Canada's Max Parrot won an emotional gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics in the snowboard slopestyle, three years after being diagnosed with cancer.

Parrot's score of 90.96 on his second run was enough to secure victory ahead of China's Su Yiming and fellow Canadian Mark McMorris, who won silver and bronze respectively.

Despite only finishing 10th in qualifying, Parrot put together a high-scoring run to go one better than the silver he achieved at PyeongChang 2018.

"This is so incredibly special, especially with the run I did today. It's the biggest run I've done in my entire career," he said afterwards. "I am extremely proud of myself and to take gold on that run means so much for me."

The 27-year-old was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma – a type of blood cancer – in late 2018 and was forced to stop competing so he could undergo chemotherapy.

However, he announced he was cancer-free in July 2019 and worked to get back to his competitive best.

"I don't take anything for granted anymore," he added. "It made me such a better snowboarder, as well. I try to appreciate every day now – the little things in the morning through to my passion of snowboard. I try to smile all day long now, and the results come with that now as well. It's amazing."

Speed skating glory for Wust

Ireen Wust became the first person to win an individual gold medal at five different Olympics after retaining her 1500m title on Monday.

Wust beat the much-fancied Japanese skater Miho Takagi, who claimed silver, breaking the Olympic record in the process with a time of one minute 53.28 seconds.

The 35-year-old is retiring next month, but despite being ranked seventh at the World Cup, had enough to secure her sixth gold medal and 12th medal overall at the Olympics.

In the shorter track events, Italy's Arianna Fontana retained her 500m title while  Hungary's Liu Shaolin Sandor initially won the men's 1000m final but was eventually disqualified for initiating contact when overtaking China's Ren Ziwei.

There was another collision between the two on the finish line but Ren was declared the winner after an official review ahead of countryman Li Wenlong and Liu Shaoang, Sandor's brother.

Valieva makes history in figure skating

The Russian Olympic Committee won gold in the figure skating team event but all eyes were on Kamila Valieva as the 15-year-old became the first female figure skater to land a quadruple jump at an Olympic Games.

The ROC had already sealed the win ahead of the United States and Japan before Valieva executed a quadruple salchow at the start of her free skate, then landing another quad later in the same routine, though she fell after attempting an ambitious third.

Valieva has been breaking records since making her senior debut less than six months ago, becoming the first woman to score more than 90 points and setting a world record in the short program at the European Championships last month.

She is the heavy favourite for the women's event, which takes place on February 15 and 17. 

Feuz wins downhill gold

Switzerland's Beat Feuz won the men's downhill, finishing ahead of 41-year-old Frenchman Johan Clarey at Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre.

Feuz's winning run of one minute 42.69 seconds was just one 10th of a second ahead of Clarey.

However, Clarey did make history with his silver medal, becoming the oldest Olympic medallist in alpine skiing, while Austria's Matthias Mayer claimed bronze.

"I knew I only had one chance left in my career to get a medal in the Olympics," Clarey said. "When you are a medallist, whether you are 20 or 41, it doesn't matter."

Mikaela Shiffrin was disqualified from the giant slalom on Monday as her Winter Olympics began in disappointing fashion.

The defending champion missed a gate and fell on her hip only five turns into her first run at the challenging course known as the Ice River.

It was a rare error from the United States star, who has three Winter Olympic medals including two golds. She is bidding to become the first American to win three golds at the Games in alpine skiing.

Shiffrin has only failed to finish 14 times in 229 starts across all disciplines at World Cup, Olympic and world championship events and was top of the overall World Cup standings coming into Beijing.

"I won't hide the disappointment, but I'm not going to dwell on it because that won't help me," she said.

"I felt that I was pushing really quite well and attacking. But there was just one turn, I had a small, small mistiming when I really went to push on my edges and that makes all the difference.

"I have been really working on the right timing of my turns and really never thought this was going to be part of the issue. But it wasn't because I was holding back, so I can be proud of that. But it's five turns into the Olympic GS, there's disappointment for sure."

In total, there were 19 DNFs among the 80 starters in round one alone, including last year's World Cup winner Marta Bassino.

Sweden's Sara Hector took gold at the end of the second run, ahead of Federica Brignone and Lara Gut-Behrami.

Shiffrin, who will compete for five more medals at these Games, will next be involved in the slalom on Wednesday.

Sunday was quite a day for the Australia curling team, from being told to leave China in the morning to recording their first victories at the Winter Olympics.

Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt became the first Australians to win a curling match at the Olympics when they beat Switzerland, but that is only part of the story.

