Cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, a Uyghur from the Xinjiang region, joined Nordic combined athlete Zhao Jiawen in lighting a small flame that was placed inside a large snowflake at the National Stadium.

The decision has been viewed as a propaganda attempt by the Chinese Government, accused of genocide against the Uyghurs.

Bennett Freeman, member of the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region Steering Committee, was among those to hit out at the by the move, which was approved by the IOC, according to Beijing 2022.

"It's a brazen, cynical ploy that the world should see through and understand the truth of the crimes against humanity that the Chinese Government has perpetrated against Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in western China," said Freeman.

Dinigeer qualified for Beijing 2022 having become the first Chinese cross-country skiing medallist in an International Ski Federation-level event, finishing second in the opening women's leg of a three-leg sprint series in Beijing in March 2019.

The 20-year is set to compete in today’s women’s skiathlon event at the Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre.

Dinigeer is among five athletes from the Xinjiang region competing at Beijing 2022, with Tian Ruining, Bayani Jialin, Alemasi Kahanbai and Hanahati Muhamaiti the others.

In response to criticism over Dinigeer's selection, Mark Adams, spokesperson for the IOC, said: "She is an Olympian competing here and as you will know from the Olympic Charter we do not discriminate against people on where they are from and what their background is.

"She is absolutely perfectly entitled to take part in the Torch Relay and I think the concept of having all the generations there was an excellent one."

IOC President Thomas Bach has repeatedly reiterated his stance that the Games are "beyond politics", insisting it remains "political neutrality".

The appearance of Dinigeer will be seen as sending a political message to those Governments who decided to shun the Games.

When asked whether the IOC were part of the decision to select Dinigeer, Adams added: "The Opening Ceremony is something that the Organising Committee put together and there is creative input.

"We are involved to a certain extent.

"This is an athlete who is competing here, she has every right wherever she comes from, whatever background she comes from to compete and she has every right whatever her background and wherever she comes from to take part in the Opening Ceremony.

"I think it was a lovely concept."

China has faced accusations of using forced Uyghur labour, operating a mass surveillance programme, detaining thousands in internment camps, carrying out forced sterilisations and intentionally destroying Uyghur heritage in the Xinjiang region.

The Chinese Government has repeatedly hit out at the allegations, claiming camps are training centres for stamping out Islamist extremism and separatism.

Seven Chinese athletes from six different decades from the 1950s to the 2000s were chosen as the final Olympic Torch Relay runners at the Bird's Nest.

Speed skaters Zhao Weichang and Li Yan, double Olympic short track speed skating champion Yang Yang and sprinter Su Bingtian carried the Torch before handing over to Dinigeer and Zhao.

Chang Yu, director general for the department of Opening and Closing Ceremonies at Beijing 2022, claimed the selection of torchbearers from different generations was an "important part of the Chinese tradition".

"We want to selected athletes that were born in the 1950, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and aftrer 2000," said Chang.

"We selected the candidates according to that principal but before the final approval of the IOC we cannot tell the torchbearers who are the candidates.

"We felt the effect was very good."

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