2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony

none Sochi 2014 opening ceremony the Paralympics opening ceremony 2014 Winter Paralympics opening ceremony August 2021 2014 Winter Olympicsopening ceremony Sochi Winter Olympic Opening 15.jpg 2014 Winter Olympics yes 2014 02 07 20:14 – 23:02 MSK (UTC+4) Fisht Olympic Stadium Sochi, Russia 43.4022667 39.9561111 region:RU-KDA_type:landmark inline,title dms Dreams of Russia Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) The opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics took place at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia, on 7 February 2014. It began at 20:14 MSK (UTC+4) and finished at 23:02 MSK (UTC+4). It was filmed and produced by OBS and Russian host broadcasters Channel One and VGTRK.http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/sport/sochi-2014-venues-winter-olympics/ Sochi 2014: Winter Olympic venues Inez Torre 31 October 2013 12 December 2013 CNN dead https://web.archive.org/web/20131213101341/http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/sport/sochi-2014-venues-winter-olympics/ 13 December 2013 This was the first Winter Olympics and first Olympic Games opening ceremony under the IOC presidency of Thomas Bach. http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2014/02/06/sochi-olympics-opening-ceremony/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140207015750/http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2014/02/06/sochi-olympics-opening-ceremony/ dead 7 February 2014 Everything You Need to Know About The Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony 6 February 2014 Time 7 February 2014 Alex Fitzpatrickhttps://www.bbc.com/sport/0/winter-olympics/26066007 Russian city prepares for Olympic opening ceremony 6 February 2014 BBC Sport 7 February 2014 7 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140207051508/http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/winter-olympics/26066007 livehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/winter-olympics/10623697/Sochi-opening-ceremony-live.html Sochi opening ceremony: live 7 February 2014 The Daily Telegraph 7 February 2014 London Dan Lucas 26 May 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170526102444/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/winter-olympics/10623697/Sochi-opening-ceremony-live.html live This was also the second consecutive Winter Olympic opening ceremony to be held in an indoor stadium. The Games were officially opened by President Vladimir Putin. An audience of 40,000 were in attendance at the stadium with an estimated 2,000 performers.Dassanayake Dion http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/458578/Winter-Olympics-Opening-ceremony-for-Sochi-2014-kicks-off-with-a-bang Winter Olympics: Opening ceremony for Sochi 2014 kicks off with a bang Daily Express 2014-02-07 2014-02-07 7 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140207235530/http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/458578/Winter-Olympics-Opening-ceremony-for-Sochi-2014-kicks-off-with-a-bang live Preparations The site of the opening ceremony, Fisht Olympic Stadium was built specifically for the games. Fisht Stadium seats 40,000. No Olympic or Paralympic competitions were held there; it was only used for the opening and closing ceremonies during the respective Games.Sochi 2014 opening ceremony: Ernst delivers disco-led paean to the past Owen Gibson https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/07/sochi-2014-opening-ceremony-ernst-disco-paean-to-past The Guardian 7 February 2014 7 February 2014 13 December 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171213085052/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/07/sochi-2014-opening-ceremony-ernst-disco-paean-to-past live Television producer Konstantin Ernst was the main Creative Head in charge of the opening ceremonies. Andrei Nasonovsky was the Executive Producer of record; and Andrei Boltenko was the writer and director of the ceremony. A different team was in charge of the closing ceremony as well as the Paralympic ceremonies. Proceedings Pre-ceremony activities included performances by the Russian pop duo t.A.T.u. and the Ministry of Internal Affairs choir, who performed a version of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky".http://www.nationalreview.com/feed/370627/spoiler-alert-watch-russian-police-choir-sing-daft-punk-sochi-greg-pollowitz Spoiler Alert: Watch a Russian Police Choir Sing 'Daft Punk' in Sochi | National Review Online Nationalreview.com 2014-02-07 2014-02-14 4 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060621/http://www.nationalreview.com/feed/370627/spoiler-alert-watch-russian-police-choir-sing-daft-punk-sochi-greg-pollowitz live Gibson Megan https://entertainment.time.com/2014/02/07/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-tatu/ t.A.T.u. To Perform at Sochi Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Time 2014-02-07 2014-02-14 28 August 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180828033850/http://entertainment.time.com/2014/02/07/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-tatu/ live The Independent (London) https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/russian-lesbian-duo-tatu-to-perform-at-sochi-olympics-9114261.