Having lost their first seven matches in the mixed team event at Beijing 2022, Gill and Hewitt were told they had to leave China on Sunday morning after the former returned a positive COVID-19 test.

However, with bags packed and ready to head to the airport, the duo were invited back after the Chinese Public Health System determined the CT values in Gill's PCR tests fell into an acceptable range, which left them with 15 minutes to get a taxi to the National Aquatics Centre for their match with Switzerland.

Remarkably, with Gill only playing with one glove having lost the other in the rush, Australia went on to beat the Swiss 9-6, before also getting the better of Canada 10-8 in their final clash.

"It has literally been the craziest, craziest 24 hours. My bags are still packed, I only just had time to pull out my uniforms," Gill said. "I was ruffling through my bags and ripping clothes out left, right and centre. I played with only one glove on - and it was the wrong one.

"It was really devastating [to be asked to leave China] given that I wasn't infectious, but after review I'm so incredibly grateful to the medical team to get me out on the ice and I'm able to compete and finish off our campaign on a really positive note.

"We put our hearts and souls into that [Switzerland] game, to be able to come back with the win was really awesome."

Prior to Sunday's remarkable events, Australia had lost to the United States, China, Czech Republic, Sweden, Great Britain, Norway and Italy, losing by a combined aggregate of 53-33.

Against Switzerland they were 6-3 down with three ends remaining, only to score three, two and one stones to nil to take the match 9-6.

An 8-8 tie saw their match against Canada go to an extra end, which they clinched two stones to nil.

They will still finish bottom of the standings despite their two victories, but Hewitt did not seem to mind as he appeared just as amazed by the circumstances, saying: "We had a couple of phone calls that maybe there could be a chance.

"I was like, 'Aw, don't do this to us, please'. Then we got the official call and we were like, 'Are you serious?' We had 15 minutes to get in the taxi.

"It's one of those things where you don't realise what you've got until it's gone. Once we heard that we could actually play again, it made it extra special for us.

"We were like, 'Let’s embrace the Olympics, embrace what we have and be grateful for it'. Because it's something that can be taken away from you in a moment's notice. We were just so stoked and we can't wait for the next game as well."

"It's incredible. You walk out there onto the ice and nearly everyone comes up to you and says, 'We’re so happy that you're out here'. It just shows the camaraderie between curlers here."

New Zealand celebrated their first ever Winter Olympics gold on Sunday, and Australia broke new ground by winning multiple medals on the same day.

On the medals table, however, Norway and Sweden occupied places one and two, the Scandinavian snow and ice sport specialists going through familiar motions.

Members of the New Zealand team performed a haka as 20-year-old Zoi Sadowski-Synnott was awarded gold for a virtuoso snowboard slopestyle triumph, a moment of sporting history for her country.

Sadowski-Synnott will go again later in the Beijing Games when she competes in the big air event, a famous double in her sights. New Zealand squeezed into the top 10 on the medals table thanks to their first medals success of any colour in China, tying for ninth place with the hosts so far.

Australia share sixth with Japan and Slovenia, each nation having a gold and a bronze so far. Japan savoured their first ski jumping Olympic title since 1998 as Ryoyu Kobayashi soared to gold in the men's normal hill competition on Sunday.

The Australians clasped their hands on two medals in a day for the first time in Winter Games history, with Tess Coady taking bronze behind Sadowski-Synnott while Jakara Anthony swooped for a mesmerising gold in the freestyle skiing women's moguls.

Still, the top five on the medals table had a familiar look to it, with Germany and Netherlands tied in fourth with one gold and one silver each. Johannes Ludwig delivered Germany's first gold in Beijing when the 35-year-old triumphed in the luge men's singles. Patrick Roest took silver for Netherlands in the 5,000 metres speed skating, his country's only medal on Sunday.

Russian Olympic Committee have captured the most medals so far, but only one of their five has been gold, so they sit third on the table. Alexander Bolshunov led an ROC 1-2 in the cross-country skiathlon on Sunday, as Denis Spitsov took silver.

Sweden are dealing only in gold at the moment, with Nils van der Poel's 5,000m speed skating glory run on Sunday following a podium top spot on Saturday for Walter Wallberg in the men's moguls.

That means Norway, the most successful nation in Winter Olympics history, head the table in its nascent stage. After landing gold twice on Saturday, their encore was understated, with bronze in the speed skating for Hallgeir Engebraaten their only top-three placing.

Ryoyu Kobayashi ended a 50-year wait for Japan as he landed ski jumping gold at the Winter Olympics on Sunday.

