Opening Ceremony

:00:44. > :00:49.The Caucasus Mountains, where Europe meets Asia, East meets West and

:00:50. > :00:54.sports take centre stage. On snow and ice, the Winter Olympics brings

:00:55. > :01:00.together nations and nature. The aim is the same as it always was

:01:01. > :01:05.- to jump further, ski naster, skate -- faster, skate with elegance or

:01:06. > :01:15.with brute force. To deliver a stone with pin-point accuracy or hurtle,

:01:16. > :01:20.head-first at bone-juddering speed. But these are also the Games of big

:01:21. > :01:25.air. New sports, for a new generation. COMMENTATOR: Absolutely

:01:26. > :01:30.mind-blowing. There is a magic and a mystery to mountain sports. Danger,

:01:31. > :01:34.too, in every move and the best know that they have to risk it all to

:01:35. > :01:44.gain the ultimate reward. These athletes live on the edge. Welcome

:01:45. > :01:56.to the weird and wonderful world for the Winter Olympics. -- of the.

:01:57. > :02:00.From the mountains to sea level, Sochi 2014 covers the full range. We

:02:01. > :02:05.are here on the edge of the Black Sea. They call it the Russian Riff

:02:06. > :02:08.airia. This is the warmest winter Olympic venue, ever. It is also a

:02:09. > :02:12.Games of firsts. For the first time in Olympic history, the USA will

:02:13. > :02:16.compete on Russia soil. For the first time, after 16 years of

:02:17. > :02:20.trying, women will finally take their place in women's ski jump.

:02:21. > :02:26.And, for the first time since the first Winter Olympics of 1924, Great

:02:27. > :02:31.Britain has genuine chances of multiple medals, in skeleton,

:02:32. > :02:35.short-track speed Kating, curling and slopestyle which is brand new

:02:36. > :02:39.and brings with it a whole new language of tricks and kickers. It

:02:40. > :02:44.is about big air, creative, expression and passionate

:02:45. > :02:47.performance. There are 98 gold medal events in total. 12 new to the

:02:48. > :02:53.Olympic programme. For the first time, all the ice sports will be

:02:54. > :02:58.contained here, in one Olympic Park. ?30. 7 billion has been spent

:02:59. > :03:02.transforming this from marshland into the grandest, ever of winter

:03:03. > :03:07.Olympic venues, as Russia attempts to make its mark on the 21st

:03:08. > :03:11.century. And with the staging of a world

:03:12. > :03:15.event, obviously comes the world. That has meant uncomfortable

:03:16. > :03:19.questions for President Putin. The sort of questions he would never

:03:20. > :03:23.normally be asked, about gay rights, animal welfare and corruption.

:03:24. > :03:27.Russia has changed in many ways but still has massive strides to make

:03:28. > :03:30.and as hosts of a major international sporting event, the

:03:31. > :03:36.biggest, there a clam r o, louder than they have ever heard here for

:03:37. > :03:40.progress, enlightlement, and an understanding of equality. The

:03:41. > :03:43.opening ceremony is a two-way thing, it is about Russia demonstrating its

:03:44. > :03:47.strength and power and the best of what it regards of its history but

:03:48. > :03:51.it is also a ceremony about the athletes, and they represent all

:03:52. > :03:54.countries and show off the joy of competition and strength of

:03:55. > :03:57.diversity and President Putin will be desperate for this to go right.

:03:58. > :04:01.This is a watershed moment. He knows the world is watching and

:04:02. > :04:06.specifically the world is watching that stadium over there, it's Fisht

:04:07. > :04:11.Olympic Stadium. It is named after a peak in the greater Caucasus

:04:12. > :04:18.mountain range that means "whited head" because of its icecap. --

:04:19. > :04:23.Whitehead. Inside there will be Hazel Irvine and Robin Cousins but

:04:24. > :04:28.we have thousands going in. We have Amy Williams as part of our

:04:29. > :04:32.commentary team. You have been enjoying, I guess the Olympic

:04:33. > :04:36.atmosphere again. amazing. It is strange to be here at an Olympics

:04:37. > :04:40.but on the other side, not competing not with the athletes. I'm getting

:04:41. > :04:44.used to it. Everything so far has been awesome. You have been to the

:04:45. > :04:48.sliding centre. What did it feel like to be back there? Really

:04:49. > :04:51.emotional. I was prepared to feel a little bit climate change. The track

:04:52. > :05:02.is beautiful. The best I have ever seen been built. I have seen many.

:05:03. > :05:06.I'm jealous I'm in the sliding. We have competitorsp wanting to follow

:05:07. > :05:10.in your footsteps but we'll remind you of your glorious moment in

:05:11. > :05:14.Vancouver. Your final run. Once you are on the ice you have a feel for

:05:15. > :05:17.how the run might be going but no idea of your time Skeleton is

:05:18. > :05:21.unique. You are going down and concentrating on your fears. You

:05:22. > :05:29.donted know what start time you have. You can only go by how well

:05:30. > :05:33.you feel. You get to the bottom and don't have a clue. I made a few

:05:34. > :05:37.mistakes. I don't know what is happening. It was only when I got

:05:38. > :05:41.off the sled and my coach was at the bottom there, I remember tilting my

:05:42. > :05:47.helmet up and I remember going to him and I whispered in his ear -

:05:48. > :05:53.where did I come? He whispered back - you are Olympic champion. I

:05:54. > :06:00.remember thinking, now what, do do I -- what do I do? I remember looking

:06:01. > :06:04.back at the footage, I kept thinking --en didn't I take my helmet off.

:06:05. > :06:09.I'll advise the other girls to take their helmets off. You know Lizzy

:06:10. > :06:14.Yarnold particularly well. You are her landlady. I am, as it happens.

:06:15. > :06:19.Yeah, she rents one of my flats from me. I advise here. She was close to

:06:20. > :06:23.me in training. For preparations you do everything as an athlete to help

:06:24. > :06:28.you train and prepare. She has been living it for the last summer. I

:06:29. > :06:33.like to think I'm a good landlady. How is she as a competitor? How calm

:06:34. > :06:37.is she? She is a unique athlete. I have been impressed with her

:06:38. > :06:42.training it's a tud. She trained so hard. -- with her training attitude.

:06:43. > :06:49.She saw me win four years ago. She was like - I want to go to so muchy.

:06:50. > :06:52.She has been bringing on the same principles I did, I've helped her

:06:53. > :06:56.out. She has gone from strength-to-strength. She works hard

:06:57. > :07:02.and know what is she wants. She is a natural. Has great form,

:07:03. > :07:06.aerodynamic. Learns those lineser hard and puts it all in on a race

:07:07. > :07:11.day. Look at how well she has been foamed. It'll be exciting to watch

:07:12. > :07:16.the skeleton. I'll come boost the Olympic rings. You have seen

:07:17. > :07:21.volunteers getting their photograph taken. And Matthew Pinsent. How are

:07:22. > :07:25.you? Very well. Not too cold. It is actually all right. Very warm during

:07:26. > :07:28.the days. So far we are not completely freezing yet. I wanted to

:07:29. > :07:32.talk to you about our flag-bearer in the opening ceremony tonight. This

:07:33. > :07:39.is a job you did in Sydney. How proud a moment is this for Jon Eley

:07:40. > :07:43.the short track speed-skater? I saw him give a presentation in front of

:07:44. > :07:45.Team GB the other night having been given the responsibility and the

:07:46. > :07:50.nominal leadership. I think it is great for him. A huge honour for

:07:51. > :07:55.anyone, given the chance to carry the flag. It is his third Games. He

:07:56. > :07:58.hasn't won a medal before. Hopefully, I think everyone hopes,

:07:59. > :08:03.that this sort of opportunity, this leg-up, will give him adrenaline

:08:04. > :08:08.boost and a feeling of - right, this is my moment, my Games. One of the

:08:09. > :08:12.reasons he has been selected, and elease Christie there, alongside

:08:13. > :08:15.him, who has a great chance in the short track speed-skating. They

:08:16. > :08:19.selected him for his experience but they also said he upholds the values

:08:20. > :08:28.they regard a good Team GB member to have. Gosh. Now you are going to ask

:08:29. > :08:31.me what that means. I guess, well, probably he is forthright, honest

:08:32. > :08:35.and respected by his team members. That's the way they do the

:08:36. > :08:39.flag-bearer. They ask each sport to put someone forward and then all of

:08:40. > :08:42.the game managers and leaders vote between themselves about which one

:08:43. > :08:45.it is going to be. He has obviously come through that process. Enough

:08:46. > :08:51.people know and respect him to give him the job for the night. Can I ask

:08:52. > :08:54.you, as an athlete, what is an opening ceremony like? Is it

:08:55. > :08:59.something you enjoy or a distraction from what you want to be doing? I

:09:00. > :09:02.think it depends how exciting the first bit is. Those opening big set

:09:03. > :09:07.pieces. Sometimes you are twiddling your thumbs and thinking - right,

:09:08. > :09:10.when do we get a chance to go on? But certainly that moment when you

:09:11. > :09:14.come into the stadium is electric and important that our guys use it

:09:15. > :09:19.in the right way and think - we are here, we should be excited. We

:09:20. > :09:23.should be full of the Olympic spirit T starts tonight. This is the most

:09:24. > :09:27.important moment yet, or so far but then it goes up another notch when

:09:28. > :09:31.you get to your venue and start competing and get through the heats.

