The 2022 Winter Olympics are officially underway. And while the Opening Ceremony just concluded, plenty’s already happened in Beijing. Here goes our first daily newsletter of the Games — so giddy to be with you every step of the way.

The GIST: While we sadly didn’t see the “Shirtless Tongan,” this morning’s Opening Ceremony was well worth the early wake-up call.

The ceremony: Complete with stunning visuals, incredible technological displays and even some spectators, the Beijing Opening Ceremony was intended to center around the theme of China’s “yearning and willingness to pursue world peace.”

• But we’re well aware of the political issues at play. Of note, while Taiwan initially planned to skip the Opening Ceremony, they reversed course, citing pressure from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Interesting.

Team USA: Led by flag bearers speed skater Brittany Bowe — who was given the honor after bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor tested positive for COVID-19 — and five-time Olympian curler John Shuster, 177 of 223 U.S. athletes rang in the Games, and TBH we really loved the ’fits.

World context: As a reminder, the U.S., Canada and several additional countries are conducting a diplomatic boycott of the Games, but that didn’t stop other world leaders from attending the Opening Ceremony, including Russian President Vladimir Putin — a stark reminder of the tense geopolitical tensions surrounding these Olympics.

🏒 Women’s hockey: As we mentioned in yesterday’s Olympic preview, Team USA opened their quest for repeat gold with a 5–2 win over Finland yesterday, but they sadly lost star player Brianna Decker in the process.

• In the first period, the alternate captain was taken off the ice in a stretcher after injuring her left leg and will be out for the remainder of the Games.

⛸ Figure skating: One event, one personal best for Nathan Chen. Chen scored a 111.71 (aka the second-highest Olympics score ever) with a nearly flawless routine during last night’s short program team event. Team USA currently leads the team event, with 28 points out of a possible 30. NBD.

🎿 Freestyle skiing: Five Americans — three women and two men — are through to this weekend’s moguls finals, led by Jaelin Kauf, who placed third in last night’s first qualifying round. A not so bumpy ride.

The GIST: You don’t have to be an Olympian to go for gold this month, just enter our free-to-play GIST-exclusive Super Bowl fantasy contest.

How it works: You choose five players total, and select one as your MVP who’ll earn 1.5 times the points — they are the most valuable afterall. Lock in your picks before Super Bowl Sunday on February 13th…simple as that!

Your medal moment: What’s on the line? Oh, just the chance to win up to $900 in cash prizes and a gift card toward tickets for a live sports experience of your choice. We had to go big for the big game.

• P.S. Did we mention it’s free to play? Go ahead, take that shot.

🎾 Peng Shuai: As the Games begin with ongoing concern about the well-being of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai (pronounced PUNG sh-WHY), IOC president Thomas Bach said yesterday that he plans to meet Peng inside the “closed loop” at some point during the Olympics. Hoping for her safety and transparency.

🏒 Women’s hockey: We highly recommend starting your morning by watching this video of Denmark’s first-ever Olympic goal during the country’s debut hockey game last night. What a moment.

🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ2+: A record 35 publicly out LGBTQ2+ athletes will compete in Beijing over the next two weeks, double the number who participated in the 2018 Games. Fly that rainbow flag.

Did you know we have a podcast? Tune into The GIST of It every Tuesday and Thursday morning for a fresh perspective on the world sports from co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz, who will be diving deeper on the Olympics over the next two weeks.

• Check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and Stitcher and update your preferences here to receive email notifications when new episodes drop. Happy listening!