Photo credit: Agzam / pixabay.com
The solemn opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will be held on Friday, February 4, in Beijing, TASS reports. Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to attend it. The competition will continue until February 20. Russia will perform in all types of the program. In total, 109 sets of medals in 15 disciplines across seven Olympic sports will be awarded during the Games.
Beijing, Zhangjiakou and Yanqing are hosting the Games. A high-speed railway was built between the cities to make sure that there are no delays during the tournaments. Due to the spread of COVID-19, the authorities have made unprecedented efforts to maintain security. The so-called "bubble" or ''zero-covid'' zone covered all the Olympic venues. It is impossible to leave its premises. Every day, everyone taking part in the Games is obliged to take PCR tests.
Seven new disciplines will debut in the Olympic program in Beijing. For the first time, athletes from Haiti and Saudi Arabia will take part in the Winter Olympics.
More than 200 athletes are part of the Russian delegation. The total number of participants exceeds 460 people. Of these, 212 are athletes. The delegation also includes trainers, other staff, managers and employees of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA).
Due to sanctions imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Russians are prohibited from using the national anthem and flag at international competitions until December 16, 2022. Russian athletes are going to compete on behalf of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC.) Instead of the country's anthem, a piece from the First Piano Concerto with Tchaikovsky's orchestra will be played.
Russkiy Mir