:09:32. > :09:35.It is a series of ramp-ups. Tonight, they should enjoy it. They should be

:09:36. > :09:41.motivated by it. But there is still more to come. You had a little

:09:42. > :09:49.glimpse inside the Fisht Olympic Stadium but what about Sochi as a

:09:50. > :09:53.whole snl Jason Mohammed has been out and about and can tell you

:09:54. > :10:04.exactly. Welcome to Sochi, or and strange but

:10:05. > :10:08.true this, sunny winter Olympic city boosts the warmest climate in the

:10:09. > :10:12.whole of Russia. In the summer time this is the place to come but in

:10:13. > :10:16.seven years it has transformed itself from a popular holiday

:10:17. > :10:22.seaside resort to a region ready to make its Olympic debut.

:10:23. > :10:27.Now, the new Sochi is fully equipped for two weeks of world class

:10:28. > :10:31.sporting action. Thankfully, one winter Olympic necessity was already

:10:32. > :10:36.in place. A huge magnificent mountain range.

:10:37. > :10:42.Sochi is located in the south-west of Russia on the Black Sea coast and

:10:43. > :10:45.it is surrounded by the vast Caucasus mountain range. Threes

:10:46. > :10:49.mountains lie at the heart of Sochi's history. -- these mountains.

:10:50. > :10:56.In after 30 years of fighting in the region, Russian rule began. By the

:10:57. > :11:02.1930s, Stalin decided that Sochi should become a seaside paradise for

:11:03. > :11:07.Soviet workers. St, alin spent months at a time here painting green

:11:08. > :11:11.on the outside to prevent him from assassination attacks.

:11:12. > :11:13.If you think about it, there is a good chance that he made decision

:11:14. > :11:17.abouts life and death during the great purge. Despite Russia's

:11:18. > :11:21.troubled past, this country has been determined to turn Sochi into a

:11:22. > :11:24.modern Olympic host. The irony, however, is that none of the Games

:11:25. > :11:29.will take place in Sochi city itself. So, if I'm going to show you

:11:30. > :11:33.around, we need to get a move on. The Olympic Park is actually based

:11:34. > :11:42.closer to the town offed a letter and the mountain events will take

:11:43. > :11:45.place in the Polyana resort. 2,000m up the views have been breathtaking

:11:46. > :11:52.but this resort has changed completedly. Once a small Caucasus

:11:53. > :11:56.town, it is now a winter Olympic hub that will host the majority of the

:11:57. > :12:01.games. Down in the Olympic Park, five brand new venues are part of a

:12:02. > :12:05.new nifty design for Russia's first Winter Games. Best of all, they are

:12:06. > :12:09.in walking distance much each other and here at theed a letter arena,

:12:10. > :12:14.spectators will see a host of international talent on ice --

:12:15. > :12:20.Adler. The home crowd will be here, in the Bolshoy Ice Dome routing for

:12:21. > :12:23.the Russian ice hockey team. The medal President Putin wants most is

:12:24. > :12:27.the gold for the men in this arena. The iceberg will host a figure

:12:28. > :12:31.skating competition and at the Ice Cube our British teams will be going

:12:32. > :12:35.for gold in the curling. The stage is set for the largest number of

:12:36. > :12:38.events in winter Olympic history. Athletes will strive to etch their

:12:39. > :12:44.names into the record books before the Games close here Te Kanawa Fisht

:12:45. > :12:49.Stadium. This is -- at the Fisht stadium. This is Sochi 2014. And

:12:50. > :12:55.this is the scene here. You can see the lights and it really does look

:12:56. > :13:00.spectacular. The opening ceremony, it will be underway shortly. The

:13:01. > :13:05.stadium is filling up in terms of spectators and it is a big secret as

:13:06. > :13:09.to what will happen and who will light the flame get the Winter

:13:10. > :13:14.Olympic Games underway. But what about the locals? What do Russians

:13:15. > :13:21.make of the money spent and the fact that for the first time Russia is

:13:22. > :13:26.hosting a Winter Olympic Games. So this winter games has made headlines

:13:27. > :13:30.all over the world, not always for the right reasons. Everyone has had

:13:31. > :13:35.their say on the cost, venues and politics. I have come to a

:13:36. > :13:42.traditional Russian restaurant to find out what the people here think.

:13:43. > :13:49.Which sport are you looking forward to seeing?

:13:50. > :14:07.Russia has spent a lot of money on the Olympic Games.

:14:08. > :14:16.You don't think it is too much? What do you think the people around the

:14:17. > :14:46.world are thinking about Russia right now?

:14:47. > :14:53.How many gold medals are Russia going to win? All of them? All of

:14:54. > :15:13.them. That is the genuine view of the

:15:14. > :15:17.locals. Joining me is the BBC's Moscow correspondent, demand yell

:15:18. > :15:22.Sandford. Do you find in your time here that Russia is different from

:15:23. > :15:28.how you expected it to be? It is a more modern nation than people think

:15:29. > :15:33.it is. People think of the Soviet stereotype but it has moved on since

:15:34. > :15:38.then. If you if to the small towns it is still the same place, and some

:15:39. > :15:43.of the attitudes are there, and some of the anti-western attitudes are

:15:44. > :15:46.there, at ground level. Crucially there is still a tension between

:15:47. > :15:51.western countries and Russia. That is partly because it suits Russia's

:15:52. > :15:58.politicians for that tension to exist. Why? Politically they know

:15:59. > :16:03.they have people out there that view the West suspiciously and if they

:16:04. > :16:07.want to get the core vote in the far-flung regions of Russia, that's

:16:08. > :16:13.a way of acting. If you have an enemy in Russian politics, it brings

:16:14. > :16:16.the nation together. One of those firebrand points, one of those real

:16:17. > :16:22.areas of disagreement between the liberal western countries and Russia

:16:23. > :16:26.is over gay rights. How much does President Putin notice what

:16:27. > :16:31.everybody else thinks? And is this something where he might be more

:16:32. > :16:36.progressive in future? President Putin has very acute antennae. He

:16:37. > :16:41.listens carefully to what the world says but also to what his own people

:16:42. > :16:46.are saying. Of course he knows what people have said but he knows from

:16:47. > :16:58.extensive opinion polling what Russians think of these issues. His

:16:59. > :17:04.people are conservative, with a small c, and it suits him a bit if

:17:05. > :17:08.the West is criticising him for standing up to these conservative

:17:09. > :17:13.values as he sees it. I don't think at the moment he will listen but if

:17:14. > :17:17.Russians change, he will start to change. As far as the opening

:17:18. > :17:22.ceremony is concerned, is this a demonstration about power? Is this

:17:23. > :17:25.about Putin himself? These Olympics are incredibly important to Russia,

:17:26. > :17:31.because this is a moment when they are starting to rebrand themselves.

:17:32. > :17:34.To set aside first of all the Soviet stereotypes and the chaotic years

:17:35. > :17:39.when they've been trying to chaing themselves. Putin is using this as

:17:40. > :17:44.an opportunity to say this is our new status as a modern nation. He

:17:45. > :17:50.knows that his own people aren't sure that they are there yet, but he

:17:51. > :17:54.can say to the Russians, look, you may think I haven't done that much

:17:55. > :17:58.for you in the last ten years, but I brought the world to Sochi, and that

:17:59. > :18:02.is very important to him. That was an interesting debate, if I can say

:18:03. > :18:13.as such, between the head of Sochi 2014, who is called? Dmitry

:18:14. > :18:19.Chernyshenko. And the new ICC President, Thomas Bach, about

:18:20. > :18:23.whether athletes were allowed to make statements in press

:18:24. > :18:28.conferences. He said if they want to, they can. This brings home to

:18:29. > :18:33.you the reality of modern Russia, the Russian political classes think

:18:34. > :18:37.they can control everything. So Dmitry Chernyshenko was saying no,

:18:38. > :18:42.you can't make political statements at the Olympics, but Thomas Bach

:18:43. > :18:46.quickly brought him up and said no, that's not the rules, and Dmitry

:18:47. > :18:50.Chernyshenko quickly had to back down. Russia's ruling classes are

:18:51. > :18:55.used to having things their own way but they are not quite in control of