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/russian-lesbian-duo-tatu-to-perform-at-sochi-olympics-9114261.html 1 May 2022 subscription Russian 'lesbian' duo t.A.T.u to perform at Sochi Olympics? Jess Denham 7 February 2014 Opening section Dreams of Russia Letter Association(Romanisation) Association(in Russian) А ABC Азбука Б Baikal Байкал В Sikorsky's helicopter Вертолёт Сикорского Г Gagarin, Gzhel Гагарин, Гжель Д Dostoyevsky Достоевский Е Catherine II Екатерина II Ё Hedgehog in the Fog Ёжик в тумане Ж Zhukovsky Жуковский З Corn mowing machine Зерноуборочная машина И Empire Империя Й Tchaikovsky Чайковский К Kandinsky Кандинский Л Lunokhod Луноход М Malevich Малевич Н Nabokov Набоков О Space Station Орбитальная станция П Periodic table Периодическая таблица Р Russian ballet Русский балет С Sputnik Спутник Т Tolstoy, Television Толстой, Телевидение У Ushanka Ушанка Ф Fisht (Pun: Fisht) Фишт Х Khokhloma Хохлома Ц Tsiolkovsky Циолковский Ч Chekhov Чехов Ш Chagall Шагал Щ Shchusev Щусев Ъ Pushkin Пушкинъ Ы We Мы Ь Lyubov', Love Любовь Э Eisenstein Эйзенштейн Ю Parachute Парашют Я Russia Россия The ceremony, opened with an on-screen video showing 11-year-old Liza Temnikova playing a character named Lyubov (Russian for 'love') reciting the Russian alphabet. Each letter is associated with images of a famous Russian person or landmark. Many of the letters features some of Russia's most famous writers such as Dostoyevsky, Nabokov, Tolstoy, Chekhov, and countless others that have impacted Russian history, culture, literature, and philosophy. Lyubov then flew into the air as she dreamed of grabbing the tail of a kite and being lifted far off the stage. Nine different floats, carrying Russian landscapes, passed beneath her as she slept. Five large snowflakes descended into the stadium which expanded and joined to form the Olympic rings. However, a technical error caused the fifth ring not to expand, and pyrotechnics did not go off from the rings. The mishap was later self-mocked by the organizers at the closing ceremony where one of the roundrelay dance groups symbolizing the Olympic rings "failed" to expand. Anthems The Sretensky Monastery men's choir sang the Russian National Anthem, while 240 volunteers stood in formation wearing glowing suits of white, red, and blue to represent the Russian flag. The Russian flag bearers were a detachment of cosmonauts — Fyodor Yurchikhin (who returned from space with the torch), Roman Romanenko, Svetlana Savitskaya and Yelena Serova – and the flag was raised by Sergei Krikalev.http://www.space.com/24613-winter-olympics-2014-space-cosmonauts-ceremony.html Sochi Winter Olympics Launch with Space-Flown Torch, Cosmonaut Flag-Bearers 7 February 2014 Space.com 2014-02-14 14 February 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190214174326/https://www.space.com/24613-winter-olympics-2014-space-cosmonauts-ceremony.html live The volunteers moved up and down to create a waving flag motion.Lucas Dan https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/winter-olympics/10623697/Sochi-opening-ceremony-live.html Sochi opening ceremony: live The Telegraph 2011-04-18 2014-02-08 London 26 May 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170526102444/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/winter-olympics/10623697/Sochi-opening-ceremony-live.html live Parade of Nations 2014 Winter Olympics Parade of Nations The Parade of Nations was led, according to custom due to hosting the original ancient Olympics, by the Greek team, followed by other competing countries in alphabetical order based on their names in the Russian language, with the host country, Russia, culminating the march. Athletes were then seated in the lower level of the stadium's stands. A projected rendering of the Earth showing each competing country (along with their names in English, French and Russian, respectively) was displayed on the stadium floor as they entered. The parade was accompanied with a soundtrack by Russian electronic dance music producer Leonid Rudenko, which featured remixes of popular Russian music.Sochi 2014: Winter Olympics opens with glittering ceremony Sam Sheringham BBC 7 February 2014 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/winter-olympics/25885398 7 February 2014 30 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150330135620/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/winter-olympics/25885398 liveThe XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014 has opened with a grand show thrilling spectators http://www.sochi2014.com/en/news-the-xxii-olympic-winter-games-in-sochi-in-2014-has-opened-with-a-grand-show-thrilling-spectators sochi2014.com Sochi Organizing Committee 8 February 2014 6 July 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140706061328/http://www.sochi2014.com/en/news-the-xxii-olympic-winter-games-in-sochi-in-2014-has-opened-with-a-grand-show-thrilling-spectators dead Mascots After the Parade of Nations entered, the