The Russian team did not walk out with its flag as punishment for the doping scandal.Īthletes from 92 nations are competing in more than 100 events over the next two weeks. The lighting of the torch was handled by Korean figure skating champ Yuna Kim, followed by another light, dance and fire show - with rollerskates.Īlso notable during the evening, Tonga’s one-man team of cross-country skier Pita Taufatofua was back, bare-chested and oiled up again, parading with his flag after the 2016 Summer Games. After that, the kids came back for a look towards the future, a performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and 1,200 drones forming shapes in the sky. Wearing traditional dress, an all-female group mapped out the South Korean flag to drumbeats, followed by the procession of national teams. A fireworks display quickly began outside and above the stadium, followed by a film centering on the journey of five school children and a light and music show inside that featured a puppet tiger, phoenix and other beasts along with images of a turtle ship. Organized by director Song Seung-whan, best known for the non-verbal stage musical Nanta that incorporates traditional samul nori rhythm, the show started off with an empty stage save for what looked like the TARDIS off of Doctor Who. REX/Shutterstockīut the South Korean government has called this the “Peace Games” and the opening reflected that. The demilitarized zone is less than 20 miles from the stadium. There have been consistent small manifestations by people who see South Korea’s invitation to North Korea as appeasement to a country that was firing missiles just a few months ago.

While inside the 35,000-seat stadium the celebration was about passion and harmony, outside, protesters gathered. Pence also met with and praised North Korean defectors on Friday. Pence had earlier met with the father of Otto Warmbier, the American student who was jailed in North Korea last year and died upon returning home. When they entered early in the proceedings (the roster is in alphabetic order, according to the Korean alphabet), it was to the strains of Psy’s ubiquitous 2012 K-pop tune “Gangnam Style.”

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife cheered on Team USA - massive at 244 athletes. Eurosport & Global Broadcasters Kick Off 'Transformative' 2018 Winter Olympics REX/ShutterstockĪlso in the Olympic stadium, U.S.

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