Entertainment Sports Team USA Athletes Like Shaun White Share Behind-the-Scenes Photos from Olympics Opening Ceremony The 2022 Winter Olympics kicked off with the Opening Ceremony on Friday morning, symbolizing the start of the new Games By Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice Instagram Twitter Nicholas Rice is an Associate Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers. Nicholas has previous work experience with Billboard, POPSUGAR, Bustle and Elite Daily. When not working, Nicholas can be found playing with his 5 dogs, listening to pop music or eating mozzarella sticks. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 4, 2022 11:30 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images Athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics are giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at this year's Opening Ceremony. The Bejing Games kicked off on Friday morning, symbolizing the start of the highly-anticipated sporting event and featuring the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. On social media, various members of Team USA documented their journey to and in Beijing's National Stadium, sharing pictures and videos taken from the Opening Ceremony. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Alpine ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin shared a photo of herself and two members of the ski and snowboard team on Twitter. She wrote alongside her post, "The Opening Ceremonies is getting us in the Olympic spirit!! So fun to watch and see our @usskiteam teammates walking in tonight." Snowboarder Shaun White posted a boomerang image of himself on Instagram in which he showed off his Opening Ceremony uniform, which was designed by Ralph Lauren. For more on the 2022 Winter Olympics, listen below to our daily podcast on PEOPLE Every Day. "Getting ready for Opening Ceremony," White, 35, wrote alongside a disco dancing emoji. The athlete also shared a photograph of himself and fellow snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, captioning the shot, "Couple of 5 timers" — a nod to the Games being both athlete's fifth Olympics. Shaun White Instagram Shaun White Instagram Freestyle skier Ashley Caldwell also shared an image of herself beside her Team USA teammates in their matching red, white and blue Opening Ceremony attire on her Instagram Story. The outfits feature Ralph Lauren's new Intelligent Insulation technology, which is a sustainably-minded temperature-responsive fabric that adapts to cooler temperatures by expanding and creating a layer of insulation. Ashley Caldwell Instagram "Let's go USA pairs!!🇺🇸," skater Ashley Cain-Gribble wrote alongside an image of herself and fellow skater Alexa Scimeca Knierim posing with one another on her own feed. Alpine ski racer River Radamus, meanwhile, shared a selfie on Instagram during the Opening Ceremony's Parade of Nations. "Momma i made it ❤️," the athlete wrote with the selfie shot, also tagging the "@usskiteam" and "@teamusa" Instagram handles. Team USA hockey star Alex Cavallini also shared an image of the U.S. athletes on her Instagram Story. In the shot, the American flags on the backs of the athletes' coats are prominent. "@TeamUSA making moves," she captioned the pic. Alex (Rigsby) Cavallini Instagram RELATED VIDEO: Still Grieving Father's Death, Skiing Sensation Mikaela Shiffrin Focuses on Beijing The Opening Ceremony started with 400 performers taking the stage at the National Stadium (aka the "Bird's Nest"), equipped with giant LED sticks meant to emulate spring willows. After the performance, fireworks exploded over the stadium, and China's President Xi Jinping and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach were welcomed by the gathered crowd. Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday. Children were a main component of the ceremony, appearing in numerous segments, including one where gathered kids sang the Games' theme song. The Winter Games will operate in a "closed-loop management system" after participants arrive — limiting travel to only Games-related venues within "designated vehicles." All participants will be required to be tested for COVID-19 daily for the duration of the Games, regardless of vaccination status. Athletes will also be encouraged to wear masks and avoid crowded areas even if they are vaccinated, the playbook states. To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Winter Olympics, beginning Feb 3, and the Paralympics, beginning March 4, on NBC.