Olympic opening ceremonies
FILE - The Olympic Rings light up the stadium during opening ceremonies for the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, Friday, Feb. 10, 2006. Creative director Marco Balich, reveals to The Associated Press that he has been working for a year on a 30-minute show that will run ahead of the Soccer World Cup 2022 opening game between Qatar and Ecuador. He says local organizers "wanted to create a real show, which FIFA is not accustomed to.”(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, Pool, File)
AP Exclusive: Balich leads Olympics-style World Cup ceremony

By Andrew Dampf Nov. 16, 2022 04:05 PM EST

FILE - Kimia Yousofi, front left, and Farzad Mansouri, of Afghanistan, carry their country's flag during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Afghanistan's flag bearer at the Tokyo 2020 Games and other prominent women's sports campaigners have been safely relocated to Australia following a year-long Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) project. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Afghan Olympians resettle in Australia to start afresh

Aug. 17, 2022 01:11 AM EDT

International Olympic Committee's President Thomas Bach, left, talks to French President Emmanuel Macron as he leaves the Elysee Palace in Paris, Monday, July 25, 2022. Tomorrow is marking two years until the Olympics are due to begin in the French capital. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, Pool)
Paris 2024 gets Macron's support for huge opening ceremony

By John Leicester Jul. 25, 2022 01:28 PM EDT

Spectators cheer as they wait for the women's slopestyle finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
China crafts a carefully curated slate of Olympic spectators

By Sam Mcneil Feb. 14, 2022 10:09 PM EST

Madison Hubbell, right, and Zachary Donohue, of the United States, compete during the ice dance team program in the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
WHAT TO WATCH: Meyers Taylor leads monobob's Olympic debut

By Jake Seiner Feb. 11, 2022 12:39 PM EST

Fireworks, forming the Olympic rings, illuminate the sky during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (Li Xin/Xinhua via AP)
Several factors contribute to NBC's lower Olympic ratings

By Joe Reedy Feb. 08, 2022 03:24 AM EST

Arianna Fontana of Italy, celebrates after winning the final of the women's 500-meter during the short track speedskating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Olympics Live: US figure skater Zhou out after COVID test

Feb. 06, 2022 09:07 PM EST

A performer, second from right, clad in a traditional Korean dress waves during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Major South Korean presidential candidates accused China of laying claim to their culture after the performer wore white and light purple hanbok dress during the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics. (Lim Hwa-young/Yonhap via AP)
S. Korea politicians criticize China over traditional dress

By Kim Tong-Hyung Feb. 05, 2022 07:49 AM EST

Residents look out from their homes to catch a glimpse of the fireworks for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Beijing Voices: Seeking a stadium peek from outside bubble

Feb. 05, 2022 12:27 AM EST

A bus is allowed through a security gate at a hotel inside the Olympic bubble at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
BEIJING SNAPSHOT: Together for a shared future, apart

By Mallika Sen Feb. 04, 2022 11:59 PM EST

FILE - United States' gold medalist Shaun White reacts during the men's halfpipe medal ceremony at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. The Beijing Olympics will be the fifth Olympics for the three-time gold medalist. And the last Olympics for the 35-year-old — get this — elder-statesman who is now more than double the age of some of the riders he goes against. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Olympic Updates: China's first gold draws cheers downtown

Feb. 04, 2022 08:11 PM EST

FILE - Chinese artist Ai Weiwei poses for the media during an "I am a Hong Konger! Discussing Human Rights and Democracy" panel discussion hosted by the faction of the German Liberals at the Reichstag building, home of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany on Sept. 29, 2020. Ai Weiwei, the dissident Chinese architect behind the Beijing stadium hosting the Friday Feb. 4, 2022 opening ceremony of the Winter Games has scoffed at the head of the U.N. health agency, saying China should award him “a gold medal” for not asking hard questions about its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
Chinese dissident Ai voices criticism as Winter Games open

By Jamey Keaten Feb. 04, 2022 01:15 PM EST

Furkan Akar and Aysenur Duman, of Turkey, lead their team in during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Beijing Olympics open with nod to Year of the Tiger

Feb. 04, 2022 07:44 AM EST

Chinese President Xi Jinping, bottom second from right, waves as he arrives for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
In opening of Winter Olympics, chances at politicking abound

By Adam Schreck Feb. 04, 2022 07:08 AM EST

Opening ceremony for Beijing Winter Olympics begins amid severe pandemic restrictions and diplomatic boycott

Feb. 04, 2022 07:01 AM EST
BEIJING (AP) — Opening ceremony for Beijing Winter Olympics begins amid severe pandemic restrictions and diplomatic boycott. ...

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Emboldened China opens Olympics, with lockdown and boycotts

By Sarah Dilorenzo Feb. 04, 2022 04:01 AM EST

United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland speaks during a press conference at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Nearly 80% of US Olympians signed up for opening ceremony

By Eddie Pells Feb. 04, 2022 03:11 AM EST

FILE-In this photograph provided by the Indian Army, army officers of India and China hold a meeting at Pangong lake region in Ladakh on the India-China border on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. India will not attend Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, after one of the torchbearers reportedly chosen by Chinese authorities riled up New Delhi's anger. India's foreign affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said it was "regrettable that the Chinese side has chosen to politicize an event like the Olympics." (Indian Army via AP, File)
EXPLAINER: Why India won't send diplomat to China Olympics

By Sheikh Saaliq Feb. 04, 2022 02:13 AM EST

FILE - Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei poses for a portrait prior to a news conference in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 2, 2020. Weiwei helped design Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium for the 2008 Olympics. It's again the venue for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
Exiled artist Ai Weiwei reflects on Beijing Olympics

By Stephen Wade Feb. 03, 2022 11:50 PM EST

Marian Skupek of Slovakia speeds past the Olympic rings during a men's luge training run at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
How to watch the 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony

Feb. 03, 2022 11:24 PM EST