Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony kicks off under a cloud of controversy

Beijing — The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony officially kicked off the Games on Friday, but not without controversy. China has received widespread criticism over human rights abuses, including the treatment of democratic activists and ethnic minorities in the country.

But for the hundreds of athletes who've been sealed inside Beijing's tight anti-coronavirus Olympic "bubble" for days already, the focus was on winning, and it has been for days: The actual sporting events began days ago, before the opening ceremony.

As CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas reports, the Chinese National Stadium, known as the "Bird's Nest," was filled on Friday with athletes from all over the world. But it was short on diplomats: The U.S., Australia, Canada and the U.K. all refused to send the customary diplomatic delegation to Beijing in protest of China's human rights violations.