Not since Yukio Kasaya in 1972 had Japan triumphed in the men's normal hill ski jumping event, but the 25-year-old Kobayashi fended off all-comers to top the podium.

It was Japan's first Olympic gold in any form of ski jumping since the country hosted the 1998 Games in Nagano.

Kobayashi scored 275.0 points for his two jumps, placing him ahead of two surprise medallists, Austria's Manuel Fettner and Poland's Dawid Kubacki.

Fettner came into the event having not featured on a World Cup podium in an individual event since January 2017, while Kubacki has been enduring a tough season. Both outshone World Cup leader Karl Geiger, with the German only able to finish 15th.

Kobayashi, who finished seventh four years ago in Pyeongchang, said: "I can't believe it at all. My two jumps were perfect, which I was very pleased with.

"I had only good feelings when I was performing. At the last Olympics I realised many things that I was missing, so this time I did what I had to do. This is why I got the victory."

It was a remarkable day for Australia too, landing two medals on the same day at the Winter Games for the first time, as Tess Coady took bronze in women's snowboard slopestyle and Jakara Anthony struck gold in the freestyle skiing moguls.

Anthony said of her golden moment: "It was really incredible. I really feel like it was my best run on the course, and I'm so proud that I was able to let myself ski like that.

"It's a real mental game to let yourself do what you are capable of, and I really feel I was able to achieve that, which is something really special and something I've been working really hard to be able to do. Gold medal was the plan, so I'd say it went according to plan."

Anthony's gold means Australia now have an all-time haul of nine Olympic medals in freestyle skiing, with five of those won by women.

Snowboard glory for New Zealand

For the first time, New Zealand have a gold medallist at the Winter Olympics. Step forward Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, champion in the slopestyle, who triumphantly navigated an obstacle-packed course described by American silver medallist Julia Marino as "the hardest ever".

Sadowski-Synnott was embraced by Marino and Coady, and said: "That was a pretty special moment and probably I'll never forget it. It was just so amazing and special.

"To win New Zealand's first Winter Olympic gold means so much to me and I can't believe that I managed to do it. I'm just super proud to be Kiwi and I hope I made everyone at home proud."

Bolshunov storms to skiathlon title

Russian Olympic Committee's Alexander Bolshunov insisted there was nothing suspicious about his huge margin of victory in the men's skiathlon cross-country race. 

The 25-year-old finished one minute and 11 seconds clear of compatriot Denis Spitsov, with Finland's Iivo Niskanen taking bronze.

"It is something unbelievable. I am an Olympic champion and this is for life," said a thrilled Bolshunov.

Russian sport has been tainted by doping, but Bolshunov insisted he is a clean athlete and reacted unhappily to being asked about his credibility after landing gold.

He said: "You don't just become an Olympic champion all of a sudden. Over the past years, I proved that in every race and always show distinguished results and also always battle to the end.

"As for doping, when I hear those words, it honestly turns me inside out. I do not accept that and when I hear those words, I don't even want to hear them.

"I hate hearing this because for me it is something that is incompatible with sport. We have clean sportsmen. We have clean athletes here at the Olympics."

Ludwig lives up to billing

It was too windy for downhill skiing on Sunday, with action on those slopes postponed to Monday, but there was no holding back the luge competitors, as Germany's Johannes Ludwig carried off the men's singles gold medal.

The 35-year-old pre-Games favourite's combined time of three minutes 48.735 seconds edged him ahead of Austrian silver medallist Wolfgang Kindl and Italian Dominik Fischnaller, who took bronze.

"I said to myself before the last two runs, 'Let's take it like a game, yeah? It's called the Olympic Games, let’s take it like a game,'" said Ludwig. "I hoped that I could make a little bit [of a] show for the people here, then it's a fun race to watch. This was important for me and I just said to myself, 'Let it go'. What happens, happens."

Another long wait ended, as world champion Nils van der Poel became Sweden's first speed skating Olympic gold medallist since 1988, winning the 5,000 metres.

Three-time defending champion Sven Kramer could only finish ninth for Netherlands, saying afterwards it would be his last appearance over the distance.

The medals started to be dished out on Saturday, and there are more up for grabs as the Winter Olympics moves into day three in Beijing.

There are 11 different disciplines to take in on Sunday, with one of winter sport's biggest names in action.

Two-time reigning Olympic champion Jamie Anderson leads the field in the women's slopestyle.

Here, Stats Perform provides a rundown of the medal events taking place on Sunday.

Alpine Skiing

The men's downhill event will be the first time a medal is up for grabs in the alpine ski programme in Beijing.