:18:56. > :19:00.this. This is the IOC's game, they are just based in Russia. One could

:19:01. > :19:04.argue that because the Winter Olympics are being hosted here in

:19:05. > :19:09.Sochi there is more awareness of Russia and how it needs to modernise

:19:10. > :19:14.than if the Winter Olympics hadn't been brought here at all. It was a

:19:15. > :19:18.contact late risk by the Russian leadership and Vladimir Putin. They

:19:19. > :19:22.knew they were going to attract a lot of negative publicity. Russia is

:19:23. > :19:26.still a complicated and confused place. There are lots of dark

:19:27. > :19:29.secrets that bubble up to the surface. They've expected what's

:19:30. > :19:33.happened over the last few months, the focus on human rights, the fact

:19:34. > :19:37.they had to release a lot of people from prison in order to deal with

:19:38. > :19:41.that particular problem. But I think they are hoping that after that has

:19:42. > :19:45.all upon the and people watch the Games, people will say actually that

:19:46. > :19:50.was perhaps better than they expected from Russia. And then they

:19:51. > :19:56.are starting to build this new image, this new brand heading

:19:57. > :20:00.towards the World Cup in 2018, the golden prize. Interesting, Daniel

:20:01. > :20:04.will join Hazel and Robin inside the stadium. He will be part of our

:20:05. > :20:10.commentary team. Thank you. As for Hazel, she's already been

:20:11. > :20:14.part of this extraordinary journey towards Sochi 2014, and the ceremony

:20:15. > :20:19.will be particularly special for her, because she carried the torch

:20:20. > :20:24.in Moscow in October on the second day of the relay. It has been on a

:20:25. > :20:29.40,000 mile trip. In October it went to the North Pole. That's the first

:20:30. > :20:32.time that the flame has burned in the natural refrigeration up there.

:20:33. > :20:39.But for Hazel it couldn't have been in safer hands. We are going to join

:20:40. > :20:43.her now to tell us what we can expect in the opening ceremony. Yes

:20:44. > :20:47.Clare, I was grateful for the honour. The baggy track suit not so

:20:48. > :20:53.much. It was a great thrill to run with the Olympic torch. That's the

:20:54. > :20:57.limit of my Olympic achievements. This man, Robin Cousins, has a gold

:20:58. > :21:01.medal from his efforts 34 years ago. What might the athletes and the

:21:02. > :21:07.British team be going through at this moment before the opening

:21:08. > :21:12.ceremony? An incredible excitement. From the team GB excitement they are

:21:13. > :21:18.pumped. There is a wonderful excitement in the camp, and to feel

:21:19. > :21:22.that atmosphere during the flag raising. They are ready to get

:21:23. > :21:27.going. They love the venues. Let's hope they can give the performances

:21:28. > :21:32.they want. What's your impression of the venue? Is the skating venue is

:21:33. > :21:39.gorgeous. I want to put my skates on and feel it. It has an intimacy even

:21:40. > :21:44.though it is a large venue. Everyone is doing what they can to make sure

:21:45. > :21:50.the athletes do what they can. The volume levels are going up here in

:21:51. > :21:56.the stadium! What are wing up for tonight? Something exciting. London

:21:57. > :22:02.was frivolity, but this is going to be high culture, so they tell us,

:22:03. > :22:06.opera and ballet. We had pop culture with Danny Boyle's opening ceremony

:22:07. > :22:10.in London, but this one is going to be worth a watch. It is a great

:22:11. > :22:14.show. At the end of it we'll see how and who will light the Olympic

:22:15. > :22:19.cauldron. That's a closely guarded secret, but the Olympic flame is on

:22:20. > :22:24.its way. Thank you to Robin and haze hell,

:22:25. > :22:29.who is working on her 13th Olympics, her six Winter Games. The torch for

:22:30. > :22:35.the first time went to the North Pole. Here are the shots of that.

:22:36. > :22:44.And also in November cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky carried

:22:45. > :22:48.an unlit torch outside the International Space Station, 260

:22:49. > :22:52.miles above the earth. The torch has been on a spacecraft twice before

:22:53. > :22:57.but it has never been taken into open space.

:22:58. > :23:00.And this is where ultimately the Olympic flame will be burning

:23:01. > :23:04.throughout these Games. The I've been told that the way it will be

:23:05. > :23:08.lit is going to be quite dramatic. We'll see that at the end of the

:23:09. > :23:11.opening ceremony. We want you at home to be in touch with us

:23:12. > :23:18.throughout these Winter Olympics, throughout the opening ceremony as

:23:19. > :23:24.well. Use the # #bbcsochi. That will make sure we see anything you say on

:23:25. > :23:30.social media. If you go to our BBC Sport website you will find a link

:23:31. > :23:35.to all the Winter Olympics and when everything is being shown, with

:23:36. > :23:39.profiles of all the athletes. You can find out about the leading names

:23:40. > :23:43.in different sports, and the best of your comments on social media will

:23:44. > :23:50.be used. You can be on it throughout the ceremony if you want to. You can

:23:51. > :23:56.have a dual version of BBC input. We are here in the Olympic Park. As

:23:57. > :23:59.you are aware there is no snow here. Let's head to the mountain as, where

:24:00. > :24:07.there most definitely is and get a guide to everything up there from Ed

:24:08. > :24:14.Leigh. As far as commutes to work goes,

:24:15. > :24:22.this isn't a bad one. Welcome to the Caucasus Mountains and the which

:24:23. > :24:29.exists because of the Olympic Games. An estimated cost of $51 billion,

:24:30. > :24:30.these are reputed to be the most expensive Games in history. A big

:24:31. > :24:57.chunk of that spend lies right here. A few years ago none of this

:24:58. > :25:04.existed. A dirt track that led to a few minor dwelling has been trancer

:25:05. > :25:07.formled into a highway-fed super-resort capable of hosting

:25:08. > :25:10.these winters Games. Tens of thousands of construction workers

:25:11. > :25:15.have laboured around the clock to finish road and rail links, plus

:25:16. > :25:25.hotels and utilities before they even started on the Olympic venues,

:25:26. > :25:30.which include a cross-country and biathlon contest, an alpine resort,

:25:31. > :25:37.a sliding centre, and this bad boy, a 265 million dollar ski jump, the

:25:38. > :25:48.single most expensive venue of them all. But have they succeeded? Has it

:25:49. > :25:54.all been worth it? The best test will come when this feat of human

:25:55. > :25:57.endeavour hosts an Olympic Games. One thing is for certain, with this

:25:58. > :26:06.much political and financial investment, expectations are high.

:26:07. > :26:10.From the mountains back down here to the Olympic Park. And there the

:26:11. > :26:15.British team making their way into the stadium. Johnny Lee will be

:26:16. > :26:22.carrying the flag. With ehave 56 athletes here, the largest winter

:26:23. > :26:27.Olympic team since 1988. You get an idea there of the Russian hats

:26:28. > :26:31.they've decided to wear. Those jackets will keep them warm. They

:26:32. > :26:38.are in high spirits. You will see plenty of their photos I'm sure

:26:39. > :26:47.across social media. Let's hope they don't get lost! Our

:26:48. > :26:54.curling team have a great chance of a medal.

:26:55. > :26:58.Ed Leigh is with me now with his Ski Sunday in crime Graham Bell.

:26:59. > :27:04.Welcome. You will have skied as much of it as you can, how does it feel?

:27:05. > :27:10.Pretty good actually. The mountains are good on top. They've

:27:11. > :27:15.water-injected the men's downhill and it was pretty rock 'n' roll.

:27:16. > :27:22.Tough. Who will that suit? The big headline story of these Games could

:27:23. > :27:27.be Bodie Miller. He loves it really tough. He loves it water-injected.

:27:28. > :27:32.This time around he isn't partying or going out to the knife clubs. He

:27:33. > :27:40.is married. His wife is in the finish area. He's a different Bodie

:27:41. > :27:44.Miller. A changed person. And who will be carrying the flag for

:27:45. > :27:47.Norway? He is one of the best, certainly the favourite going into

:27:48. > :27:57.it. The last time a favourite won was way back in' 8 -- in '-88 in

:27:58. > :28:01.Calgary. He is topping but isn't necessarily favourite to win the

:28:02. > :28:06.race. The men's downhill, with the best will in the world we haven't

:28:07. > :28:11.got many chances of British medals in al skiing but we have in

:28:12. > :28:14.slopestyle. Ed, that's your territory. Are you excited that

:28:15. > :28:20.maybe for the first time the Winter Olympics is taking this seriously?