three mascots of the Games come out and walk on an ice-based shaping rink LED of the stadium. The hare is an alpine skier, the leopard and the polar bear are the skiers using skating rink shoes. The mascots bow quickly then head off for the next segment.Olympics open in Sochi with extravagant pageant 7 February 2014 The Washington Post Kathy Lally Will Englund https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/olympics-open-in-sochi-with-extravagant-pageant/2014/02/07/bba8a5e2-9011-11e3-b227-12a45d109e03_story.html 8 February 2014 13 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160313040248/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/olympics-open-in-sochi-with-extravagant-pageant/2014/02/07/bba8a5e2-9011-11e3-b227-12a45d109e03_story.html live Performances thumb|Russian President Vladimir Putin and Irina Skvortsova (a former bobsleigh racer who received multiple injuries in Germany) at the opening of the Games The opening ceremony focused heavily on classical music and large scale productions.Sochi 2014 begins with teams, classical music and a flying girl Faith Karimi Michael Martinez CNN 7 February 2014 http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/07/world/europe/russia-sochi-winter-olympics/ 7 February 2014 5 December 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171205095709/http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/07/world/europe/russia-sochi-winter-olympics/ live Performances journeyed through Russian history through the eyes of a little girl called Lyubov ("Love"), played by Liza Temnikova, touching on Russia's art, music, and ballet. The Russian history presentation was ushered in by a brightly-lit troika of three horses followed by a red sun. Performances included the building of St Basil's Cathedral, represented by colourful inflatable sculptures,Slide Show: Sochi Opening Ceremony The New Yorker The New Yorker 7 February 2014 http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sportingscene/2014/02/slide-show-sochi-opening-ceremony.html#slide_ss_0=2/ 16 February 2014 28 March 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140328110720/http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sportingscene/2014/02/slide-show-sochi-opening-ceremony.html#slide_ss_0=2/ live and 17th century czar Peter the Great building an army as Russia transitioned from medieval times to the 20th century.http://www.smh.com.au/sport/winter-olympics/a-cheat-sheet-for-the-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-20140208-3280i.html A cheat sheet for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony 8 February 2014 The Sydney Morning Herald Nick Miller 8 February 2014 8 July 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140708005710/http://www.smh.com.au/sport/winter-olympics/a-cheat-sheet-for-the-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-20140208-3280i.html live Czar Peter's marching cadets (160 male dancers) moved from a map of the St Petersburg projected on the stadium floor to an imperial ball inspired by Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, and featuring ballet dancers including Danila Korsuntsev, Ivan Vasiliev, and Svetlana Zakharova.Sochi Opening Ceremony – Gallery Presented by US Airways https://sports.yahoo.com/photos/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-1391780324-slideshow/ 16 February 2014 28 February 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170228090824/https://sports.yahoo.com/photos/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-1391780324-slideshow/ live The ball included music by Aleksander Sergeyevich Zatsepin and ended with the fifth movement (Rondo) of Alfred Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 1.Soldiers see Russian history at Sochi Opening Ceremony Gary Sheftick Tim Hipps Army News Service 9 February 2014 http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=121634 16 February 2014 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140221225903/http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=121634 21 February 2014 Fourteen columns rose from the floor, then disappeared, replaced first by scenes of the Russian Revolution and Soviet industrialization, followed by a giant moving reproduction of the famous statue Worker and Kolkhoz Woman made by Vera Mukhina in 1937, with hammer and sickle flying over the arena, symbolising the period of great industrialisation following the Bolshevik Revolution. Olympics Opening Ceremony Offers Fanfare for a Reinvented Russia The New York Times David M. Herszenhorn 7 February 2014 https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/08/sports/olympics/russia-opens-sochi-games-with-pageantry-and-pride.html?_r=0 2009-02-09 25 October 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191025072737/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/08/sports/olympics/russia-opens-sochi-games-with-pageantry-and-pride.html?