With the 2018 Olympic champion, Aksel Lund Svindal, having retired, and his compatriot Kjetil Jansrud missing through injury, then Matthias Mayer - who claimed gold in 2014 in Sochi - is among the favourites.

Cross-Country Skiing 

Norway claimed the first gold medal of this year's Games when Therese Johaug stormed to victory in the women's 7.5km x 7.5km skiathlon on Saturday, and her compatriot Johannes Hoesflot will hope to match that feat in the men's equivalent.

Hoesflot is a reigning world champion in three disciplines, and he won three golds in 2018, albeit he finished a disappointing 10th in the 30km skiathlon four years ago.

Norway dominated the podium in the event in 2018, but neither Simen Hegstad Krueger or Martin Johnsrud Sundby will be competing this time. Hans Christer Holund will be looking to improve on his bronze.

Freestyle Skiing

The women's moguls gold is up for grabs on Sunday, with reigning world and Olympic champion Perrine Laffont of France in line to defend her title.

Laffont will face stern opposition from Canada's Justine Dufour-Lapointe, who took silver in Pyeongchang, though Yuliya Galysheva – who took bronze in 2018 and finished second behind Laffont in the world championships last year – needs to go through a second qualification round.

Luge

The men's singles final takes place on Sunday, with reigning champion David Gleirscher, 2018 silver medallist Chris Mazdzer and bronze medalist Johannes Ludwig all pushing for gold.

Ludwig is the favourite, leading the 2021-22 Luge World Cup heading to Beijing, while 2010 and 2014 Olympic champion Felix Loch is also in the mix.

Ski Jumping

The men's normal hill individual field is wide open, given that 2018 Olympic champion Andreas Wellinger failed to qualify this time, while silver medalist Johann Andre Forfang is not competing.

Robert Johansson took bronze last time and will be among the favourites, which will include reigning world champion Piotr Zyla (Poland) and current World Cup leader Karl Geiger (Germany).

Snowboarding

Anderson, a seven-time Winter X Games slopestyle gold medallist and a two-time world champion, is out for her OIympic three-peat. No snowboarder has ever won three golds in a row at the Games, with Shaun White the only snowboarder to have won three golds at all.

She will face competition from Canada's Laurie Blouin, another two-time world champion, while Tess Coady of Australia and New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott must be considered as strong challengers.

Speed Skating

Sven Kramer holds the Olympic record, as well as the gold medal from Pyeongchang in the 5000 metres. He is aiming to defend his title and his record, going up against 2018 silver medalist Ted-Jan Bloemen and reigning world champion and world record holder Nils van der Poel.

The first gold medal of the Games went the way of Norway's Therese Johaug, who stormed to success in the women's skiathlon.

Johaug missed the 2018 Winter Olympics as she was serving an 18-month suspension for a positive drugs test.

The Norwegian blamed her positive result on tainted lip balm.

However, she has returned to compete in Beijing and clinched the first gold up for grabs with a supreme display in the 7.5km+7.5km skiathlon, which was held approximately 120km northwest of China's capital.

Johaug, 33, crossed the line in a time of 44 minutes, 13.7 seconds to win what is often regarded as one of the toughest cross-country events.

She finished ahead of Natalia Nepryaeva of the Russian Olympic Committee and third-placed Austrian Teresa Stadlober.

"It was huge for me today. When I missed the Olympics Games in Pyeongchang it means is eight years since I was in Sochi," said Johaug, who is a three-time world champion in this discipline.

"The last year there have been many days away from home and to be at altitude to train to be ready for Beijing. It is huge to me to cross the finish line and know I reached my goal."

There was another gold for Norway on Saturday, as they came out on top in the mixed relay 4x6km biathlon, with France taking silver and the Russian Olympic Committee bronze.

Norway's curling team beat China and Australia in the mixed doubles round-robin stage to cap a fine day for the Scandinavian nation.

Olympic record tumbles

The Netherlands' Irene Schouten broke the Olympic record as she took gold in the women's 3000m speed skating.

Claudia Pechstein, of Germany, had set the previous record back in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

"When you say 20 years ago, the record stands a really long time. I am happy I have it now," Schouten said.

"My last lap was really good. There is a gold medal at the finish and I have to give it all and it was a good last lap."

Schouten cannot celebrate for too long, however, as she has to switch focus to the 5000m race and the team pursuit.

Italy's Francesca Lollobrigida claimed silver, while Isabelle Weidemann's bronze brought up Canada's 200th medal at the Winter Olympics.

China get up and running

There is always extra pressure on the host nation to perform and China managed to secure their first gold, triumphing in the mixed team relay of the short track speed skating.

