Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: Google celebrates inauguration of Winter Games with adorable doodle

Google honoured the beginning of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 with a doodle on Friday (February 4). This animated doodle will remain during the two-week long event. The design of the doodle features six cute animals, a snowboarding leopard, an ice dancing rabbit, a curling mouse, a fox playing hockey and a wings-flapping duck on skis.

"The competitive critters featured in today’s Doodle have gathered from all over the world under the winter sky to keep their cool and put their opponents on ice. Who will be pouncing on victory and scurrying home an international legend?" Google Doodle said.

The competition will be taking place over the periods of 16 days with the inaugural ceremony held at National Stadium which is also known as the Bird's Nest. The tournament's closing ceremony will be held on February 20.

India has only one athlete Skier Arif Mohammad Khan among the 3,000 from more than 90 countries. Athletes will compete in winter sports like cross-country skiing, speed skating, ski jumping and freestyle skiing.

Indian envoy will not attend the opening or closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics#WinterOlympics #BeijingWinterOlympics https://t.co/SV9mQdytS6 — Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) February 3, 2022

India on Thursday (February 3), announced that it will not attend the respective ceremonies of the Games after a Chinese soldier who was involved in the Galwan clash 2020 with Indian soldiers was made torchbearer at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Torch Relay.

Countries like US, UK, Canada, Australia and many more have declared a diplomatic boycott of the Games. US said it was because of China's "human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang" against the province's Uyghur Muslim population. All these countries will send athletes to compete in the Games but no one, even the official will attend any ceremonies.

Beijing has now become host of both the Summer and Winter Games, previously Beijing hosted the Olympic Summer Games in 2008.