(7 Feb 2014)  The 2014 Olympic Winter Games officially opened at the Sochi Fisht Arena this evening amid the traditional pomp and ceremony of the Games.  Following musical numbers, the entry of the athletes and speeches from Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of the Organizing Committee, and Thomas Bach, IOC President, the  games were declared open by Valdimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation.  Putin gave the traditional opening declaration surrounded by VIPs from Russian sports, Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, and leaders from several Asian nations who attended the opening ceremony, unlike their western counterparts who were conspicuously absent.

The ongoing controversy concerning political protest of the Russian ant-gay law was obliquely addressed by IOC president Bach in his comments saying , "This is the Olympic message the Athletes spread to the host country and to the world: yes, it is possible to strive even for the greatest victory with respect for the dignity of your competitors; yes, it is possible, even as competitors, to live together under one roof in harmony, with tolerance and without any form of discrimination for whatever reason; yes, it is possible, even as competitors, to listen, to understand and to giva an example for a peaceful society."  He continued, "Olympic Games are about building bridges to bring people together.  Olympic Games are never about erecting walls to keep people apart.  Olympic Games are a sports festival embracing human diversity in great unity."  But he also rejected the political activism unleashed by the gay law saying, "Therefore I say to the political leaders of the world:  Thank you for supporting your athletes, they are the best ambassadors of your country.  Please respect their Olympic message of good will. of tolerance, of excellence and of peace.  Have the courage to address your disagreements in a peaceful, direct political dialog and not on the backs of these athletes."

The ceremony went off smoothly for the most part, before an enthusiastic audience of mostly Russian spectators.  The arena was nearly full, but not a sell out.  Domestic ticket prices were 20,000 rubles, about $US 575.

One painfully obvious glitch during the ceremony, was when five illuminated snowflakes moved into position above the arena floor and were supposed to morph into the Olympic rings.  One, however, did not make the change, though it was reported today that Russian TV substituted footage from rehearsal in their domestic feed.  A lot was made of this, but  one should recall the failure at Vancouver of one leg of the in-arena cauldron to deploy during that opening ceremony.  Stuff happens at all Olympics, and if the worst thing that happens here is a snowflake malfunction, these will be a memorably successful games.

The Olympic flame entered the arena carried by torch bearer Maria Shaparova, Olympic silver medalist in Tennis, and was passed off to a series of Russian Olympic greats.  Russian hockey great Vladislav Tretiak and three-time gold medalist Irina Rodnina received the torch lastly and then jogged out the arena to the nearby center of the Olympic park to light the flame.  This was not directly visible to spectators in the arena, who where shown the lighting of the flame on the in-arena video screens.

U.S. Figure Skating team members who marched in the ceremony remarked afterwards,

Evan Bates - “Sochi’s Opening Ceremony was a brilliant celebration of all the athletes’ accomplishments. Marching with my countrymen and women was euphoric.”

Felicia Zhang - “The Opening Ceremony was amazing and everything I dreamed of. To share it all with Team USA was a phenomenal experience that I will never forget.”

Nathan Bartholomay - “The Opening Ceremony was an event I will never forget. It was hard not to get emotional when the announcer called ‘United States of America.’ It felt like a dream.”

Gracie Gold - “This was a night I will remember forever. There aren’t words to describe what it feels like to walk with the best athletes behind the U.S. flag. There isn’t an emotion to properly describe it. Tonight was amazing.”