2014
Troika pulling the sun, thawing the ice in the Opening Ceremony segment "Rite of Spring"
Olympic Ceremony Records
italics indicate records at the time
- First entrance of the Parade of Nations from below the stadium floor
- Most Nations Competing in an Olympic Winter Games - 88 (previous 82 Vancouver)
- First continuous use of projections
- First use of prop trains above the stadium floor
- Most expensive Olympic stadium (est. $750 million - $1 billion)
- First stadium specifically built for an Olympic ceremony
February 7, 2014
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Opening Ceremony Highlights
The Sochi opening ceremony was one of the most elaborate in the history of the Olympic Games. Notably, the enormous props, guided through the stadium with the help of a train system on the roof provided some of the most elaborate scenes in Olympic ceremony history. The ceremony was a tribute to the history of Russia as told through its various rich art traditions including ballet, music, and literature. Concerning the size of the ceremony, with a custom built stadium with a custom built roof for moving props held in massive containment buildings adjacent to the stadium, the Sochi opening ceremony was the most expensive ceremony ever produced. With reported stadium costs and ceremony budgets, the production easily exceeds $1 billion; if true, it would be the first in history to break that mark.
A malfunctioning Olympic ring blighted an otherwise emphatic reception of the ceremony, which featured world famous musicians, thousands of dancers and volunteers, and a massive recounting of the history of Russia. Sochi took much of the recent evolution of the Olympic ceremony to massive proportions, and although few true innovations occurred, the Sochi ceremonies perfected the projection techniques first implemented by Vancouver in 2010, the suspension of massive props first implemented by Sydney 2000, and narrative film elements first implemented by London 2012. With Sochi, the Olympic Ceremonies are now trending toward productions of living cinematic art.
Viewers' Guide0:00:00 - Pre-Ceremony Entertainment0:20:39 - Opening Flyover0:34:40 - Cyrillic Alphabet Countdown Film0:38:44 - Artistic Segment - Flight through Russia0:45:00 - Introduction of the Presidents of the Russian Federation and IOC
0:46:00 - Russian National Anthem
0:50:30 - Olympic Torch Relay Film
0:52:30 - Parade of Nations
1:49:00 - Giant animatronic mascots of Sochi 2014
1:51:07 - History of Russia Film
1:54:00 - Artistic Segment - Rite of Spring
2:02:00 - Artistic Segment - Peter the Great
2:06:30 - Artistic Segment - War and Peace
2:13:00 - Artistic Segment - Russian Revolution
2:21:00 - Artistic Segment - 20th Century
2:29:00 - Olympic Torch Relay Film
2:31:00 - Speech by SOCOG President
2:37:30 - Speech by IOC President
2:47:00 - Vladimir Putin Opens the Games
2:48:00 - Artistic Segment - Doves of Peace
2:52:00 - The Olympic Flag and Anthem
3:00:00 - Olympic Oaths
3:03:30 - Artistic Segment - Olympic Gods
3:08:45 - The Olympic Flame
3:14:00 - Firebird, Finale, FireworksPhotos
Sochi Olympic Medals
Sochi Olympic Logo
Sochi Olympic Torch
Sochi Olympic Stadium and Cauldron
Girl flies through the topography of Russia
Malfunctioning Olympic Ring
Opening Ceremony segment remembering those lost in WWII
Opening Ceremony segment commemorating the USSR
Doves of Peace
OLYMPIC CEREMONY DATABASESUMMER1896 1900 1904 Intercalated 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 Equestrian 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012
WINTER
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