_r=0 liveSochi 2014 in five pictures beranger.org 7 February 2014 http://beranger.org/2014/02/07/sochi-2014-in-five-pictures/ https://archive.today/20140209212605/http://beranger.org/2014/02/07/sochi-2014-in-five-pictures/ dead 9 February 2014 2009-02-09 Dozens of men carried rockets and the name of Yuri Gagarin appeared on the floor, followed up skyscrapers emerging against a background of modern typography. The organizing committee initially wanted to include scenes of Soviet victory in the World War Two, but the IOC protested and the plans were abandoned.https://www.deseret.com/2014/2/10/20462129/how-russia-hits-back-at-slights-over-wwii-victory-left-out-in-sochi-opening-ceremony How Russia hits back at slights over WWII victory left out in Sochi opening ceremony 10 February 2014 Putin declared the games open, followed by a performance of Swan Lake in which the Swans, holding strands of blue LED lights, transformed into the Dove of Peace, a traditional Olympic symbol. Prima ballerina Diana Vishneva was among those who performed. Many performers wore white to symbolise peace. More than 3,000 performers and 2,000 volunteers took part in the show. 10,000 people in all helped organise and execute the ceremonies. 120 projectors and 2.6 million lumens turned the stadium floor into a 3D, moving landscape. Oath and torch lighting thumb|The Olympic flag entering the stadium. The Olympic flag was brought into the stadium with eight flag bearers: Chulpan Khamatova, Lidiya Skoblikova, Anastasia Popova, Valentina Tereshkova, Viacheslav Fetisov, Valery Gergiev, Alan Enileev and Nikita Mikhalkov.http://olympics.cbc.ca/photos/photo-gallery/sochi-olympics-opening-ceremony.html#olympic-flag Sochi Olympics opening ceremony Le Segretain Pascal 7 February 2014 CBC.ca CBC 10 February 2014 Image 18/24. Olympic flag bearers Chulpan Khamatova, Lidiya Skoblikova, Anastasia Popova, Valentina Tereshkova, Vyacheslav Fetisov, Valeriy Gergiev, Alan Enileev and Nikita Mikhalkov carry the Olympic flag during the Opening Ceremony. The special guests at the opening ceremony were His Excellency Wise Ahmad Nikmal, Mr.Hamid Karzai and Mr.Abdul Rahman Hanif. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) 27 March 2014 https://archive.today/20140327102040/http://olympics.cbc.ca/photos/photo-gallery/sochi-olympics-opening-ceremony.html#olympic-flag live During the flag raising, opera singer Anna Netrebko later sang the Olympic Anthem in Russian. The Olympic Oath on behalf of all athletes was taken by Ruslan Zakharov (Short-track), Vyacheslav Vedenin took the oath for all judges and Anastasia Popkova took the oath for all coaches. For the finale, tennis player Maria Sharapova brought the Olympic Torch (the torch that had gone to the International Space Station in November) into the stadium. She handed it off to pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva who, in turn, passed it to wrestler Aleksandr Karelin. Karelin then passed the torch to gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Figure skater Irina Rodnina took the torch and was met by former ice hockey goalkeeper Vladislav Tretiak, handing the torch to him. Tretiak jogged out of the stadium alongside Rodnina. The pair then jointly lit the Olympic cauldron installed at the Sochi Medals Plaza in Sochi Olympic Park to the music of the "Firebird Suite" by Igor Stravinsky. Gas jets led the Olympic flame to the top of the Olympic Cauldron. This was followed by a fireworks display across the area around Fisht Olympic Stadium, including the other sporting venues. Twenty-two tonnes of fireworks were lit as Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker score played. In total, the show lasted just under three hours. Music thumb|According to the Ceremony's producers, Russia is said to be a country with a feminine soul. Lyubov "Love" is a representation of that idea. In the Dream sequence Liza Temnikova, as Lyubov, releases her red balloon, representing the dream of an era and the hope for the future.http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/lubov-–-"love"-–-lights-opening-ceremony NBC Olympics Nbcolympics.com 2014-02-06 2014-02-12 thumb|Opening ceremony performance. The music for the winning bid was composed by Eric Babak with the Russian State Symphony Cinema Orchestra with the State Academic Choral Chapel of Russia. Pre-show concert before broadcasting Live performances by Golos artists ("We Are the Champions"), TOKiO (Russian rock band) ru TOKiO (Sochi 2014 Anthem for Fans), Russian MOI choir ("Get Lucky"), t.A.T.u. ("Nas Ne Dogonyat") and Pelageya ("Oy, to ne vecher"). Presented by Ivan Urgant and Yana Churikova. Voices of Russia (Russian Alphabet melody) by Alexander Knyazev Opening section Alexander Borodin's "Fly away on the wings of the wind" (Polovtsian Dances) "Glory to the beautiful Sun" from Alexander Borodin's Prince Igor Parade of Nations (remixes by DJ Leonid Rudenko) Greece-Andorra, Estonia-Japan – "No coward plays hockey" (with a voice) Argentina-Great Britain – "Somewhere Far Away" (Song about distant Motherland) (only melody) Hungary-Israel – "Summer Will End" (only melody) Iran-Liechtenstein – "My Rock 'n Roll" (with Bi-2's and Yulia Chicherina's voices) Luxembourg-Nepal – Yablochko (folk melody, a chastushka and sailors dance) remix by DJ Leonid Rudenko Netherlands-San Marino – "Do You Want?" (with Zemfira's