GRAND OPENING Performers dance as part of the pre-show during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. And while some are staying away from the second pandemic Olympics in six months, many other world leaders attended the opening ceremony. Such measures instantly greeted anyone arriving to compete in or attend the Winter Games. But at this year's Beijing Games, the gulf between performance and reality is shaping up to be particularly jarring. In the runup to the Olympics, China's suppression of dissent was also on display in the controversy surrounding Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai.

Source: Manila Times February 05, 2022 18:23 UTC