The Chinese team just managed to hold off a late charge from Italy, who almost pipped them on the line. Hungary took bronze.

Sweden's Walter Wallberg took gold in the men's moguls final, while Slovenia's Ursa Bogataj won in the women's ski jump.

USA and Canada run riot

There were emphatic victories for the United States and Canada in the women's ice hockey.

Canada got into double figures against Finland, winning 11-1, while the USA defeated the Russian Olympic Committee 5-0 in the other Group A game.

Japan overcame Denmark 6-2 and the Czech Republic got the better of Sweden 3-1.

Norway celebrated gold in biathlon and cross-country skiing on Saturday as the most successful nation in Winter Olympics history topped the medals table.

Hosts China also got in on the gold medal action, along with Slovenia, Netherlands and Sweden, but the United States had yet to secure a medal of any colour.

Norway's mixed relay team of Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, Tiril Eckhoff, Tarjei Boe and Johannes Thingnes Boe edged out France and Russian Olympic Committee in a tight finish to the 4 x 6km event, finishing just 0.9 seconds clear.

Roeiseland said: "We did a great job, the whole team, and I'm so happy to race with such good team-mates. It's my first Olympic gold, so I'm super happy.

"It was so exciting to stand and see Johannes cross the finish line first. It was amazing."

Norway had been fifth after the third leg, but Johannes Thingnes Boe showed his prowess to guide the Norwegians into first place, in the event that combines cross-country and rifle shooting.

He said: "My feeling to anchor team Norway for gold, it doesn't get any bigger than this."

Norway's Therese Johaug had earlier won the first gold of the Games in the women's skiathlon, a 15km event.

Johaug was banned from the 2018 Games after a prior doping violation, but in Beijing she was an emphatic champion, finishing over half a minute ahead of Russian Olympic Committee's Natalia Nepryaeva and Austria's Teresa Stadlober, who took silver and bronze respectively.

China's golden moment arrived with success in the short track speed skating mixed team relay, narrowly beating Italy in the final.

Slovenia triumphed in women's ski jumping, Netherlands in women's speed skating and Sweden in men's freestyle skiing moguls.

Shaun White has confirmed the Winter Olympics halfpipe will be his last snowboarding event before retiring from the sport.

The American has a place in Games history under lock and key already, as the first and so far only snowboarder to win three gold medals.

"I really want to finish my career strongly on my own terms and put down some solid runs. If I could do that, I'll be very happy," White said on Saturday.

"I don't know how many kids really aspire to be a cowboy and get to be a cowboy. At a young age, snowboarding is what I wanted more than anything and to be walking in these shoes today is just incredible. It feels so amazing, I'm so proud."

White said he came close to missing a Games bus on Friday night because he was too occupied with trading USA team pins – an Olympics ritual that sees stars and participants swapping the colourful pin badges, amassing collections to take away as mementos.

"I'm having as much fun as I can," White said.

It is worth remembering what White has brought to the Winter Olympics and snow sport as a whole.

At the X Games – the Mardi Gras of extreme sports – White has totted up 23 medals, of which 15 have been gold. Thirteen of those gold medals have come in snowboarding, but two came in skateboarding, highlighting his prowess there.

Eight of his X Games golds came in the halfpipe event, with the other five achieved in slopestyle, the snowboarding variant that features obstacles.

He was the first snowboarder to score a perfect 100 in the halfpipe in the Winter X Games, achieving that 10 years ago in Aspen, Colorado.

White triumphed first at the Games as a 19-year-old in Turin in 2006, defending his title in 2010 in Vancouver, and recovering from the jolt of missing out on the Sochi podium four years later by landing gold again at Pyeongchang.

His score of 97.75 in his second run at Pyeongchang stands as an Olympic record.

His final bid for glory is coming up, with men's halfpipe qualifying taking place on Wednesday, before Zhangjiakou's Genting Snow Park stages the final runs on Friday.

"It will be my last competition, which is pretty special," said White, in a news conference on Saturday.

It was already known this would be his final Olympics.

Now 35, White has been snowboarding since the age of six. The red-haired Californian goes by the nickname of 'The Flying Tomato', and he says the experience of knowing this is his farewell Olympics is "pretty heavy, but I'm enjoying it".

"It's been a beautiful run. Let's see this through and see what's next," he said. "I definitely don't think I'll be leaving the sport anytime soon. All these people within an industry that ride backcountry and pipes. I'm just excited for the next chapter."

After the bright lights, the pageantry and the controversy of the opening ceremony, the first medals of Beijing's Winter Olympics will be won on Saturday.

