The Beijing Winter Olympics were opened on Friday by Chinese President Xi Jinping in a ceremony featuring spectacular visual effects and a plea from International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach to “give peace a chance.” Some 2,900 athletes from 91 countries are to compete until February 20 for 109 gold medals in seven sports and 15 disciplines amid a strict health protocol and against the backdrop of political tensions directed at China but also concerning the Russian policy towards Ukraine. Xi, who along with Bach and everyone else was wearing a face mask owing to the ongoing coron…