:28:21. > :28:25.We've got some really really deep seams of talent that have been taken

:28:26. > :28:31.from dry slopes and from indoor snow domes. We can't build half pikes in

:28:32. > :28:39.the UK but snow domes are the perfect training ground, and the

:28:40. > :28:47.four slopes. Ski slope is three rails and four jumps. Jamie Nicholls

:28:48. > :28:52.and Jenny Jones and Amy full ter, we've got some real talent. Is the

:28:53. > :28:59.snow artificial? They tried to run a test event in February 2013 and they

:29:00. > :29:04.couldn't be the slopestyle, so they blew huge amounts of artificial

:29:05. > :29:09.snow. These jumps have been carved. They are expecting them to melt a

:29:10. > :29:15.bit but they haven't. So they've ended up with huge pile of snow.

:29:16. > :29:20.Artificial snow sets like concrete, no give in it. The landings are very

:29:21. > :29:24.icy. Temperatures are set to rise, so we'll get spring conditions and

:29:25. > :29:29.that plays into the slopestyle, skiers and snowboarders' hands. The

:29:30. > :29:35.first medals will be awarded tomorrow morning. You can see that

:29:36. > :29:39.at 8. 45am on BBC Two. That's your Olympic channel.

:29:40. > :29:44.Some of the British medal chances. Let's take you through all of those

:29:45. > :29:52.that could be in contention. Here's Matthew Pinsent.

:29:53. > :29:58.Back in Chamonix in 1924 when the British team won that record number

:29:59. > :30:02.of medals, there were no skiing events. Probably because the

:30:03. > :30:05.technology was something like this. But now, it is a lot more advanced

:30:06. > :30:14.and the British team are still aiming high. So where better to

:30:15. > :30:19.start than the top of the mountain. Dave Ryding and Chemmy Alcott are

:30:20. > :30:23.our sole representatives in the Alpine events. Chemmy has been

:30:24. > :30:28.played with illnesses and injuries since Vancouver in 2010.

:30:29. > :30:32.The extreme park might just be where we win the bulk of the British

:30:33. > :30:36.medals. We have a young team just itching to take on the world in

:30:37. > :30:41.Sochi. Especially in the new discipline of slope style. World

:30:42. > :30:47.number 2, Billy Morgan goes in the men's snowboard slope style. That

:30:48. > :30:51.goes tomorrow and double X Games gold medallist Jenny Jones goes in

:30:52. > :30:59.the women's event on the 9th. It won't just be snowboarders taking

:31:00. > :31:04.part in this amaze amazing venue. Katie Summerhayes has recovered from

:31:05. > :31:08.a knee operation to be a medal contender. You won't be able to take

:31:09. > :31:14.your eyes off summer star in the making, 2013 World Cup champion,

:31:15. > :31:20.James Woods. He does the men's event on 13th.

:31:21. > :31:35.Among the Brits with the outside chance of a medal. Rowan Cheshire is

:31:36. > :31:40.there. Now time for the slide sliding

:31:41. > :31:46.centre. The skeleton represents our best gold medal shot. Lizzy Yarnold

:31:47. > :31:51.comes in as World Cup champion having won four races this season.

:31:52. > :31:55.She is a gold medal favourite but Shelley Rudman, Olympic silver

:31:56. > :31:59.medallist from 2006 and current World Champion should the be

:32:00. > :32:04.discounted. Down at sea level for the indoor events, it's curling

:32:05. > :32:07.takes place in the ice Cube, Eve Muirhead brings in a British team

:32:08. > :32:11.that are World Champions. They will be hoping to compete right the way

:32:12. > :32:15.through to the end of the women's event on 20th February. The men's

:32:16. > :32:20.team, as world bronze medallists, will be hoping to still be there at

:32:21. > :32:24.the end of theirs, the day after, on 211st.

:32:25. > :32:31.A short hop across the Olympic Park, and you get to the beautiful iceberg

:32:32. > :32:35.venue. It is hear that Elise Christie heads up a strong squad of

:32:36. > :32:39.British short track speed-skaters. Our best medal chance comes in her

:32:40. > :32:43.favoured event the 1,000m. Once all those are out of the way, we have to

:32:44. > :32:49.go, once more, back up to the mountains.

:32:50. > :32:54.Royal Marine sergeant, John Jackson and his team have to wait until the

:32:55. > :32:57.final day of the Games to compete in the four-man bobsleigh. After a

:32:58. > :33:04.silver in the European Championships and a World Cup second place, they

:33:05. > :33:07.certainly come into the Winter Games in flying form. Can they bring down

:33:08. > :33:11.the curtain on the British effort here with just one more medal?

:33:12. > :33:16.That's it. Two weeks of sport. Two weeks of British chances. After

:33:17. > :33:23.London 2012, this is going to be Team GB - the next chapter.

:33:24. > :33:26.And actually some bad news for that four-man bob that Matthew was

:33:27. > :33:31.promoting, hopefully as a medal hope. Craig Pickering, a former

:33:32. > :33:34.sprinter and actually missed the London 2012 Olympics with a back

:33:35. > :33:38.problem. That back problem has come back and he is forced to miss the

:33:39. > :33:42.Winter Olympics as well. We are waiting to hear how they will

:33:43. > :33:47.reshape that four-man bob. I have moved over here to show you. Away

:33:48. > :33:53.there, the blue stage you can see, is where they will be hosting all of

:33:54. > :33:57.the medals ceremonies. After every event, whether the mountains,

:33:58. > :33:59.sliding centre or extreme park or down here, it's medals ceremonies

:34:00. > :34:02.will happen here. That's the ultimate aim for the athletes who

:34:03. > :34:08.are heading into the stadium. Let's catch up with Team GB and see who

:34:09. > :34:11.Jason has managed to talk to. Shelley Rudman and Eve Muirhead are

:34:12. > :34:16.on their way into the Fisht stadium. Can you tell me what is going

:34:17. > :34:19.through your mind right now? What is the atmosphere like? Electrifying.

:34:20. > :34:22.Everybody is really excited and proud to be representing Great

:34:23. > :34:26.Britain. Eve, what do you make of this Olympic Park? It is pretty

:34:27. > :34:30.special? It is unbelievable. It is like London, a fantastic atmosphere.

:34:31. > :34:35.The stadiums next to each other. It is excited to get going. It is super

:34:36. > :34:38.good. Confident of winning a medal We are. We are going in full of

:34:39. > :34:41.confidence. We will give it everything. Lovely to see you. The

:34:42. > :34:46.nation is behind you. Thank you very much indeed, guys. Good luck,

:34:47. > :34:50.goodbye, thank you. Great to see them smiling and

:34:51. > :34:54.running back there to catch up with the rest of the teem. Eve Muirhead

:34:55. > :34:57.skipper of the curling team and Shelley Rudman the reigning World

:34:58. > :35:01.Champion in skeleton and has a strong chance of making the podium.

:35:02. > :35:05.We could have two of them there together with her team-mate, Lizzy

:35:06. > :35:10.Yarnold. It is' interesting. The competition has begun and I'll grab

:35:11. > :35:14.Ed Leigh and bring him in. He has been watching qualification for the

:35:15. > :35:18.slopestyle snowboarding and we had Billy Morgan and Jamie Nicholls.

:35:19. > :35:22.Billy Morgan was the one everyone was talking about beforehand. He is

:35:23. > :35:25.number two in the world? Yes, there has been an up and down

:35:26. > :35:30.qualification process for the Games. They haven't managed to run too many

:35:31. > :35:33.men's slope style events. Billy has done well in qualification and then

:35:34. > :35:38.they cancelled the finals on him. He has done well. There is two - a bit

:35:39. > :35:42.like boxing, there are two governing bodies. But Billy has managed to

:35:43. > :35:45.come through and really prove himself under the FIS system, the

:35:46. > :35:50.one they use here at the Olympics. He came out. A lot of people were

:35:51. > :35:54.hoping for big things. He pulled out the triple cork, the big move all of

:35:55. > :35:58.the riders have been hunting for in the build-up. He landed it on the

:35:59. > :36:01.second run. The score was not anywhere close to what he was

:36:02. > :36:05.looking for. He thought he was going to be up in the 90s N contrast,

:36:06. > :36:10.Jamie Nicholls had recognised that the judges maybe were looking for

:36:11. > :36:14.more technical flat spins, rather than gymnastic flips that Billy went

:36:15. > :36:19.for. It was something we hadn't anticipated. Jamie landed this. A

:36:20. > :36:25.switch. He takes off going backwards and spins four times. That's '1,440

:36:26. > :36:29.degrees. He has only done that device before. He decided at the top

:36:30. > :36:32.he was going to have a go at it. You can see the look on his face.

:36:33. > :36:37.Express static. He was floating around in a daze for about 20

:36:38. > :36:41.minutes afterwards and, he's earned - he's already set his goal. He has

:36:42. > :36:44.come into the finals. He has achieved what he set out to achieve.

