palaces in the world. Peterhof (Petrodvorets) is a complex of palaces and gardens commissioned by Peter the Great in the early 1700s, and is known as the “Russian Versailles.” It is recognized as a Unesco World Heritage Site, with some famous attractions such as the Grand Palace and the fountain complex known as the Grand Cascade.

Perhaps even grander than Peterhof is the Tsarkoe Selo (Pushkin), which was built by the Romanov tsars in the 18th century and is known to be a symbol of Russian opulence and extravagance. But more displays of grandeur abound in St. Petersburg.

Golden Ring

3. Take a tour around the “Golden Ring,” and explore Russia’s spiritual side. The Golden Ring is a cluster of cities toward the northeast of Moscow, which has become popular with tourists for its many churches, monasteries, and a taste of the Russian pastoral life.

The closest stop would be Sergiev Posad (approximately 83 miles from Moscow), home of the ancient monastery founded by Sergey Radonezhskiy, a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church.

For a more rustic feel, head out to Suzdal (approximately 134 miles and four hours by land from Moscow), and find yourself surrounded by 12th- to 13th-century churches and monasteries. While there, make sure to try medovukha, a light alcoholic drink made from honey.

Lake Baikal

4. If you think Russia is all pomp and overindulgence, head over to Lake Baikal in southeastern Siberia (six hours by plane from Moscow to Irkutsk) for a more down-to-earth experience with Mother Nature’s glory. A place of many superlatives, Lake Baikal is the world’s oldest lake (25 million years old) and also its deepest (1,700 meters deep). It is also the world’s largest unfrozen freshwater reserve and is home to some of the world’s richest freshwater faunas, cited by the Unesco for its “exceptional value to evolutionary science.”

Vodka

5. Indulge in vodka, one of the world’s most popular drinks. No trip is complete without sampling a country’s cuisine, but no trip to Russia would be authentic without a sip (or a glass, or more) of vodka. First produced over 600 years ago, vodka is made by distilling grains such as rye, wheat and barley, and then filtering the liquid with birch charcoal.

Its long and fascinating history has survived the Prohibition era, and it has likewise been instrumental to the wealth and the power of the Russian state.

For a closer look at how vodka is made, take a tour at Cristall, Russia’s largest vodka distillery, located in Moscow.

Art and culture

6. Immerse yourself in fine art and high culture—all in St. Petersburg. The Russians certainly love culture, as seen in more than 2,000 libraries and more than 200 museums and galleries that have been established in St. Petersburg alone.

One of the world’s largest museums, the State Hermitage Museum houses more than three million items and is known for its grand art collection.

For something more intimate and quaint, head over to the (Fyodor) Dostoyevsky Memorial Apartment Museum, where the “Crime and Punishment” author resided during the last three years of his life. Aside from a reconstruction of the Dostoyevsky family home, the museum also houses art exhibits and a small theater for conferences, poetry readings and performances.

Russian ballet

7. Fall in love with (or at!) the Russian ballet. Although ballet was really a French import, the Westernization program of Peter the Great and the establishment of St. Petersburg’s Imperial School of Ballet paved the way, centuries later, for the careers of such important names as Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Foskine and Nijinsky.

Today, one of the most prestigious dance companies is the Bolshoi Ballet, housed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Several well-loved productions are lined up this October, including “Swan Lake,” “Don Quixote” and “Spartacus.” (Visit www.bolshoi.ru/en/)


Matryoshka dolls

8. Take home a set of matryoshka dolls. Perhaps the most iconic of Russian souvenir items is the matryoshka or the babushka dolls, nesting dolls that were first introduced at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris. Usually made of linden or birch, and then hand-painted, matryoshka dolls became globally popular in the 20th century and were manufactured in Sergiev Posad and Semenov, outside Moscow.

Today, the best place to find a wide variety of gift items is in Izmaylovo Market, Moscow. Before heading out there, remember to wear comfortable shoes and clothing, as your shopping trip could easily last the whole day.

Moscow Metro

9. Travel like a local, in style. One of the most magnificent contributions of the Stalin era is Moscow’s opulent metro system, with stations built as “people’s palaces.” Constructed in the 1930s, the Moscow Metro was built by some of Russia’s best architects and artists, and featured fine examples of different architectural styles, iconography, art.

One of the more popular stations is Mayakovskaya, featuring a sky-theme Art Deco mosaic by Alexander Deineka. If you intend to check out each station, give yourself a few days as there are now over 170 stations in all.

Traveling around Russia

10. Tour the vast expanse of Russia. You may want to try Aeroflot, which flies to 28 destinations there. It is also practical to take as it offers connections to other local cities.  (Contact its Philippine ticketing office at 7592191 and 7592192; or e-mail

info@aeroflot.ph)

There is truly much more to Russia than meets the eye, and it offers many unforgettable experiences to those who open themselves up to its charms. Although it may seem like a world away to many Filipinos, in truth, Russia is much closer and more accessible than many of us think. With a bit of research and planning, a few tips from the experts, and a lot of gumption for adventure and exotic cultures, the trip of your dreams could be just a plane ride away.


source: lifestyle.inquirer.net