There is gold, silver and bronze glory up for grabs across a range of skiing and skating events.

Here, Stats Perform provides a rundown of the medal events taking place in Beijing on Saturday.

Biathlon

The mixed relay is the first medal event at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre, with the 4 x 6km getting under way late in the day.

Norway, Belarus, France, Sweden and Russian Olympic Committee are among the titans in this discipline, so one of those would appear likely to strike gold, with 20 teams entered for the event that mixes cross-country skiing with rifle shooting.

Cross-country skiing

The women's skiathlon at Zhangjiakou sees competitors complete 7.5 kilometres in the classic cross-country format before switching to skate skis for the final 7.5km stretch.

Russian Olympic Committee's Natalia Nepryaeva and Sweden's Frida Karlsson are likely gold medal contenders here, with Norway's Therese Johaug and another Swede, Ebba Andersson, also in the mix.

Freestyle skiing

Canada's Mikael Kingsbury is favourite to top the podium in the men's moguls, one of the most eye-catching sports at the Games. The defending champion began his Beijing 2022 campaign with a flawless run in qualifying for Saturday's final, and is the one to beat.

Kingsbury broke two vertebrae in his back in 2020, but he rebounded to win double gold at the 2021 World Championships, his speed over the bumps and mastery of the aerials an effective combination.

Short track speed skating

The mixed team relay could be where China secure a first gold medal of the Beijing Games. Netherlands and Russian Olympic Committee will likely be in with a shout too, but China led the recent World Cup standings with two wins from four races, plus podium finishes when they missed out on first place.

There are quarter-finals and semi-finals to negotiate, however, as the event makes its debut on the Olympic programme.

Ski jumping

Austria's Marita Kramer was expected to be a leading contender for gold in Saturday's women's normal hill event, but testing positive for COVID-19 has kept her out of the Games.

Calling a likely champion in her absence is a tough call, but Japan's Sara Takanashi, who has won 61 World Cup events, has to be in the conversation. This is her third Olympics, with Takanashi looking to improve on her bronze from Pyeongchang. Slovenian Ursa Bogataj and Germany's Katharina Althaus are in form, and both will fancy their chances.

Speed skating

The women's 3,000 metres features five-time gold medallist Claudia Pechstein, the 49-year-old German who has nine Olympic medals in all. Don't expect her to land a podium finish this time, given that last happened in 2006.

Czech world record holder and three-time Olympic champion Martina Sablikova is in the field, while Netherlands' Irene Schouten has strong credentials, along with her countrywoman Antoinette de Jong and Canada's Isabelle Weidemann.

The 24th Winter Olympics was declared open in Beijing after a spectacular ceremony packed with familiar schmaltz and well-meaning speeches, climaxing in an unexpected and controversial twist.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, in his welcoming speech, told the Olympians: "You the Olympic athletes – you will show how the world would look like, if we all respect the same rules and each other.

"There will be no discrimination for any reason whatsoever. In our fragile world, where division, conflict and mistrust are on the rise, we show the world: yes, it is possible to be fierce rivals, while at the same time living peacefully and respectfully together.

"This is the mission of the Olympic Games: bringing us together in peaceful competition. Always building bridges, never erecting walls. Uniting humankind in all our diversity."

Bach added: "In this Olympic spirit of peace, I appeal to all political authorities across the globe: observe your commitment to this Olympic truce. Give peace a chance."

The concept of the Olympic truce dates back almost 3,000 years and calls for peace during the Games period.

At a time when there are concerns over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is particularly relevant.

Chinese Uyghur athlete Dinigeer Yilamujiang, a 20-year-old cross country skier, was chosen to light the Olympic cauldron alongside Nordic combined competitor Zhao Jiawen.

These Games are also taking place against a backdrop not only of a pandemic but of concerns over China's human rights record, notably with allegations of crimes against humanity being committed against the Uyghur population in the region of Xinjiang.

This has been described by the United States as a genocide against the Muslim ethnic minority, with Amnesty accusing China of "systematic state-organised mass imprisonment, torture and persecution".

Yilamujiang, who in 2019 became China's first cross country skiing medallist in an International Ski Federation event, joined Zhao in placing the Olympic torch at the heart of a giant snowflake.

The choice was swiftly condemned as a stunt by campaign group Human Rights Watch, whose China director Sophie Richardson wrote on Twitter: "The @Olympics cauldron was just lit by one person whose #Uyghur community #China govt seeks to destroy.

"You are a disgrace, @Beijing2022, and there is not a hell hot enough for whoever thought this up."