:36:45. > :36:48.I think now, I hope that that will set him free. He has one more trick

:36:49. > :36:52.to go as well. Another trick he can use on the last jump, so he can

:36:53. > :36:56.improve. A lot of the other riders, I was very surprised in

:36:57. > :36:59.qualification. Most of them threw everything at qualification. There

:37:00. > :37:02.are two more rounds of competition left tomorrow and they have all

:37:03. > :37:07.thrown everything and the kitchen sink in there. So... The big

:37:08. > :37:15.surprise, the big disappointment is the biggest name in snowboarding,

:37:16. > :37:19.Shaun White. He decided to give the snowboard a miss to concentrate on

:37:20. > :37:23.the half-pipe. A couple of ways to look at this. In short he is a

:37:24. > :37:28.half-pipe machine but he is also a very, very competitive athlete. He

:37:29. > :37:32.is driven by a desire to win. Having focussed on half-pipe for so long,

:37:33. > :37:37.he came back to slope style and he'd lost pace. I don't think he realised

:37:38. > :37:41.just how far off the pace he was. He worked so hard to get in the US

:37:42. > :37:46.team. He took some huge slams in the build-up to these Games fighting his

:37:47. > :37:51.way into the US team. I think, when he got here, he realised how much he

:37:52. > :37:56.was risking by entering slopestyle and he knew that potentially he

:37:57. > :38:01.wasn't going to medal. So, you can look at that as a good thing, he was

:38:02. > :38:06.big enough to focus. It was a brave move, 24 hours away. There was Kyle

:38:07. > :38:10.Mac, the fourth athlete who would have taken his place, obviously left

:38:11. > :38:13.at home. And that, I think is the disappointing thing. When you make a

:38:14. > :38:16.decision like that, you have denied somebody else a place in the team.

:38:17. > :38:20.But going back to British medal chances and more names to look out

:38:21. > :38:26.for the jovial James Woods who is part of this new generation and he

:38:27. > :38:34.is a very patriotic member of Team GB as they make their debut here.

:38:35. > :38:37.Former UK snow snowboard champion has known him since he was a young

:38:38. > :38:47.boy. Who better to meet him at the airport.

:38:48. > :38:56.The flight from London Heathrow has arrived. Let's go and find our man.

:38:57. > :39:04.How are you? Hello. Show me where we are going. It is easy. This way.

:39:05. > :39:10.Let's get going. Woodsy here we are. First time in

:39:11. > :39:14.Russia. It is exciting, isn't it. It is quite impressive. So, there is

:39:15. > :39:18.the flame. That will take some lighting. The Fisht stadium. Once

:39:19. > :39:21.you have caught a fish, it's been fished. A good way of remembering

:39:22. > :39:27.it. So, this is Sochi down here. This is

:39:28. > :39:33.the Olympic Village y centry bit. But we, of course, are going up to

:39:34. > :39:38.the mountains. Do you still get butter flies in your tummy when you

:39:39. > :39:42.come to new mountains? I'm excited to sky and get some tricks done.

:39:43. > :39:47.It's been a few days since I have actually ridden.

:39:48. > :39:53.-- to ski. Is this it? Are we here? I don't

:39:54. > :40:02.know what Russian is for, "We've arrived", but we've arrived. Close

:40:03. > :40:06.the door. Let's get on the gondola. Wow. How important is the result to

:40:07. > :40:10.you, here? Obviously huge. I mean the Olympics is the top thing in

:40:11. > :40:15.sport. I'm at the top of my ga. I'm loving it. Have a look over there.

:40:16. > :40:20.You can probably see the Union Flags. Oh, that is us. Home for the

:40:21. > :40:26.next month, right there, look. Wicked.

:40:27. > :40:30.I feel like I'm sneaking a cheeky look. Can you get into the athletes'

:40:31. > :40:35.village down there? You can't get in unless you have a pass. He is an

:40:36. > :40:41.athlete. We'll go and have a look. That was rather presumptuous of that

:40:42. > :40:45.lady. Let's get you home. Come on. There it is. The Union Flag. How

:40:46. > :40:51.does it feel to be representing Team GB? It's huge. It's such a big - it

:40:52. > :40:55.is a big deal to me. I'm very patriotic in general. Obviously I

:40:56. > :41:02.don't think... What gives us that impression? We love that. Good luck.

:41:03. > :41:08.Put it there, big man. Good to see you.

:41:09. > :41:13.He's the man. I've known him since I was about 12. He is pretty nuts.

:41:14. > :41:17.And if you want to see Woodsy in action, you can do that from

:41:18. > :41:21.Thursday onwards in the slopestyle skiing. Well, this is the scene,

:41:22. > :41:25.darkness here across the Black Sea and on the south coast of Russia we

:41:26. > :41:30.are live in Sochi and just moments away from the opening ceremony of

:41:31. > :41:35.the Winter Olympic Games, the 22nd Olympiad. The athletes get the

:41:36. > :41:38.chance to take centre stage and they can re-write history over the next

:41:39. > :41:45.16 days of glorious sport. We will be covering it all on the BBC, on

:41:46. > :41:51.BBC Two and on Five Live and, of course on the website. You can join

:41:52. > :42:11.in, #bbcsochi if you want to make a comment. Not far away now.

:42:12. > :42:20.COMMENTATOR: Amy Williams is the Queen of speed. Oh, and he is over.

:42:21. > :42:35.The United States have beaten the Soviet Union. She's done it.

:42:36. > :42:44.It will be a emotional. It will be dramatic and glorious. Let's head

:42:45. > :42:49.inside that Fisht stadium, 40,000 taking their seats and for

:42:50. > :42:50.commentary, we join, Daniel Sandford, Robin Cousins and first of

:42:51. > :43:08.all, good evening to Hazel Irvine. Good evening everyone from inside

:43:09. > :43:13.the Fisht stadium. This is the start of the most expensive Olympics in

:43:14. > :43:18.history, summer or winter. Over ?30 billion has been spent for the event

:43:19. > :43:20.and we're about to see what return on the investment that the Russians

:43:21. > :43:47.and President Putin may get. Good things come to those who wait.

:43:48. > :43:52.Good evening from the Fisht stadium. The centre-piece of these venues.

:43:53. > :43:55.Gleaming new stadia all around at the start of the most expensive

:43:56. > :44:00.Olympics in history, summer or winter. Over ?30 billion has been

:44:01. > :44:05.spent and over the 16 days or so, we are about to see what kind of return

:44:06. > :44:14.on investment the Russians and President Putin will get.

:44:15. > :48:27.First things first, do you know your Russian ABC?

:48:28. > :48:39.Every one of Russia's 31 letters of the Cyrillic alphabet highlight

:48:40. > :48:48.their contribution to science, art and dance.

:48:49. > :48:56.It was a Scotsman, John Logie Baird, who first transmitted moving images

:48:57. > :49:03.in the 1920s. Our heroine is 9 years old, and her character's name is

:49:04. > :49:06.Lubov, the Russian word for love. As we've seen in other ceremonies

:49:07. > :49:10.through the years, this little girl is going to embark on a journey seen

:49:11. > :49:16.through the eyes of one little child. She dreams of Russia, a vast

:49:17. > :49:22.land, the largest country on the earth.

:49:23. > :50:05.And her dreams will take us on a journey across this land.

:50:06. > :50:11.Cover one 8th of the entire world's surface, it would take you nine

:50:12. > :50:17.hours in a plane to travel through nine different time zones from the

:50:18. > :50:24.Black Sea to the most easterly shores of Vladivostok, across 7

:50:25. > :50:28.million square miles of land. But tonight Russia's many diverse

:50:29. > :50:32.geographical regions are flying to us.

:50:33. > :50:40.Nine different landscapes float in front of us suspended from giant

:50:41. > :50:48.traps, almost four kilometres of rails on the roof of the Fisht

:50:49. > :50:51.stadium, among them the Ural mountain chain and the wilderness of

:50:52. > :51:41.the far north-east. Toot strains of Fly Away on the

:51:42. > :51:46.Wings of the Wind from Borodin's opera they fill the air, and 500

:51:47. > :51:51.cast members representing over 185 ethnic groups within the raugs

:51:52. > :51:58.federation will shortly be heard as they emerge. -- the Russian

:51:59. > :52:02.Federation. Robin, it is a beautiful start. It is exquisite and the scale

:52:03. > :53:13.and size is quite breathtaking. As the snow whirls all around, keep

:53:14. > :54:16.your eyes on the big flakes. A slight malfunction with one of the

:54:17. > :54:22.flakes, but I think we get the idea! In London we forged the Olympic

:54:23. > :54:26.rings. I think that's what you call a fast-freeze weld.

:54:27. > :54:47.And now it is time to meet the dignitaries.

