Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Olympics Games Open With A Bang, And Cold War Echo

Olympics Games Open With A Bang, And Cold War Echo

Triumphant fireworks were launched into the night sky after Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the games open. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin unveiled their alliance, proclaiming friendship between their countries with "no limits".

China mixed politics and sport with a boldness unseen since the Cold War on Friday, with President Xi Jinping announcing a new alliance with Russia's Vladimir Putin just hours before presiding over a spectacular Olympics opening ceremony.

Held in the famed Bird's Nest stadium before a crowd thinned out because of COVID-19, the opening ceremony easily cleared the high hurdle of spectacle expected of China. Three thousand performers took to a stage comprised of 11,600 square metres of high-definition LED screens.

Dancers poured into the stadium waving glowing green stalks to mark the first day of spring on the Chinese calendar, followed by an explosion of white and green fireworks that spelled the word "Spring".

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.

During the traditional "parade of nations", competitors from "Hong Kong, China" were met with cheers - as were those from the "Russian Olympic Committee" - the name used by the Russian delegation while the country is officially banned for doping.

Triumphant fireworks were launched into the night sky after Xi declared the games open. But the most consequential pyrotechnics may have come hours before the ceremony, when Xi and Putin unveiled their alliance, proclaiming friendship between their countries with "no limits".

It was a stark reminder that the games were being held on a backdrop of geopolitical rivalry unseen since the tit-for-tat Cold War boycotts of the 1980s, when the United States refused to attend the Olympics in Moscow and the Soviet Union stayed away from Los Angeles.

With tensions on both sides of the Eurasian land mass at their most taut for decades, Putin and Xi publicly took each other's sides over a range of grievances, most notably Ukraine, where the West accuses Putin of preparing for war.

DIPLOMATIC BOYCOTT


As in Japan just half a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic imposed severe constraints. With China still sticking to a "zero Covid" policy despite the Omicron variant spreading fast across the globe, organisers decided last month not to sell tickets to Olympic events. A "closed loop" separates competitors and other personnel from the Chinese public.

But talk of war in Europe and escalating rivalry in Asia meant that COVID was hardly the biggest distraction from sport. The United States and other countries have declined to send dignitaries to Beijing, citing alleged human rights abuses, which Beijing denies.

China's role in global sport has also been under a harsh glare in recent months over the case of tennis player Peng Shuai. The women's tennis tour cancelled events in China saying it feared for her safety after she appeared to accuse a senior official of sexual assault. Chinese media have shown Peng making public appearances, including a video phone call last year with International Olympic Committee boss Thomas Bach.

Because of the pandemic, the dignitaries visiting for the Olympics were the first to make official trips to Beijing in more than two years. The guest of honour was clearly Putin.

The Russian leader - who hosted his own winter Olympics in 2014 just days before sending troops to seize Ukraine's Crimean peninsula - thanked Xi for inviting him, adding: "We know firsthand that this is a huge job."

In a joint Russian-Chinese statement, Beijing backed Russia's longstanding call for NATO to halt its expansion - Moscow's central demand in a dispute with Western countries that say they believe Putin is preparing for war in Ukraine.

Russia, which has deployed more than 100,000 troops to the Ukrainian frontier, denies planning to invade but says it could take unspecified military action unless demands are met, including barring Ukraine from ever joining NATO.

Moscow, for its part, said it fully supported Beijing's stance on Taiwan and opposed Taiwanese independence in any form.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
×