The cauldron lighting followed Xi Jinping, president of China, formally declaring the Games open.

Doubtless there will be much to enjoy about competition during the Games, but this has been a rocky build-up.

Away from the Uyghur situation, concerns also persist about the safety and wellbeing of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, after her accusations, since withdrawn, of sexual assault against a prominent former politician.

This was a ceremony that had been boycotted, officially by some and semi-officially in other cases, by several of the world's political leaders, with the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia among those who did not send such representatives to watch the spectacle.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin was in Beijing to meet with President Xi ahead of the ceremony, however, and was also on the guest list for the big show itself.

Friday night's ceremony was held at the Bird's Nest stadium, which also hosted the opening of the 2008 summer Olympics, with the show's artistic direction coming from film-maker Zhang Yimou.

Cross country skier Wang Qiang and halfpipe snowboarder Liu Jiayu were the athletes chosen to deliver the Olympic oath, while snowflakes dominated the show.

A version of John Lennon's Imagine, an inevitable staple of such ceremonies, rang out, and the show was a technological feast of treats, with its centre stage made up of 11,600 square metres of HD LED screen.

Competitors from Ukraine came in dancing and waving, while away from the politics there were flag-bearers with stories to tell, such as Jamaican bobsleigher Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian.

Jamaican bobsleighing is destined to be forever intertwined with the 1993 Hollywood hit comedy movie Cool Runnings, but for Fenlator-Victorian there was a sense of solemnity about this occasion.

"I have a lot of emotions," she said. "My sister recently passed away a few weeks ago.

"I wasn't sure I would even be able to walk in today, so to be standing here without getting too emotional is more than words can say. To have my team-mates backing me up and choosing me as one of the representatives to hold the flag is priceless.

"Back home we are all hustlers, we grind, some people still don't have running water. Different things happen, so instead of dwelling on those negativities we just try and uplift each other and keep the vibes up."

Keeping the vibes up might be as good as any motto for these troubled Olympics.

China ended a 24-year wait for a women's ice hockey group game win at the Winter Olympics as the hosts earned a 3-1 victory over Denmark.

On the official first day of the Games in Beijing, it was a timely win for the home team at the Wukesong Sports Centre.

There has of course been action ahead of Friday's formal start, and China were beaten 3-1 by Czech Republic in their opening game on Thursday.

But on the day the world began to focus on the snow and ice show in Beijing, the home team raised their game to battle back from going behind to Malene Frandsen's early strike.

Lin Qiqi drew China level when she deflected home Yu Baiwei's shot in the 37th minute, and the teams remained level heading into the final minute. China went ahead with 51 seconds remaining in the third period as Lin Ni rattled in from close range, before Lin Qiqi struck a long-range shot into an empty net moments later to make sure.

Yu said: "It was a big win, also a special day. I think both teams played good. We did not give up until the last minute, last second. I just kept shooting and hoped I could help the team."

Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) beat Switzerland 5-2, and next for the Russians is a Saturday showdown with reigning Olympic champions the United States.

There was American success on Friday in figure skating as the three-day team event got under way, with the USA leading the way after the first three disciplines.

US star Nathan Chen edged out Japan's Shoma Uno in the men's short programme, while Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue led the way in rhythm dance, lifting the Americans to 28 points overall, two clear of ROC and seven ahead of China in third.

USA co-captain Evan Bates said: "Our team has great potential, and that was demonstrated in the great performances. I don't necessarily think we feel surprised to be leading. Looking at the roster, we know we have the potential to bring home the gold medal."

Italy remain the only team with a 100 per cent winning record in curling's mixed doubles after Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini fended off Norway 11-8 and scored a 10-2 trouncing of the Czech Republic team on Friday, making it four wins from four. Canada, Sweden and Great Britain each have three wins so far.

Friday sees the official beginning of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, as the best of the best in cold-weather sports converge on Beijing.

Around 90 National Olympic Committees will participate, with approximately 2,900 athletes taking part in the 109 events at 13 different venues.

Some of the world's finest athletes will take to the snow or ice, though you may not necessarily know who in particular to look out for if you aren't a regular follower of winter sports.

Stats Perform has you covered, profiling seven of the most notable figures to keep an eye out for in Beijing…

Eileen Gu – Freestyle skiing

Nicknamed the "Snow Princess" in China, Gu will be one of the most intriguing athletes competing in these Games. The freestyle skier won two gold medals at both the Winter X Games 2021 and the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships.

Aside from being very good at her sport, Gu is also signed to a modelling agency and has appeared in local editions of Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.

