Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Broadcast: How To Watch

BEIJING — The 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing officially kicked off early this morning with a spectacular, albeit smaller, amount of fanfare, pomp, and circumstance. While you may have missed it here in the states, it's not too late to catch the opening ceremony in primetime.

Since Beijing is 13 hours ahead of the United States' Eastern time zone, the ceremony took place at 6:30 a.m., just as many Americans were starting their day. Athletes from more than 90 countries participated in the fanfare before Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the Winter Games open.

If you missed it, here's how you can catch the replay of the ceremony as well as the events that follow.

How To Watch

The opening ceremony was broadcast live on NBC as well as the network's streaming service, Peacock.

NBC will rebroadcast the ceremony at 8 p.m. ET Friday with a focus on American athletes. NBC also is broadcasting the games.

What To Expect

The ceremony was held in China's National Stadium, also referred to as the "Bird's Nest" because of its design. It is the first facility to ever play host to the opening of both summer and winter games — the 2008 Olympics also began there.

Chinese athletes Zhao Jiawen and Dinigeer Yilamujiang — who were born in Xinjiang, the western China region where human rights groups say China oppresses many in the ethnic Uyghur population — delivered the final Olympic flame.

Who To Watch

Carrying the flag for the United States were curler John Shuster and speedskater Brittany Bowe, who replaced bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor after she tested positive for COVID-19.

Once the opening ceremony concludes, all eyes will turn to Team USA athletes competing in the games.

Shaun White will make his fifth Olympics appearance after winning three gold medals in the halfpipe in 2006, 2014, and 2018, making him the most decorated male Olympic snowboarder.

This will likely be White's swan song — he told Rolling Stone magazine he wants to retire from the Games after Beijing.

Other athletes to watch include Alpine skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin, who already owns three Olympic medals, snowboarder Chloe Kim, luger Emily Sweeney, and speedskater Erin Jackson. The U.S. women's hockey team will also take to the ice to defend their gold medal.

Check out the latest on the 2022 Winter Games.

>>>Find more coverage of the 2022 Winter Olympics on Patch.