:54:48. > :54:53.Daniel Sandford is watching this in the studio with Clare. To what

:54:54. > :54:58.extent are these Vladimir Putin's Games? It is a huge moment for him.

:54:59. > :55:02.This is really the culmination of his time as President. He's wanted

:55:03. > :55:06.to put Russia back on the world map. This is his first opportunity to

:55:07. > :55:12.really do that in a sporting context. So it is a big, big day for

:55:13. > :55:17.him. He's brought the Games to his own personal favourite city in

:55:18. > :55:23.Russia. That was a dream of his. He's pulled it off tonight.

:55:24. > :55:30.The build-up has been dominated by security concerns and controversies

:55:31. > :55:35.over human rights issues and disquiet about soaring costs and

:55:36. > :55:37.corruption. But for the next 16 days President Putin's Russia is under

:55:38. > :55:44.global scrutiny. As is tradition, we will hear the

:55:45. > :56:45.national anthem of our host country. #

:56:46. > :56:53.Russia - our sacred homeland. # Russia - our beloved country.

:56:54. > :57:08.# A mighty will, great glory. # These are your heritage for all

:57:09. > :57:11.time! # Be glorious, our free Motherland,

:57:12. > :57:20.Age-old union of fraternal peoples. # Ancestor-given wisdom of the

:57:21. > :57:25.people! #Be glorious, our country!

:57:26. > :57:29.#We are proud of you! # From the southern seas to the

:57:30. > :57:38.polar lands. # Spread are our forests and fields.

:57:39. > :57:44.# You are unique in the world, one of a kind.

:57:45. > :57:48.# This native land protected by God! # Be glorious, our free Motherland,

:57:49. > :57:54.Age-old union of fraternal peoples. # Ancestor-given wisdom of the

:57:55. > :58:04.people! #Be glorious, our country!

:58:05. > :58:14.#We are proud of you! # Wide spaces for dreams and for

:58:15. > :58:20.living. # Are opened for us by the coming

:58:21. > :58:24.years. # Our loyalty to the Motherland

:58:25. > :58:42.gives us strength. # Thus it was, thus it is and thus

:58:43. > :58:53.it always will be! # Be glorious, our free Motherland,

:58:54. > :59:09.Age-old union of fraternal peoples. # Ancestor-given wisdom of the

:59:10. > :59:18.people! #Be glorious, our country!

:59:19. > :59:51.#We are proud of you! # And the full-length anthem gets the

:59:52. > :00:02.full treatment. The flag raised by a group of Russian Cosmonauts. The

:00:03. > :00:10.anthem sung by the choir of the Sretensky Monastery. This is where

:00:11. > :00:13.it all began. In the early days, of course for ancient Greece. It is

:00:14. > :00:18.where this massive torch relay for so much I why's Games began, as

:00:19. > :00:23.well. It arrived, the flame in early October and it has embarked upon a

:00:24. > :00:29.40,000 mile journey around all 83 regions of Russia over the last 123

:00:30. > :00:34.days. The torch is shaped like the feather of a firebird. A magical

:00:35. > :00:38.glowing bird, used in Russian fairy tales, to light the way. The

:00:39. > :00:45.ground-breaking journey of the Olympic flame has seen it carried by

:00:46. > :00:48.roid, train, troika and nuclear-powered icebreaker to the

:00:49. > :00:57.North Pole. And to the bottom of the world's

:00:58. > :01:04.deepest lake, this one, Lake Baikal. It's been carried by 40,000

:01:05. > :01:08.torchbearers, and despite the old hiccup, famously involved a

:01:09. > :01:13.cigarette lighter, it arrived here in the crass no car region on

:01:14. > :01:23.Wednesday and it is making its way to the stadium later. Krasnodar.

:01:24. > :01:29.Robin, this was quite an be undertaking. It certainly S there is

:01:30. > :01:35.such a great pride, as the Flame is carried around the country. We felt

:01:36. > :01:40.it in 2012 enwith the Flame carried towards London. I was lucky to be

:01:41. > :01:44.carrying it in my adopted home town of Brighton. But you got to carry

:01:45. > :01:50.the flag here in Russia. I did. It was a great thrill. And believe me,

:01:51. > :01:54.it's quite heavy. I was pleased that I had done my

:01:55. > :01:59.shoelaces up by the end of it, I can tell you that. But it is coming and

:02:00. > :02:06.it has been a pretty snappy start to this ceremony. Some wonderful

:02:07. > :02:14.staging innovations and a subtle reinvention now of a traditional

:02:15. > :02:20.very tour, the Athletes' Paraded. Because as we prepare to welcome the

:02:21. > :02:25.competitors of the 22nd Olympiad, on to the stadium floor, we see

:02:26. > :02:31.projections, brilliant projections at that from space of the outline of

:02:32. > :02:37.each one of the record 88 nations and territories competing in Sochi.

:02:38. > :02:42.And symbolically, emerging from the very heart of each one of those

:02:43. > :02:47.nations, as the middle of the stadium floor opens up, here come

:02:48. > :03:03.the athletes. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the athletes of the

:03:04. > :03:07.Sochi, 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Starting as is tradition with the

:03:08. > :03:12.country at the heart of the Olympic movement, Greece where it all began.

:03:13. > :03:22.Although minus the lycra and thermals.

:03:23. > :03:33.We have a 5-year-old athlete from Turin, she's now 24. She is back

:03:34. > :03:41.from the third Games. This team includes the -- 15-year-old athlete.

:03:42. > :03:47.And we have the first ever Greek ski jumper.

:03:48. > :03:57.Australia. Well, it may be baking on Bondi. These are just as much at

:03:58. > :04:03.home in the cold. They are on the up in Winter Games. Best-ever in 2010

:04:04. > :04:08.for them. The two gold medal winners then are

:04:09. > :04:12.back to defend their title. They are bringing their best-ever team here.

:04:13. > :04:21.The current Aussie team includes three Olympic champions.

:04:22. > :04:27.Smith is back for one last go. Austria. Well, think Austria and

:04:28. > :04:33.think of skiing legends. But, it was a big shock for the once

:04:34. > :04:39.mighty wonder team, last time around, not a single medal in Alpine

:04:40. > :04:46.for any of their male skiers. My goodness, they are trying to put

:04:47. > :04:50.that right. Step up Hersher he is in the giant force in giant slalom.

:04:51. > :04:55.Talk about great expectations. Of course, Robin we'll see them in the

:04:56. > :04:59.likes of ski jumping, a record 130 athletes in this big Austrian team.

:05:00. > :05:14.It'll be great to see them back on form on the slopes, wouldn't it? It

:05:15. > :05:17.would. Huge expectations there. The first of the 15 post Soviet

:05:18. > :05:21.republics we'll see. The first one, in fact to declare independence when

:05:22. > :05:26.the Soviet Union was dissolved in December 1991. They have an ice

:05:27. > :05:31.dance couple and two Alpine skiers from a country that shares a lot in

:05:32. > :05:44.common with this region. It, too, is dominated by the giant cue cabbing

:05:45. > :05:52.us is -- calk be a us is mountain range.

:05:53. > :06:01.Albania. Their Alpine skier there. The best place for him was a 35th

:06:02. > :06:05.spot in the giant slalom, Erjon Tola, he carries the flag for

:06:06. > :06:17.Albania. Andorra. The tiny principality of an

:06:18. > :06:23.doeria. It was their cross-country skier who provided one of the iconic

:06:24. > :06:30.images four years ago when he battled out a sprint finish in the

:06:31. > :06:33.50 k classic event. It was a battle for second-last palatial and he won

:06:34. > :06:47.it. His sister is now part of the team and she's competing in

:06:48. > :06:53.biathlon. The second-largest country in South America. As ever, their

:06:54. > :07:00.winter team dominated by one family, thecy. Imari Birkne wreckses. All

:07:01. > :07:05.Alpine skiers this time. Incredibly, members of this same family have

:07:06. > :07:17.been wint other Olympians since 1988. It's in the genes. It is. I

:07:18. > :07:26.hear her dance is very good, too. You can stop doing the Macarena now.

:07:27. > :07:30.Armenia the smallest of the 15 former Soviet republics. A hop over

:07:31. > :07:38.the mountains from here. Four have made the trip.

:07:39. > :07:40.Sergey Mikayelyan carries the flag. We have 48 heads of state, we are

:07:41. > :08:02.told, here tonight. From the Caribbean, it's welcome

:08:03. > :08:08.back to the British Virgin Islands. The 21-year-old free-styler, Peter

:08:09. > :08:12.Crook, that's him. He will become only the second British Virgin

:08:13. > :08:16.Islands athlete at the Winter Olympics. Their first for 30 years.

:08:17. > :08:21.I think with all the palm trees around here, he'll probably be

:08:22. > :08:26.feeling at home. One of the few winter athletes to feel at home

:08:27. > :08:34.seeing a palm tree and a beach right next to it.