voice) Serbia-Thailand – Cry, Dance, Run from me by Gosti iz budushchego (with Eva Polna's voice) Chinese Taipei-France – "There's just a blink..." (only melody) Croatia-Sweden – Blood Type (with Viktor Tsoi's voice) Russia – "Nas Ne Dogonyat" and "We Will Rock You" remix by DJ Leonid Rudenko Mascots Tamás Deák's "Vízisí" (opening theme of Well, Just You Wait!) Performances Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring Ivan Kupala's "Kostroma" Erik Eriksson's Petersburger Marsch (Marsch aus Petersburg) The Red Tent waltz (from The Red Tent) – Natasha Rostova's First Ball "My Affectionate and Tender Beast" waltz (from A Hunting Accident) – Natasha Rostova's First Ball Alfred Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 1. V. Rondo Georgy Sviridov's Time, Forward! suite ru Время, вперёд! (сюита) (from Time, Forward!) Andrey Pavlovich Petrov's Walking the Streets of Moscow Muslim Magomayev's "The Best City on Earth" "Sabre Dance" with Russian "Nas Ne Dogonyat" and English "Not Gonna Get Us" Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures theme Olimpiada-1980 hymn ("The golden Olympic flame") Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi and Mikhail Matusovsky's "Moscow Nights" "Lubeh"s "Guys from our neighborhood" Eduard Khil's vocalise I Am Glad, 'Cause I'm Finally Returning Back Home ru Я очень рад, ведь я наконец возвращаюсь домой Arkady Ostrovsky and Lev OshaninMay's May There Always Be Sunshine Eduard Artemyev's composition Campaign or Death of the hero (Siberiade theme) Doves of Peace section Swan Lake The Olympic flag Tchaikovsky's Coronation March Final section remixes "The Game Has Changed" The Rite of Spring Borodin Fly away on the wings of the wind (Polovtsian Dances) Swan Lake Concerto Grosso No. 1. V. Rondo Lighting of the Cauldron The Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky. Final hymn. Fireworks Nutcracker Suite. Trepak (Russian Dance) Tchaikovsky – The Sleeping Beauty, Introduction (from The Sleeping Beauty) Georgy Sviridov's Snow-Storm: Waltz (from The Blizzard) Aram Khachaturian – Masquerade: Waltz Modest Mussorgsky – The Polonaise (from Act 3 of Boris Gudonov) Anthems Russia State Anthem of the Russian Federation – Sretensky Monastery Choir IOC Olympic Anthem – Anna Netrebko Television coverage The malfunction of the fifth Olympic snowflake ring was not seen during the telecast of the ceremony in Russia, where both Channel One and VGTRK quickly cut to footage of the scene from a dress rehearsal, where the sequence worked correctly.Nothing to see here: Russian TV alters video after Olympic ceremony glitch http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/7/olympic-ring-malfunction-mars-sochi-opening-ceremo/?page=all#pagebreak Associated Press 8 February 2014 3 May 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160503212253/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/7/olympic-ring-malfunction-mars-sochi-opening-ceremo/?page=all#pagebreak live http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11198546 https://archive.today/20140208005607/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11198546 dead 8 February 2014 Russian TV shows doctored video of Olympic rings 8 February 2014 The New Zealand Herald 8 February 2014 In the United States, NBC's broadcasts of the opening ceremony were delayed until the evening.https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/olympic-viewing-ceremony-mark-official-opening-22422057 Olympic Viewing: NBC's Opening Ceremony Editing 8 February 2014 David Bauder Associated Press/ABC 11 February 2014 20 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140220180210/http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/olympic-viewing-ceremony-mark-official-opening-22422057 live The broadcast attracted 31.7 million American viewers, compared to 32.6 million for the live telecast of the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-sochis-opening-ceremony-678458 TV Ratings: Sochi's Opening Ceremony Falls Just Shy of Vancouver Olympics 8 February 2014 Michael O'Connell The Hollywood Reporter 11 February 2014 In Britain, BBC Two's coverage of the ceremony attracted a peak 3.2 million viewers and an average rating of 2.47 million.http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/08/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-draws-in-2-47-million-4296067/ Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony draws in 2.47 million Metro 8 February 2014 23 February 2014 BBM Canada ratings for CBC's live, repeat and online broadcasts of the ceremony totalled 6.974 million viewers.https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh-game/great-canadian-ratings-report-sochi-audiences-cbc-strong-161831704.html The Great Canadian Ratings Report: Sochi audiences on CBC strong – maybe Chris Zelkovich Yahoo/BBM 12 February 2014 23 February 2014 15 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160315160513/https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh-game/great-canadian-ratings-report-sochi-audiences-cbc-strong-161831704.html live In Australia, Ten broadcast the ceremony at 3 am AEDT. Reception The Independent'''s Simon Rice found some portions of the ceremony to be "confusing" and other "spectacular", while describing the cauldron lighting as "an unimaginative domino of flames".https://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/winter-olympics-2014-opening-ceremony-review-sochi-ceremony-confusing-and-spectacular-in-equal-measure-9115905.