Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony: Jamaica's Bobsled Team, an Oiled-Up Flag Bearer and More
04.02.2022 - 20:29
/ etonline.com
2022 Winter Olympics are underway! The opening ceremony was held on Friday, at Beijing's National Stadium, which is also known as the «Bird's Nest,» and signaled the official start of the Games.The Parade of Nations, the part of the ceremony that highlights each competing nation in the Games, featured many standout moments including a shirtless skeleton competitor, a long-awaited moment for Jamaica, and a Ralph Lauren-clad Team USA.While the U.S. counted its second-largest Olympic delegation in history, other countries had just one athlete set to compete on their behalf. It all came to a close with an epic torch lighting that differed from years past.Keep reading for the five biggest moments from the opening ceremony.With Tonga's Pita Taufatofua sitting out the Olympics for the first time since 2014, fans worried that the cross-country skier's absence would mean they'd be deprived of a shirtless, oiled-up athlete during the Parade of Nations.
They needn't have been concerned, as American Samoa's Nathan Crumpton happily stepped into the role.The skeleton competitor delighted viewers when he came out for the event in traditional American Samoa garments, save a shirt. Crumpton, the lone American Samoa competitor, served as the flag bearer for his country.Crumpton nabbed Taufatofua's approval with his appearance, with the former Olympian tweeting, «American Samoa holding the fort.»American Samoa isn't the only country to send a singular athlete to the Games. Albania, Eritrea, Ecuador, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Timor-Leste, India, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Philippines and Ghana are also represented by just one person, most of whom are Alpine skiers.Peru and Haiti are in the same
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