While preliminary competitions have already begun in curling, ice hockey, luge and various skiing events, the opening ceremony is a chance for the host country to make a statement to the world with an unforgettable display and performance. The much-awaited spectacle is taking place at the National Stadium in Beijing starting at 8 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET) and is being broadcast live on NBC.

The United States has imposed a diplomatic boycott of this year’s Beijing Olympics. While American athletes will still participate, President Joe Biden’s administration will not send an official delegation to the Games due to China’s “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity” in the northwestern Xinjiang region, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last December. The move was swiftly followed by Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Moreover, the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee announced that no public tickets to the Games will be sold due to the “grave and complicated situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators.” Instead, groups of spectators will be invited to the Games, and “the organizers expect that these spectators will strictly abide by the COVID-19 countermeasures before, during and after each event,” the committee said.