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/winter-olympics-2014-opening-ceremony-review-sochi-ceremony-confusing-and-spectacular-in-equal-measure-9115905.html 1 May 2022 subscription Winter Olympics 2014 opening ceremony review: Sochi ceremony confusing and spectacular in equal measure Simon Rice 7 February 2014 11 February 2014 London The Independent The New York Times review described the proceedings as "sheer pageantry and national pride". Katherine Monk of Canada's Postmedia News described the athletes' clothing as "a lot sexier than the old Communist-era cardboard garb".http://o.canada.com/sports/olympics/sochi-opening-ceremony-review-communism-is-dead-you-can-tell-by-the-clothes/ Sochi opening ceremony review: Communism is dead, you can tell by the clothes Katherine Monk Postmedia News 7 February 2014 11 February 2014 August 2026 InternetArchiveBot Kathy Lally and Will Englund of The Washington Post commented that "The scale bordered on the colossal" and called the ceremony "poetry – in motion".https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/olympics/olympics-open-in-sochi-with-extravagant-pageant/2014/02/07/bba8a5e2-9011-11e3-b227-12a45d109e03_story.html https://web.archive.org/web/20140207175137/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/olympics/olympics-open-in-sochi-with-extravagant-pageant/2014/02/07/bba8a5e2-9011-11e3-b227-12a45d109e03_story.html dead 7 February 2014 Olympics open in Sochi with extravagant pageant 7 February 2014 20 February 2014 The Washington Post Kathy Lally Despite Russia's stance on LGBT people (including its 2013 law banning the distribution of LGBT "propaganda" to minors, which had been a major concern leading up to the Olympics), the Huffington Post'' noted that the opening ceremony, ironically, featured tributes to "some of history's most widely acclaimed and definitely gay Russians", including composer Peter Tchaikovsky (1840–1893), ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky (1889–1950), and patron of arts, and founder of Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev. Russian organizers denied any connection, stating that these figures were selected because of their cultural significance.Nobody Tell Russia, But Look How Super Gay Their Olympics Opening Ceremony Was http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/07/olympics-opening-ceremony-gay_n_4746760.html Huffington Post 25 February 2014 7 February 2014 22 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140222193847/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/07/olympics-opening-ceremony-gay_n_4746760.html live22 Russians Who We Won't Let Vladimir Putin Forget Were LGBT http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/people/2013/08/06/22-russians-who-we-wont-let-vladimir-putin-forget-were-gay?page=full The Advocate 25 February 2014 2013-08-06 17 March 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140317072548/http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/people/2013/08/06/22-russians-who-we-wont-let-vladimir-putin-forget-were-gay?page=full live On the same topic, critics also noted the Russian pop duo t.A.T.u were invited to perform during the opening ceremony; although they are not actually lesbian, the all-female duo were well known for incorporating themes of lesbianism in their music and on-stage personas (live appearances often featured the singers kissing each other), its name is a corruption of a shortened Russian phrase meaning "this girl loves that girl", and the duo made a statement in support of LGBT rights in the wake of Yuri Luzhkov's objection to the 2007 Moscow Pride parade.Russian pop duo tATu support Moscow Pride http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2007/05/17/russian-pop-duo-tatu-support-moscow-pride/ Pink News 17 May 2007 25 February 2014 1 March 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140301161732/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2007/05/17/russian-pop-duo-tatu-support-moscow-pride/ live Organizers noted that t.A.T.u were chosen because they were well known to an international audience, denying any relation to LGBT rights.Sochi: Fake Lesbian Russian Pop Duo t.A.T.u. to Perform at Olympics' Opening Ceremony http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sochi-tatu-perform-at-olympics-677751 The Hollywood Reporter 13 February 2014 8 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140208200610/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sochi-tatu-perform-at-olympics-677751 live Dignitaries in attendance Aside from athletes and members of the IOC, 5 multilateral leaders and representatives from more than 80 countries (included at least 60 heads of state and government) attended the opening ceremony.Leaders Attending Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony