Beijing (dpa) – Germany is competing in the 24th Olympic Games in Beijing with almost 150 athletes. Following the official opening on Friday, medals will be awarded in a record 109 events until 20 February. Despite the restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, around 2,900 athletes from 91 nations will be participating. The German flag will be carried at the opening ceremony by speed skater Claudia Pechstein and bobsleigh pilot Francesco Friedrich. A total of 149 athletes have been nominated for the Games, many of whom expect to win medals.
Beijing already hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008 and is the first city to also host the Winter Games. However, political tensions and criticism of human rights violations in the host country are weighing on the sporting event. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had announced in an interview that he would not be travelling to the Olympic Games. The 100-minute opening ceremony has again been arranged by Chinese star director Zhang Yimou, as was the case at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the cold weather, the ceremony with 3,000 performers will be smaller than the spectacular opening of the 2008 Summer Olympics in China’s capital, when 15,000 performers took part.