Netrebko, Kabaeva and Putin opened the Olympics

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

It has come to pass. The XXII Winter Olympic Games officially started the day before. For the next two weeks, Sochi has been declared the main sports capital of the world. And as noted by the media, the opening ceremony was truly grandiose.

Even the most skeptical observers admit that the Olympics opening ceremony was magnificent due to the scale, spectacle, unique decorations and innovative technological solutions.

First, the viewers were presented with a video in which, in the form of a children's alphabet, viewers were introduced to the host country of the Olympics. Then a theatrical performance entitled "Dreams of Russia" began, the main character of which, a girl named Lyubov, led the audience through the millennia, through an incredibly diverse country stretching over millions of square kilometers, 9 time zones and 150 peoples.

While the choir of the Sretensky Monastery performed the Russian anthem, the cosmonauts raised the flag of the country that hosted the 2014 Games. Bobsledder Alexander Zubkov carried the banner of Russia to the remix of the song "Tatu" "They will not catch us".

More than 3,000 actors and 2,000 volunteers took part in the spectacular staged scenes. After the speeches of the President of the Sochi-2014 Organizing Committee Dmitry Chernyshenko and the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the XXII Olympic Winter Games open.

After the announcement of the opening of the Olympic Games, the Olympic flag was brought to the Fisht stadium. The flag was brought in by the two-time Olympic champion Vyacheslav Fetisov, the six-time champion Lydia Skoblikova, the cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the actress Chulpan Khamatova, the conductor Valery Gergiev, the director Nikita Mikhalkov, the cyber racing driver Alan Yenileev and the journalist Anastasia Popova.

It was the turn of the Olympic anthem, which was performed by the opera diva Anna Netrebko. An Olympic flag with five multi-colored rings was hoisted.

Finally, the Olympic flame appeared. The last torchbearers were Maria Sharapova, Elena Isinbaeva, Alexander Karelin and Alina Kabaeva. With a smile, Kabaeva handed the torch to the famous hockey player Vladislav Tretyak and figure skater Irina Rodnina, who brought fire to the bowl.

The opening ceremony of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in 2014 in Sochi ended at 22.55 Moscow time with a large-scale fireworks display of 3,500 volleys. The show was watched by 3 billion viewers worldwide.