AP ABC News 7 February 2014 https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/leaders-attending-sochi-olympics-opening-ceremony-22408951 7 February 2014 8 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140208054528/http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/leaders-attending-sochi-olympics-opening-ceremony-22408951 live IOC President Thomas Bach and predecessor Jacques Rogge United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon CIS Secretary General Sergei Lebedev European Union Council of Europe President Thorbjorn Jagland Infobox SCO.png SCO President Vladimir Norov African Union Former president Jean Ping Abkhazia President Alexander Ankvab Afghanistan 2013 President Hamid Karzai Andorra Prime Minister Antoni Marti Albania Prime Minister Sali Berisha Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev Armenia President Serzh Sargsyan Austria Chancellor Werner Faymann Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko Belgium Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo Bolivia President Evo Morales Bosnia-Herzegovina President Bakir Izetbegovic Brazil Vice President Michel Temer Bulgaria President Rosen Plevneliev and Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski Canada State Councillor Tim Stevenson China President Xi JinpingSochi organizer says 65 leaders coming to Olympics, a record for Winter Games https://www.foxnews.com/sports/sochi-organizer-says-65-leaders-coming-to-olympics-a-record-for-winter-games/ Fox News Associated Press 18 February 2014 6 February 2014 and Premier Li Keqiang Croatia President Ivo Josipovic Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades Czech Republic President Miloš Zeman Denmark Crown Prince FrederikRepresenting the Queen of Denmark Estonia Prime Minister Andrus Ansip Finland President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen France Deputy Prime Minister Laurent Fabius Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba Greece President Karolos Papoulias Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili Germany Former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder Hungary President János Áder and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán Hong Kong Former Chief Executive Donald Tsang Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Ireland Deputy Premier Leo Varadkar Italy Prime Minister Enrico Letta Jordan King Abdullah II and Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and predecessor Yoshiro Mori Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev Kosovo Vice President Hashim Thaci Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev Latvia President Andris Bērziņšкурс The Baltic Course-Балтийский Latvian and Russian presidents meet for first time in Sochi http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/baltic_states_cis/?doc=87441 2020-09-05 The Baltic Course Baltic States news & analytics 26 January 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230126025153/http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/baltic_states_cis/?doc=87441 live2014-02-06 Latvian Olympic Team Goes to Sochi https://www.latvia.eu/news/latvian-olympic-team-goes-sochi 2020-09-05 [Latvia.eu] en 29 December 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221229110529/https://www.latvia.eu/news/latvian-olympic-team-goes-sochi deadPutin shakes hands with Latvian Premier in Sochi https://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/34402/ 2020-09-05 www.baltictimes.com 29 December 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221229110533/https://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/34402/ live Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati Liechtenstein Prime Minister Adrian Hasler Lithuania Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičiushttps://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/35792/lithuanian-pm-leaves-for-sochi-to-attend-2014-winter-olympics Lithuanian PM leaves for Sochi to attend 2014 Winter Olympics 8 September 2015 Luxembourg Monarch Grand Duke Henri Macedonia President Gjorge Ivanov Moldova Prime Minister Iurie Leanca Mongolia President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj Montenegro President Filip Vujanovic Monaco Prince Albert and Princess CharleneTHS the Prince and Princess at the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Sochi https://web.archive.org/web/20140305094601/http://www.palais.mc/monaco/palais-princier/english/h.s.h.