:08:35. > :08:38.A big cheer for Belarus. One of 14 countries that has be a land border

:08:39. > :08:44.with our Russian hosts. Another former Soviet public, once known as

:08:45. > :08:49.White Russia. Under the old system Belarus provide vieded some

:08:50. > :09:00.brilliant starts for the USS R, among them Olga Korbet.

:09:01. > :09:08.But Grishin will be defending his title in the freestyle. 27 in the

:09:09. > :09:17.team. All competing in on skis. There is an athlete nicknamed Dasha.

:09:18. > :09:22.Handy when you are a sprinter. Winter sports aren't what come to

:09:23. > :09:25.mind when you think about Belgium but there are mountains in the

:09:26. > :09:34.south-east. There are more than 800 kilometres of ski trails. We see the

:09:35. > :09:40.former IOC President Jacques Rogge there. He competed for his country.

:09:41. > :09:46.However, none of the members of this team is a cross-country skier.

:09:47. > :09:51.Bermuda. Will he or won't he, don the shorts? That's Tucker Murphy.

:09:52. > :10:00.They have all done T as ever, the bore mu Dans, never let us down.

:10:01. > :10:04.He is 32 -- Bermudans. He is a scholar from Oxford University. He

:10:05. > :10:07.finished 88th in his event four years ago. He is also an

:10:08. > :10:20.international triathlete. Bulgaria, lying just to the west of

:10:21. > :10:25.us here, across the Black Sea. Maria Kirkova Alpine skier at the front.

:10:26. > :10:32.And shes' competing in the slalom and giant slalom. Her third Winter

:10:33. > :10:38.Olympics. One of the Bulgarian countries didn't make the shortlist

:10:39. > :10:48.to host the 2020 games. What might have been, eh?

:10:49. > :10:57.Bosnia-Herzegovina. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Sarajevo

:10:58. > :11:03.games where Torvill and Dean swept the board. Thereafter, the country

:11:04. > :11:07.was ravaged by the Balkan war but they sent athletes to the

:11:08. > :11:15.Lillehammer games. Six then, five now, once more it is Zana number of

:11:16. > :11:23.ovakovic who holds their flag alot of, as she did in Vancouver. -- Zana

:11:24. > :11:27.a Novakovic. A big year for Brazil. Strange to think of the be Winter

:11:28. > :11:32.Olympics as a warm-up event but #245s' what it is for the nation

:11:33. > :11:35.that will host the summer's World Cup. Some venues might not be ready

:11:36. > :11:40.yet but their team here certainly is. They have men's and women's bob

:11:41. > :11:44.sled teams. So snowless nations, again, will be well-respect

:11:45. > :11:57.respected at the sliding centre in the mountains.

:11:58. > :12:07.Russians owe a fair bit to Macedonia.

:12:08. > :12:18.They provide the saints that provided the first alphabets which

:12:19. > :12:22.became the krillic alphabet and we saw a little bit of it from Lubov

:12:23. > :12:26.earlier on. Interesting to note, Robin, for the first time the team

:12:27. > :12:31.being marshalled both ways. And here we go.

:12:32. > :12:35.Great Britain. We say good evening to the 56 men and women who make up

:12:36. > :12:44.the largest Great Britain and Northern Ireland team since the

:12:45. > :12:52.Calgary Games of 1988. That is Jon Eley. A short track speed-skaters.

:12:53. > :12:55.Getting a hearty welcome. The man from Solihull celebrates his third

:12:56. > :12:59.Winter Games in short track. His best a fifth place. We see Chemmy

:13:00. > :13:04.Alcott. It is a special night for Chemmy. The first time in four Games

:13:05. > :13:08.she has been able to come to an Olympic opening ceremony. There were

:13:09. > :13:12.a few of the athletes, so. FigitErs who are saying - do I do it? Don't

:13:13. > :13:16.I? I have to compete tomorrow. You have to feel this atmosphere. It is

:13:17. > :13:21.fantastic. We see the Hungarians come in. We should tell you about

:13:22. > :13:25.some of the marvellous prospects for not only this team but for Great

:13:26. > :13:30.Britain's, Lizzy Yarnold, of course in skeleton. Shelley Rudman, Eve

:13:31. > :13:34.Muirhead, Dave Murdoch in curling. So plenty of hope for Great Britain

:13:35. > :13:48.and indeed a few hopes for the Hungarian team. Venezuela's one-man

:13:49. > :13:52.team is a man of great energy. What a story this is. He was diagnosed

:13:53. > :13:56.with a brain tumour at the age of eight. Only given three months to

:13:57. > :14:01.live and battled back it make a full recovery. At the age now of 43 he

:14:02. > :14:02.becomes an Olympian. That is wonderful and that's the Olympics.

:14:03. > :14:17.It is a true Olympic story. Making their 7th appearance at the

:14:18. > :14:24.winter Games the US Virgin Islands. The motto of those islands - United

:14:25. > :14:30.in pride and hope. That's jast minute Campbell. She follow in the

:14:31. > :14:38.track of of her father who also donned the boots and tracks for the

:14:39. > :14:43.islands. -- Jasmine. Wow. The Olympic motto is being

:14:44. > :14:47.rewrit web with the outfits tonight They match the gloves. The colours

:14:48. > :14:51.of the Olympic rings on the gloves. This is a take on this, I think. It

:14:52. > :14:56.is being interpreted several different ways. And Thomas back

:14:57. > :15:00.himself the President of the IOC, who competed, of course in fencing

:15:01. > :15:05.in his country, stands up to applaud one of their backest teams -- Thomas

:15:06. > :15:15.Bach. They're targeting 30 medals this time. And many could come up at

:15:16. > :15:29.the sliding centre in the bob sled. We have hot favourites in the luge.

:15:30. > :15:34.Another one-man team. I'm a one-man Army, he said, the first and only

:15:35. > :15:39.male athlete from Hong Kong, I'm very excited and honoured to be

:15:40. > :15:45.here. He began speed skating short track at ten and decided to pursue

:15:46. > :15:51.it, against his parents' wishes, but he's made it, and good on him. It

:15:52. > :15:59.was on this night four years ago that the Georgian team following the

:16:00. > :16:04.tragic death of a team-mate, and we remember him this evening. This has

:16:05. > :16:13.been a difficult time for the Georgians, a brief war between them

:16:14. > :16:17.and Russia, over the disputed territories of Abkhazia and South

:16:18. > :16:24.Ossetia, but four of their athletes have travelled here. We welcome the

:16:25. > :16:31.Danes. I had hoped they would be wearing woolly jumpers, but that's

:16:32. > :16:38.pretty smart. Lena Nielsen is carrying their flag. Sheis a curler.

:16:39. > :16:44.Believe it or not, Denmark have won only one silver medal in curling, in

:16:45. > :16:49.their whole history. Hello to Dominica, the Caribbean

:16:50. > :16:54.island, population 373,000, a milestone for the nation as they

:16:55. > :17:01.make their Winter Games debut. And it is a husband and wife team. They

:17:02. > :17:07.are both New Yorkers and they were offered citizenship after charitable

:17:08. > :17:14.work for the island. Thanks to the glorious sounds of the

:17:15. > :17:19.Russian Cyrillic alphabet, Z follows D, and that is why Zimbabwe is

:17:20. > :17:26.following them in the athletes' parade. Luke Stein is the man who is

:17:27. > :17:31.going to ski giant slalom for them, and good luck for him.

:17:32. > :17:36.Tonight marks Israel's 20th anniversary in the Olympics. In

:17:37. > :17:40.Lillehammer and they've got a team of five, the a short-tracker and an

:17:41. > :18:05.alpine skier. There were supposed to be three men

:18:06. > :18:16.competing for Iran. His family name comes from the Iranian ski resort of

:18:17. > :18:18.Semshack. Skiing and snowboarding are available throughout the season.

:18:19. > :18:35.Other ski resorts are available! Welcome to our friends from Ireland.

:18:36. > :18:40.Conor Lynn carrying the Irish tricolour. A team of five, featuring

:18:41. > :18:44.shamous O'Connor, who was born in San Diego and could have represented

:18:45. > :18:48.Russia through his mum and Great Britain through his dad. But he

:18:49. > :18:53.chose Ireland, where his grandparents were born. He is

:18:54. > :18:57.already through to the semifinals of the snowboard slow still tomorrow.

:18:58. > :19:05.We wish our Irish friends, as ever, the very best.

:19:06. > :19:10.You would think they are covered in snow and ice, Iceland would be a

:19:11. > :19:15.good bet for medals at the Winter Olympics, but nope. Will they

:19:16. > :19:20.finally win a first in what is their 17th Games? Remarkable Robin. It is,

:19:21. > :19:24.maybe it is just a bit too cold to ski, and they like to stay in front

:19:25. > :19:32.of the fire and have a tipple. That must be it.

