"As we are celebrating the Chinese Year of the Tiger, we are pleased that you, the Olympic athletes, coaches and distinguished guests from across the world, have come together in Beijing for the celebration of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games," Cai said in his speech.

Bach called on the world to set aside disputes and stay together, using the Beijing 2022 Games as common ground for all cultures to bridge differences.

"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," said the German former Olympic fencing champion.

"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," he added.

As the highlight of the ceremony, seven torchbearers－current or retired Chinese athletes born from the 1950s until the 2000s－completed the final relay legs inside the stadium. Then the youngest two－men's Nordic combined athlete Zhao Jiawen and women's cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, jointly set a Beijing 2022 torch at the heart of a snowflake that was raised and hung over the stadium as the Games cauldron.