Following a buildup overshadowed by international politicking and the global coronavirus pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday officially opened the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

The Olympic torch relay, which had a much-reduced route due to COVID-19 restrictions, culminated with Uyghur cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang and Nordic combined athlete Zhao Jiawen lighting a snowflake-shaped cauldron at the Bird's Nest stadium made famous at the 2008 Summer Games.

The official emblem of the Beijing Winter Olympics is seen during the opening ceremony of the games at the National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Under the artistic direction of acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou, the opening ceremony combined traditional song and dance elements with cutting-edge lighting technology to tell "The Story of a Snowflake," drawing inspiration from a poem written 1,300 years ago by Chinese poet Li Bai.

Following the introduction of the Chinese president and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, the Chinese flag was passed among a select group of ordinary citizens and representatives of 56 Chinese ethnic groups before being raised inside the stadium.

The games come at a time of high tensions between China and the United States, with Washington leading international efforts to pressure Beijing over alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and its stance toward self-ruled Taiwan.

The United States and a number of its close allies have implemented a "diplomatic boycott" of the games, withholding attendance by their government officials but not their athletes.

In an apparent response to the move, the ruling Communist Party appointed Yilamujiang, a Uyghur skier from China's far-western Xinjiang region, as one of the two final torchbearers at the opening ceremony.

Bach said the games would mark a new era for winter sports in the world's most populous nation.

"Well over 300 million people are engaged in winter sports in about 2,000 ski resorts and ice rinks," Bach said.

"This extraordinary achievement opens a new era for global winter sport. It will raise the global participation to new levels, benefiting the Chinese people as well as winter sport enthusiasts around the world."

Nordic combined skier Akito Watabe and speed skater Arisa Go carried the Japanese flag in the parade of nations, marching as representatives of Japan's largest-ever team at an overseas Winter Olympics.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (front) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd from L) attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at the National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The Chinese capital becomes the first city to host both Summer and Winter Olympics, but this year's event is taking place under vastly different conditions amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

The more than two-week event is taking place behind closed doors, with athletes and other accredited visitors made to remain within an infection-control bubble limited to Olympic venues, accommodation and transport.

Featuring a record 109 events across seven sports, the Beijing Games are the second Olympics to be held amid the coronavirus pandemic, following last summer's Tokyo Games.

Having taken stringent measures to achieve one of the world's lowest per-population death rates from the virus, Chinese authorities hope the restrictive "closed loop management system" can ensure thousands of international arrivals for the games do not contribute to outbreaks outside the bubble.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida did not join the opening ceremony, but Russian President Vladimir Putin and South Korea's Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee were among the foreign leaders in attendance.

Russian athletes, meanwhile, will take part in the Beijing Games under a neutral flag as a part of punishment resulting from the country's state-sponsored doping scheme.

North Korea announced that it would not participate in the event against a backdrop of the pandemic, as it did for the Tokyo Games last summer.

Zhang, who also orchestrated the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics, is not the only one making a repeat performance. Along with Beijing's National Stadium, the National Aquatics Center has been recycled as an Olympic venue. Dubbed the Ice Cube, it is hosting curling competitions.

While games tickets have not been sold to the public following breakouts of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus, some venues could be filled to at least 30 percent capacity with designated groups of people, unlike last year's Tokyo Summer Olympics, which were held without spectators at almost all venues.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach addresses the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at the National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Fireworks light up the sky over the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb. 4, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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