INTERNATIONAL: The opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Games came to a climactic end with fireworks lighting the sky over the Bird's Nest stadium, late on Friday , February 4.

The colourful ceremony has marked the start of an Olympics whose preparations were beset by the Covid-19 pandemic and criticism over human rights in China.

Friday's ceremony in a partially-filled Bird's Nest stadium,the scene of Beijing's triumphant 2008 Summer Games launch - was filled with imagery of ice and snow, with China’s President Xi Jinpings declaration followed by red-suited "skaters" sliding across virtual ice.

Held on the first day of Spring by the Chinese calendar, it began with a performance by dancers waving glowing green stalks to convey the vitality of the season, followed by an explosion of white and green fireworks that spelled the word "Spring".

China's hosting of the Winter Games has drawn criticism since the International Olympic Committee selected Beijing in 2015, and countries including the United States, Britain and Australia staged diplomatic boycotts, meaning they did not send government representatives to the Games.