The most expensive in history, with the highest level of security and with the most criticism even before the start, the 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Sochi infamously opened! The organizers thus served us an unforgettable spectacle, full of Russian history, dance and theater excesses and exceptional lighting and visual effects.
Great Olympic Stadium Fisht (after the highest peak of the Caucasus of the same name and the dialectal expression "white head"), embraced by the Caucasus on one side and not exactly the "winter" Black Sea on the other, came to life in full splendor at 17:10 our time. We were introduced to the event by a picturesque animation and a girl's reading of the Russian alphabet, through which we remembered the great names and outstanding achievements of Russia's rich heritage, such as Tchaikovsky, Sputnik, Tolstoy, flight to the moon, Russian ballet and periodic system. Then the first fireworks went off and the long-awaited opening could finally begin. Leader, a cute 11-year-old girl Lubov (Slovenian love) then flew a kite over the floating sculptures of the islands, depicting the varied landscapes of Russia. Singing gentle melodies, she was accompanied by performers dressed in traditional clothes. The spectacular show was accompanied by light installations, which eventually turned from snowflakes into Olympic circles.
As befits an event of global proportions, they officially introduced the Russian president Vladimir Putin and President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, who interestingly is also one of the Olympic medal winners, namely in fencing in 1976.
A ceremony followed raising the Russian flag, which is accompanied by the sounds of a 600-year-old hymn by 27 singers choir brought from Moscow 5 astronauts. They brightened it up skaters, who drew a "living" Russian flag and "fluttered" it together with visual effects.
Parade of countries, traditionally starting with Greece, served for the first time so far with the arrival of individual delegations from an underground opening up a steep path, announced by a projection of the Earth, where each country was lit up. They accompanied them to the pounding rhythms of electronic music snow queens in creative ice works.
We also met our delegation, whose flag he proudly carried Tomaž Razingar, captain of the Slovenian hockey team. But of course, the biggest enthusiasm came from the local expedition of athletes, which he led Alexander Zhukov, a 39-year-old bobsleigh driver. The official mascots were also introduced bunny, teddy bear and Putin's favourite, leopard on a snowboard, pre-selected by Russian TV viewers.
The girl Lubov once again took us to the second part of the opening, this time through a performance entitled "A Russian Odyssey”, where we walked through the development of Russia as we know it today. Floating installation Triplets, carriages from the 18th century, which is considered the most recognizable Russian symbol and is a fixture at social events, brought the point "Rites of Spring". A colorful floating crowd lanterns and dancers, among which 35 traditional Cossacks were hiding, made one of the greatest Russian attractions through the magic point, Cathedral of St. Vasilija. She marched to the sounds of the Black Sea across the black and white map navy, remembering Peter the Great, who expanded and modernized the country at the end of the 17th century. Recognized Russian ballet dancers they brought the stories from the novel to life War and Peace, among which is the first dance in the role Nataša Rostova belonged to the prima ballerina Bolshoi ballet ensemble, Svetlana Zaharov. The story could not unfold without a dark period revolutions, which was staged with a blizzard of horror and despair and then a huge glowing locomotive in the air, bringing change through the images of the artworks of the time Russian avant-garde. The time after the Second World War brought hope for a better future, so there was a turn to a lively picture dancing people, baby boomer, legendary Uncle Stjop, the character of a policeman, singing nursery rhymes and pictures of modern Moscow. On the singing Moscow night of the choir The Red Army the Lubov girl flew into the sky for the last time and symbolically dropped the big one red balloon of hope.
The official part of the opening began with speeches Dimitrija Chernyshenko, the president of the Organizing Committee of the Winter Olympic Games, who proudly said that these Olympic Games are an opportunity "to show the world our hospitality, our tradition, our Russia". A greeting followed Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, to all those participating in the preparations and to the athletes who "from this moment on are not only athletes, but also Olympic athletes", fulfilling their dreams and living the Olympic principles. In a peaceful tone, he also emphasized that "Olympism unites people" and proves that "we can live under the same roof, without discrimination and with tolerance". With Putin's words in his mother tongue and renewed fireworks, the Olympic Games could also officially begin.
Item titled “Dove of peace” was in all its extraordinary, never-before-seen version of the well-known ballet performance Swan Lake, where spinning dancers with LED wings drew dreamy patterns, just the finishing touch to the artistic spectacle.
Olympic flag, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year, brought eight prominent Russian names - actress Chulpan Khamatova, speed skater Lidija Skoblikova, a journalist Anastasia Popova, the first female astronaut Valentina Tereshkova, a member of the legendary Russian hockey five Vyacheslav "Slava" Aleksandrovich Fetisov, the conductor Valery Gergiyev, a “cyber” athlete Alan Emiliev and director, actor and Oscar winner Nikita Mikhalkov. A world-famous soprano was also surprised at the hanging of the flag. Ana Netrebko, who sang the Olympic anthem.
Dancers on rollerblades, dressed in light-up jerseys, transported us through a futuristic point to a parallel galaxy with Olympic gods and twinkling stars.
As a last act he followed lighting a fire. The famous torch passed through the hands of a tennis player Maria Sharapova, 28-time pole vault record holder Jelena Isinbajeva, a wrestler Alexander Karelin, rhythmic gymnasts Alina Kabajeva, all the way to the final pair, the 10-time world champion in figure skating Irina Rodnine and icons of Russian hockey Vladimir Tretjak, who magnificently lit the Olympic flame outside the Olympic Park.
With this, today's event is under the direction of the director Konstantin Ernst as one of the unforgettable ones, both in terms of sporting competition and philanthropic unification, as well as in Russia's richly historical and astonishingly modern artistic spirit.
