Memorable Moments from Winter Olympics Ceremonies

“Faster, Higher, Stronger – together” was the Olympic motto of the incredible Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony this year. Feasting our eyes on this touching spectacle, as well as the fact that this year’s Winter Olympics are drawing to a close, has inspired us to cast our minds back to some of the most creative and inspirational opening and closing ceremonies the Winter Olympics has had to offer over the years.

Table of Contents:

1. Torino – opening ceremony

2. Salt Lake City – opening ceremony

3. Pyeongchang – opening & closing ceremonies

4. Vancouver – closing ceremony

Torino

It’s simply impossible to look at Olympic ceremonies without mentioning the 2006 Torino Olympics, where 35,000 eager spectators gathered to witness a spectacular event. The theme of the games was “Passion Lives Here” which was embodied perfectly from start to finish in the costumes, scenery, music, and performances alike.

The performance itself took place on a stage in the shape of a human heart, with a ‘mosh pit’ heart chamber at the front of the stage. Here, the athletes congregated, symbolising the message of peace and unity, and that the athletes themselves are the heart of the Olympics. The ceremony burst into action with ice skaters dressed all in red, erupting in flames, skating in pulsating patterns around the stage. Other highlights included the nail-biting sight of acrobats spinning on the Olympic rings, as well as the sweet and spine-tingling tones of Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma echoing around the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

The Torino games have also become famous for being the first in recent memory in which the cauldron was lit indirectly. The magnificent pyrotechnics were timed so immaculately that it tricked spectators into thinking it was lit from the extravagant and erupting firework display, but instead was lit by a backup flame inside.

Salt Lake City

Just 5 months after the tragic attack on the World Trade Centre, the Olympic flame came to cast a beam of light onto the shadow that was America in 2002. President George W. Bush opened proceedings with a moving speech and an American flag rescued from the disaster zone was touchingly exhibited.

Figure skaters, speed skaters and gold medal winning hockey team from the 1980 Lake Placid games performed on the abstract shaped ice rink which had been installed inside the stadium in place of the usual turf, especially for the games. This representation of all that is America was combined with dances performed by the local Native American tribes in ceremonial dress to produce a flavour of the country. Crowds were also greeted by some of the native American flora and fauna; puppets of the native-to-Utah 15-foot bison and an American eagle proudly pranced around the stage.

In light of everything we’ve mentioned above, you can probably see why this ceremony received the highest US TV ratings of any Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

Pyeongchang

Jumping forward to 2018, we turn our attention to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The message of the opening ceremony was based on peace and harmony, and was led by 5 children, representing the 5 Olympic rings, from the rural Gangwon province of South Korea.

The star of the show was most definitely the record-breaking largest drone show in history. The aerial spectacle consisted of 1,218 Shooting Star drones forming animations of the Olympic rings, snowboarders, skiers, and other winter sports which stunned the audience. However, disaster struck when hackers attacked the computers programmed for the show, which meant the live show had to be scrapped for a pre-recorded version.

The closing ceremony also struck a chord with audiences. The show itself was a musical sensation, featuring everything from a metal version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed by 13-year-old Yang Tae-hwan to K-Pop stars EXO raising the roof with their hit “Power”. The passionate display didn’t stop there, however. After all, what winter ceremony would be complete without a giant snow globe containing a snowstorm to blow out the Olympic flame?

Vancouver

After technical faults led to a rocky opening ceremony, quick-witted Canada poked fun at themselves at the start of their own closing ceremony in Vancouver 2010. Sparks, feathers and even a fake chicken shot out of the hydraulics system from which speed skater Catriona Le May Doan should have risen, and a clown dressed in workman’s clothing put on a show of ‘fixing’ the system, before beckoning Le May Doan who was finally able to light the cauldron and have her moment of glory.

Following the spectacle, a large crowd of snowboard-clad high school students, dressed in all white, entered the stadium. After the stunning firework display, the snowboarders spelt out the words ‘Strong’ and ‘Free’, then the Canadian symbol of the maple leaf, and finally surrounded the cauldron to welcome the official guests.

Which was your favorite moment from the ceremonies? We’ve loved looking back over them and can’t wait to see what the Beijing closing ceremony will have to offer!