-prince-albert-ii/news/2014/february/ths-the-prince-and-princess-at-the-opening.3189.html 5 March 2014 Palais.mc. Retrieved 7 February 2014 Morocco Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane Netherlands King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Prime Minister Mark RutteKoning Willem-Alexander vijf dagen in Sotsji http://www.nusport.nl/overig-sotsji/3689384/koning-willem-alexander-vijf-dagen-in-sotsji.html Nusport.nl 30 January 2014 3 February 2014 nl 5 April 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140405051314/http://www.nusport.nl/overig-sotsji/3689384/koning-willem-alexander-vijf-dagen-in-sotsji.html live Norway Crown Prince HaakonRepresenting the King of Norway North Korea President Kim Yong Nam Palestine Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Poland President Bronislaw Komorowski and former president Lech Wałęsa Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Romania Prime Minister Victor Ponta Russia President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev Rwanda President Paul Kagame Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Serbia President Tomislav Nikolic South Africa Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa South Ossetia President Leonid Tibilov South Korea President Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister Jung Hong-won Soviet Union Former president Mikhail Gorbachev Switzerland President Didier Burkhalter Spain Crown Prince FelipeRepresenting the King of Spain and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Slovakia President Ivan Gašparovič Slovenia President Borut Pahor Sweden King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow United Kingdom Princess Royal AnneRepresenting the Queen of the United Kingdom United States Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych Uzbekistan President Islam Karimovhttp://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2014/02/11/azerbaijan-sochi/ At opening ceremony of Sochi Olympics Azerbaijani President was seated next to presidents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Panorama 11 February 2014 17 February 2014 24 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924065313/http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2014/02/11/azerbaijan-sochi/ live Vanuatu Prime Minister Ham Lini Politicians declining to attend the ceremonies Andorra France Andorra / France: François Hollande, who declined to cite a reason.French President Francois Hollande to shun Sochi games https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25392175 BBC 15 December 2013 7 February 2014 9 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160309192803/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25392175 live Canada: Stephen Harper, citing the fact that Canadian prime ministers do not typically attend the Winter Games outside of Canada.https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/prime-minister-stephen-harper-announces-he-wont-attend-russias-winter-olympics-in-sochi Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces he won't attend Russia's Winter Olympics in Sochi | National Post News.nationalpost.com 2013-12-18 2014-02-07 1 February 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150201203607/http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12/18/prime-minister-stephen-harper-announces-he-wont-attend-russias-winter-olympics-in-sochi/ live Germany: Joachim Gauck, who did not cite a reason; however the national human rights commissioner Markus Loening said that it was a "wonderful gesture".German President Gauck will not attend Sochi Games https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-sochi-germany-idUSBRE9B709520131208 Reuters 8 December 2013 7 February 2014 Lithuania: Dalia Grybauskaitė, citing Russia's economic sanctions against Lithuania and its "attitude" toward Eastern partners.Associated Press http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_24757668/sochi-olympics-lithuanian-president-skip-russia-games Sochi Olympics: Lithuanian president to skip Russia Games TwinCities.com 2013-12-19 2014-02-07 3 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140203081138/http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_24757668/sochi-olympics-lithuanian-president-skip-russia-games live United Kingdom: David Cameron, citing a scheduling conflict and the fact that no British prime minister has attended the Winter Games.Cameron won't attend Russia's Sochi Winter Olympics http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-olympics-britain-cameron-idUKBREA0S1O520140129 https://web.archive.org/web/20160509015904/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-olympics-britain-cameron-idUKBREA0S1O520140129 dead 9 May 2016 Reuters 29 January 2014 6 February 2014 United States: Barack Obama, citing a desire to not distract from competitions.Obama explains Sochi absence in interview with NBC's Bob Costas https://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/barack-obama-sochi-russia-winter-olympics-103226.html#ixzz2sapBjKVN Politico 6 February 2014 6 February 2014 7 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140207021852/http://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/barack-obama-sochi-russia-winter-olympics-103226.html#ixzz2sapBjKVN live Notes References External links ,SearchTerms:'Sochi%202014%20Olympic%20Games%20Opening%20ceremony%20media%20guide',SortField:!n,SortOrder:0,TemplateParams:(Scenario:,Scope:Default,Size:!n,Source:,Support:),UseSpellChecking:!n))) Sochi 2014 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide (as found on the Olympic Library) CrowdAlbum.com Fan photos Complete video of Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony opening ceremony Category:Ceremonies in Russia Category:Olympics opening ceremonies