Winter Olympic athletes pass through "Gate of China"
From CNN's Matias Grez in London
The athletes are making their way into Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium via a spectacular entrance, which is described as representing the "Gate of China" and "Window of China."
The special effects make both appear as though they are made of ice, with the motifs inspired by traditional gates and windows across the country.
"The 'Gate of China' symbolizes that China opens its doors to welcome the world to the Olympic Winter Games," the official Opening Ceremony explainer reads.
"The 'Window of China,' through which the magnificent scenery is showcased, expresses the idea of 'seeing China through an open window.'"
8:00 a.m. ET, February 4, 2022
Photos of the Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony
As the athletes continue making their way into the Bird's Nest stadium, take a look at the best photos from the curtain raiser so far.
From an LED flower display to incredible lights shows, the ceremony has already proved spectacular.
Indian athlete parades at the Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony after officials boycott the Winter Games
From CNN's Aditi Sangal, Simone McCarthy and Rhea Mogul
India has one athlete, alpine skier Arif Khan, competing in the Winter Olympics. He paraded at the Opening Ceremony in Beijing just days after India announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games.
This announcement came after a commander involved in 2020 border clashes between the two countries appeared as an Olympic torchbearer in the customary torch relay leading up to the Games.
The last-minute boycott, which will see India's top envoy in Beijing sit out Friday's Opening Ceremony, adds the world's most populous democracy to a list of Western nations who already have launched their own diplomatic no-shows, citing China's human rights record — setting the tone for a controversial Olympic Games.
Following the official move, India's public broadcaster Doordarshan also announced it will not telecast the Opening and Closing Ceremonies live.
7:34 a.m. ET, February 4, 2022
Japan is parading at the Opening Ceremony but its government officials are not present
From CNN's Junko Ogura in Tokyo
Japan announced in December that it will not be sending Cabinet ministers or senior officials to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics but stopped short of calling the decision a diplomatic boycott.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno made the announcement in a press conference, saying Japan “believes that respect for human rights is important. We made a decision comprehensively.”
Matsuno added that Tokyo Olympic chief Seiko Hashimoto, Japanese Olympic Committee chief Yasuhiro Yamashita and Japan Paralympic Chief Kazuyuki Mori will still be attending the event.
7:28 a.m. ET, February 4, 2022
Competition has already started before the Olympic Ceremony
From CNN's Ben Church
The Opening Ceremony may have just begun in Beijing but competition is already underway elsewhere.
A host of sports including ice hockey, luge and multiple ski events have already started ahead of what is a spectacular curtain raiser.
Curling is another of the sports to have already began its preliminary rounds and the sport has become a fan favorite every time the Games come around.
Read more about one the most popular events at the Winter Olympics here.
7:26 a.m. ET, February 4, 2022
Athletes are now parading into the Olympics Ceremony
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Athletes of the participating countries have begun parading into the Olympics Opening Ceremony, starting with Greece.
Remember: They are not coming in Western alphabetical order.
The Chinese writing system has characters composed of strokes. The countries are ordered by the number of strokes that are counted in the first character of the Chinese name, from lowest to highest.
7:19 a.m. ET, February 4, 2022
President Xi Jinping waves to the crowd as he takes his seat at the Opening Ceremony
President Xi Jinping sparked the loudest cheer of the night so far as he waved to the crowd as the Opening Ceremony began.
He also waved to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach before taking his seat.
He stood up once again to sing the national anthem as the Chinese flag was raised within the National Stadium.
Outside the arena, volunteers gather to watch what is so far a spectacular curtain raiser for this year's Winter Olympics.
7:22 a.m. ET, February 4, 2022
Now: The Opening Ceremony has begun
The Opening Ceremony for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics' Opening Ceremony at the Beijing National Stadium is underway.
It will last 100 minutes, end with fireworks and will feature an estimated 3,000 performers. Teenagers account for 95% of the performers at the ceremony, according to state media.
Director Zhang Yimou returns 14 years after directing the 2008 Opening Ceremony. He said this time around, the show won’t be as grand or as long — 2008 included 15,000 participants.
6:43 a.m. ET, February 4, 2022
Beijing is allowing 150,000 spectators to attend the Olympics
From CNN's Gawon Bae in Seoul
Some 150,000 spectators will be invited to attend the 2022 Winter Games, according to the Vice President of the Beijing Organizing Committee, Yang Shu'an.
Yang said Olympic venues will be split evenly between spectators from inside the “closed loop" system, which separates Games-related personnel from the public, and those living outside of it.
Beijing has enforced a strict "closed loop" system to combat the spread of Covid-19 among Olympics-related personnel. Since the system officially began on Jan. 23, a total of 308 Olympic-related Covid-19 cases have now been identified, 111 of which involve athletes or team officials.
The 150,000 spectators from outside the "closed loop" will include international people residing in mainland China, diplomatic personnel, marketing partners, winter sports enthusiasts, residents and local students, he explained.
Spectators inside the “closed loop” will consist of members of the Olympic family, National Olympic Committees delegations, athletes, media representatives and broadcasters, Yang added.
On January 17, the IOC announced tickets for the Games would not go on sale for international visitors or the general public, citing Covid-19 concerns. Instead, it decided groups of spectators would need to be invited to fill the stands.