Greece begins parade of athletes at Olympics

BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The latest on the Beijing Winter Olympics (all times local):

8:16 p.m.

As an Olympic tradition, Greece, which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, is the first team to start the parade of athletes into the Bird's Nest Stadium.

China, as hosts, will march in last; future Olympic Winter Games hosts Italy (Milano-Cortina 2026) will enter the second-from-last under a change approved by the IOC Executive Board in December 2019.

Other than that, athletes will enter in stroke order of their team names as written in the Chinese characters, with Turkey following Greece.

The teams are led by a placard bearer dressed in costumes with ice and snow patterns. The placards, in the shape of a glowing snowflake with National/Regional Olympic Committee names on them, are inspired by the "Chinese knot," which is an ancient Chinese craft of hand knitting, symbolizing solidarity and prosperity.

8:00 p.m.

The Winter Games opening ceremony has started. The program is divided into 15 segments, including the parade of athletes and the lighting of the Olympic flame.

As the ceremony started, the lights dimmed and a 24-second countdown followed.

The opening day of the 2022 Winter Olympics coincides with the "Beginning of Spring", which is the first of the 24 solar terms of the year. It is used to count down the last seconds before the ceremony, reflecting the Chinese people's understanding of time.

7:25 p.m.

A pre-show presented by square dancers aged from five to over 70 years old has begun at the Bird's Nest Stadium.

The "Square Dance" is a creation of ordinary Chinese people and has become very popular. On public squares in large cities or small towns, people spontaneously gather together to joyfully sing and dance in their off-time.

This choreographed performance showcased the passion of the Chinese people in welcoming the Olympic Winter Games.