Why was the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony controversial?

By admin On Feb 5, 2022

Dinigeer Yilamujiang’s inclusion as a final Olympic torchbearer during Beijing 2022’s opening ceremony was a big talking point

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics formally got underway on Friday at a dazzling opening ceremony, but a widely discussed element of the event was the inclusion of cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang in the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

The 20-year-old is a medal hopeful in a sport China is not known to excel in, yet also hails from the Xinjiang region.

We explain why her presence drew added scrutiny, and what has been said following the ceremony.

What was the reaction to the Olympic opening ceremony?

Yilamujiang’s involvement in the opening ceremony was described as “the most politically motivated move” by Zumretay Arkin of the World Uighur Congress.

At Maryland’s Frostburg State University, an associate professor and expert on the Xinjiang region, Ma Haiyun, said Yilamujiang taking part was a bid to “address criticism by the West.”

“By selecting a Uighur athlete to light the torch, China is trying to address criticism by the West about genocide or persecution of the Uyghurs, and about sinicization of ethnic minorities,” Ma told the AP.

“But I don’t think this can have much effect on the West, which tends to think most of what China puts up is a show anyway.”

Various headlines in the Western media have claimed that the choice of Yilamujiang to light the cauldron was a “mighty provocation.”

Elsewhere, however, attention has focused on the dazzling visual display at a ceremony which was pared back due to Covid concerns but nonetheless struck an optimistic tone and centered on themes of “peace” and “a brighter future”.

What has the IOC said about the opening ceremony?

International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams defended Yilamujiang’s appearance by stressing “she is an Olympian competing here.”

“As you will know from the Olympic charter we do not discriminate against people because of where they are from and what their background is.

“She is perfectly entitled to take part in the opening. I think it was a lovely concept,” Adams added.

Adams confirmed that “obviously the opening ceremony is something that the organizing committee put together and there’s creative input,” with the IOC “involved to a certain extent.”

And according to Games organizers, the last handful of torchbearers that entered the stadium holding the flame were chosen based on their date of birth above all.

Each was born in a different decade, beginning from the 1950s through to the 2000s, with Yilamujiang and Zhao both born in 2001.

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