TOKYO — With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics officially kicked off with the opening ceremony on July 23, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is on the horizon.

A team of Beijing 2022 staff is in Tokyo to observe the Games-time operations and activities of different functional areas. Chang Yu, director general of BOCOG's opening and closing ceremonies department, said that they have gained useful experience on presenting a successful opening ceremony under the circumstances of the pandemic.

"The opening ceremony features a lot of highlights despite the influence of COVID-19. BOCOG is engaging actively in preparing to present a splendid Beijing 2022 opening ceremony in a simple and safe manner, with COVID-19 countermeasures in mind," said Chang.

The opening ceremony of Beijing 2022 is scheduled to take place on Feb 4 next year at the National Stadium, known as the "Bird's Nest".