The 18-year-old is very much a medal hopeful, which is why it delighted China when the Californian decided to represent the country of her mother's birth instead of the United States.

Francesco Friedrich – Bobsleigh

Germans are good at bobsledding, winning gold in every bobsleigh event at PyeongChang 2018, and driver Friedrich might just be the best of the bunch.

The 31-year-old won a shared gold medal in the two-man bobsled in PyeongChang (with Canada), and an outright gold in the four-man event.

Friedrich also led the squad that comfortably won gold at the 2021 IBSF World Championships in a time almost a full second faster than runners-up Latvia, and recently won the World Cup title despite the German four-man bobsleigh suffering its first defeat of the Olympic season in the final race before Beijing 2022, coming second to Latvia.

Mikaela Shiffrin – Alpine skiing

A two-time Olympic gold medallist, Shiffrin also won four medals at the 2021 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, including gold in the Alpine combined.

Other notable achievements include being the youngest slalom champion in Olympic Alpine skiing history, she has won the most world cup slalom races in history (45) and became the first Alpine skier to win the world championship in the same discipline (slalom) at four championships in a row.

Suzanne Schulting – Short track speed skating

The dominant Dutch athlete won gold in every event at the Speed Skating World Championships in March last year, becoming only the second female to do so.

Schulting won gold in 2018 in the 1000-metre race and will be hoping to win multiple short track events in Beijing.

In November, the 24-year-old gave an interview to the official Olympics website, saying: "I'm super motivated to train again and to do my best and become even better than last year. I want to go for gold at Beijing and of course to work for the upcoming World Cups."

Mikael Kingsbury – Freestyle skiing

Kingsbury might be the main one to watch early on in Beijing as he has already qualified for the freestyle skiing final, which takes place on Saturday.

The Canadian has won the most medals at the Freestyle World Championships of any male skier in history and is the reigning Olympic and world champion in the moguls.

Kingsbury started his Olympics on Thursday with a flawless run in qualifying to book an automatic spot in the final, finishing with a score of 81.15 at the Genting Snow Park.

Chloe Kim – Snowboarding

Snowboarding has become one of the most popular events at the Winter Olympics since it was first introduced in 1998.

One of the main snowboarders to keep an eye on in Beijing is Kim, who made history at PyeongChang 2018 when she won gold in the women's snowboard halfpipe at the age of just 17, becoming the youngest female competitor to win an Olympic snowboarding gold.

The American is also the current world, Olympic and X Games champion in the halfpipe and was the first to win all three titles.

Yuzuru Hanyu – Figure skating

The Japanese sensation has broken figure skating world records a staggering 19 times and has seven world championship medals and four Grand Prix titles to his name.

Hanyu is also a two-time Olympic champion and there is a tradition after each skate where his fans throw Winnie the Pooh cuddly toys onto the ice. But given the 2018 film was banned in China following social media comparisons between the cartoon bear and Chinese president Xi Jinping, it is perhaps for the best that only local spectators will be in attendance in Beijing.

The 27-year-old is aiming for a third consecutive title in the men's singles competition, which has not been achieved since 1928.

Freestyle skiing star Mikael Kingsbury declared qualifying for the men's moguls final "the icing on the cake" as the defending champion began his Beijing 2022 campaign with a flawless run.

Kingsbury, who won gold at Pyeongchang 2018, suffered a broken back in 2020, fracturing his T4 and T5 vertebrae in training.

He has returned to top form, however, and is heavily fancied to retain his Olympic title after achieving a score of 81.15 at Genting Snow Park in the Zhangjiakou zone on Thursday to qualify automatically for Saturday's final in first place.

Kingsbury has won the most medals at the Freestyle World Championships of any male skier in history and is the reigning world champion in the moguls.

But to be back in contention at the Winter Games is extra special for the Canadian after his injury hell.

"It's been a tough year and a half," Kingsbury told Olympics.com. "And even though we're all wearing masks, it's awesome to be competing.

"I've been dreaming of going to the Olympics since I was a kid and just to be here is so amazing, it's a huge accomplishment just to be able to ski on the Olympic course and to do well is the icing on the cake.

"I'm just very satisfied with my skiing and the progression that I made to the Olympics. And now I feel ready to compete and to perform. And I think the results show today."

Reflecting on his performance, he said: "Great run, difficult conditions, very cold. I did the job that I wanted, I didn't try to do too much. I just did exactly what I needed to do for qualification.

"I know I'm capable of better skiing and jumping a bit better, but for right now, I'm satisfied, and I get a good day off tomorrow to chat with my coaches and come up with a plan to come from stronger for Saturday."