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Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed to have fallen asleep during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on February 4.
The Russian president, who was caught on camera, awkwardly seemed to have dozed off when athletes from Ukraine paraded out at the Beijing National Stadium. Oleksandr Abramenko and Oleksandra Nazarova were the flag bearers for Ukraine during the opening ceremony on Friday.
Vladimir Putin's 'inappropriate dozing time' hogged headlines as it came amid tense relations between Russia and Ukraine after Putin placed more than 100,000 troops on the nation’s border.
The Russian president, however, was wide awake by the time the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) arrived. Putin stood up to cheer for the Russian athletes as they marched around the stadium.
Putin was at the 2022 Winter Games despite Russia’s four-year ban from the Olympics. Russia was banned from competing at the Olympic Games due to a state-sponsored doping scandal.
Russian athletes, however, were allowed to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics as the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR). They are participating in the 2022 Winter Olympics, as the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
Tibetans stage mass demonstrations during Winter Olympics
The ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics has attracted heavy criticism. Hundreds of Tibetans took to the streets to hold mass demonstrations as the 2022 Winter Olympic Games kicked off in Beijing.
Terming the 2022 Winter Olympics "Genocide Games," the protesters marched from the IOC headquarters street to the Olympic Museum based in Switzerland on Thursday.
Tibetan supporters and representatives from the Uyghur community also joined the protest. They have called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to issue a public statement, as the "Winter Olympics are being held amidst human rights violations."
Meanwhile, hundreds of Tibetans marched outside the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi on Friday. The protesters waved Tibetan flags and held placards with messages like, "No Rights, No Games," and "Say No To Genocide Games".
