Such was the bewitching beauty of the ceremony that opened these XXIVth Winter Games in Beijing, it almost performed a trick on the mind. But as this two-hour show reached its spectacular denouement, and two young athletes bounded forward to light the Olympic flame, there proved to be a sharp sting in the tail. One of those performing the symbolic act was the Chinese cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, who is of Uyghur heritage.
That, to put it mildly, was a highly provocative act. Human rights organisations have branded these Olympics “the genocide games”, and accused China of holding a million Uyghurs against their will in re-education centres. China’s response told those groups it didn’t care, and these Games would be held on its terms.
