The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games officially begin on Friday. Dignitaries from 25 countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, are scheduled to attend the opening ceremony.

The ceremony begins at 8 p.m. at Beijing's National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest. Chinese President Xi Jinping is to declare the opening of the Games.

Major traffic restrictions have been in place around the venue since Friday morning.

Dignitaries from more than 10 nations arrived in Beijing on Thursday. The presidents of Uzbekistan, Serbia and others got there on Friday morning.

The Russian president is also scheduled to arrive later in the day. Xi and Putin will hold their first face-to-face meeting since 2019.

The United States and other countries have decided not to send government officials to Beijing, citing human rights and other issues by China.

Analysts say Xi is seeking to bolster relations with other countries through in-person talks, from which he has refrained since the start of the pandemic.

The Games are scheduled to run through February 20.