:19:33. > :19:41.Very warm welcome from the Spanish here. They are led by Javier

:19:42. > :19:46.Fernandez, a man that you know well, and his talents could be major. The

:19:47. > :19:52.first ever European skating champion for Spain. Defending his title very

:19:53. > :19:57.well a month ago and is hungry and ready to try and get his first

:19:58. > :20:02.Olympic ice skating medal for his country.

:20:03. > :20:11.Italy's produced some of the great winter Olympians on skis. But look

:20:12. > :20:16.at the front. It's the man who is a master of the ice. It is the big

:20:17. > :20:23.man, one of the best ever in luge. He's won medals at least of the last

:20:24. > :20:32.five games - two golds, a silver and two bronze. Could he make it six out

:20:33. > :20:37.of six? The man now 40, I reckon he might slide right on to the medal

:20:38. > :20:42.podium again. Got a great chance, as indeed have many of these Italian

:20:43. > :20:48.skiers, snowboarders and winter Olympians.

:20:49. > :20:56.Another former Soviet republic, the flag adopted in 1992 with a blue

:20:57. > :21:10.background representing an endless sky and a gold n sun above a golden

:21:11. > :21:14.steppe eagle. And incredible talent. We'll be

:21:15. > :21:20.looking forward to seeing him here. Those events will take place in the

:21:21. > :21:28.iceberg skating Arena. A beautiful venue.

:21:29. > :21:41.The Cayman Islands,ed that their Winter Olympics debut in Vancouver.

:21:42. > :21:46.-- made their Winter Olympics debut in Vancouver. He must have enjoyed

:21:47. > :21:51.it because he's back again. A huge welcome for the Canadians,

:21:52. > :21:57.and no wonder. What magical Games they gave us four years ago in

:21:58. > :22:02.Vancouver. It is the ice hockey player making her fifth Olympic

:22:03. > :22:06.appearance in ice hockey. She leads the Canadian team. They really did

:22:07. > :22:10.own the podium in Vancouver, finishing with a record 14 gold

:22:11. > :22:16.medals, the most ever by a host nation in the Winter Games. They are

:22:17. > :22:23.back to try and regain their men's ice hockey and women's titles.

:22:24. > :22:27.Remember Crosby scoring the winning goal against the United States? The

:22:28. > :22:33.whole of Canada went into overdrive that night. This is the largest ever

:22:34. > :22:38.team, 220 Canadians. One of their gold medallists from four years ago

:22:39. > :22:39.confidently claimed a few weeks ago that Sochi's Games belong to Canada.

:22:40. > :22:52.We shall see. Cyprus have two alpine slalom

:22:53. > :22:59.skiers. That's him carrying the flag, and Alexandra Taylor. Her dad

:23:00. > :23:04.is English and her mum is a Greek Cypriot. They are gathering in

:23:05. > :23:13.Exeter and Okehampton to watch, so Good evening to the Taylors.

:23:14. > :23:20.Kurdistan in central Asia. A yellow motif representing the roof of a

:23:21. > :23:30.traditional yurt, in case you were wondering.

:23:31. > :23:37.We are used to seeing them at or near the top of the Summer Games

:23:38. > :23:41.medals table, but the Chinese are coming as a winter Olympic nation

:23:42. > :23:49.too, underlined by the fact that they are serious bidders for the

:23:50. > :23:58.2022 Games. The flag bearer is a figure skater. Her fiancee proposed

:23:59. > :24:04.live on television on their version of Dancing On Ice. Robin, do you see

:24:05. > :24:15.what you've started? It does, the it brings people together.

:24:16. > :24:27.The Chinese just taking in their surroundings. Saying their he

:24:28. > :24:34.believes. Seven of China's winter golds have come in short track. A

:24:35. > :24:38.shock two weeks ago when one of their well-decorated Olympians in

:24:39. > :24:44.short track broke her ankle. Shock, horror! Very sad for her but in her

:24:45. > :24:46.absence I'm sure there'll be no shortage of medals at the short

:24:47. > :25:07.track stadium. The Latvians, 57-strong con I think

:25:08. > :25:20.the tent. At their head a winner in the avalanche. -- a 57-strong

:25:21. > :25:27.contingent. Lebanon, two alpine ski from

:25:28. > :25:31.Lebanon. He is the flag bearer and most certainly they can train some

:25:32. > :25:38.of the time at home. They've been skiing on their own range since the

:25:39. > :25:41.1930s. Great skiing and great food. One restaurant offering the best

:25:42. > :25:47.sushi in the Middle East. You couldn't make it up.

:25:48. > :25:52.Bordering the Baltic Sea we are seeing them coming. It is the

:25:53. > :25:57.Lithuanians. That is probably the brightest outfit we are going to see

:25:58. > :26:03.tonight. Yet to win a medal as an independent nation. Nine fleets

:26:04. > :26:07.attempting to get them -- nine athletes attempting to get them off

:26:08. > :26:13.the mark tonight. The Principality of Liechtenstein, a

:26:14. > :26:19.team of four, and at their head the member of alpine skiing royalty. Her

:26:20. > :26:27.mum is one of the true alpine double gold in Lake Placid, where Robin won

:26:28. > :26:36.his gold. Her uncle won two medals as well. It is in the genes. No

:26:37. > :26:41.pressure. The nation that had its shiniest

:26:42. > :26:49.moment at these Games courtesy of the two silver medals earned by a

:26:50. > :26:59.great all round alpine skier, 22 years ago now.

:27:00. > :27:08.We say hello to Malta and to their first ever representative at the

:27:09. > :27:16.Winters. She was born in France, qualifies through her Maltese-born

:27:17. > :27:26.great granddad. She will compete on slopes 53 metres high.

:27:27. > :27:33.Morocco is one of four African countries competing in Sochi, as two

:27:34. > :27:37.ski resorts high in the atlas mountains, and two competitors. Both

:27:38. > :27:57.of them are alpine skiers. I should mention that the music for

:27:58. > :28:07.tonight is being mixed ring-side as the athletes are entering. And

:28:08. > :28:14.that's the DJ doing the mixing live. This fella is a character. He is at

:28:15. > :28:18.the tender age of 55 the second oldest winter Olympian. He spent

:28:19. > :28:24.over 30 years in Olympic competitions. His first competition

:28:25. > :28:30.was in Sarajevo in 1984. He is going to ski in a mariachi-themed racing

:28:31. > :28:36.suit, which has to be seen to be believed.

:28:37. > :28:42.Moldova, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, it was once part of the

:28:43. > :28:44.Soviet Union. Six Games for them. Five athletes, four on skis, and one

:28:45. > :29:10.on luge. Albert of Monaco was a regular

:29:11. > :29:14.Olympian. Five times he drove the bobsleigh, and there he is. He ran

:29:15. > :29:20.with the Olympic torch in Moscow in October. He is watching a team of

:29:21. > :29:23.five. And yes they do have a bob team. It is in the two-man event

:29:24. > :29:31.this time. Welcome to Mongolia, their two

:29:32. > :29:36.representatives were keen to get us under way and were among the first

:29:37. > :29:40.teams to be welcomed into the Olympic Village last Saturday. It is

:29:41. > :29:47.a delightful minus 17 in the capital, Ulan Bator today. Their

:29:48. > :29:51.Italian-designed outfits are made of Mongolian cashmere, and that is

:29:52. > :29:53.their secret. That's the costume you want to switch, try and get that one

:29:54. > :30:03.at the end of the Games. Three Indian competitors here

:30:04. > :30:07.competing as independent Olympic participants. India has been

:30:08. > :30:14.suspended temporarily from the IOC and is expected to return to the

:30:15. > :30:17.fold soon. Their three competitor compete for a fifth time in luge at

:30:18. > :30:33.the winters. There he is - he's 44. He says, I

:30:34. > :30:38.think there's a chance I'll finish last, but the placing is not

:30:39. > :30:40.important, if I can teach young people about the spirit of the

:30:41. > :31:02.Olympics. No surprise to anybody that she's a

:31:03. > :31:09.long-track speed skater. 82 out of 86 of the Netherlands' winter medals

:31:10. > :31:15.have come at the long-track speed skating. 27 of those are gold. Their

:31:16. > :31:29.big stars are here again. The flying Dutchman - targeting three golds.

:31:30. > :31:36.Well, it is a pleasant 24 Celsius right now in Auckland - almost

:31:37. > :31:41.approaching the height of their summer. 15 of their boys and girls

:31:42. > :32:00.have got on their skates. Here they come - the most successful

:32:01. > :32:06.nation in Winter Olympics history - a population of just under five

:32:07. > :32:12.million people. They have won 306 medals. One-third of them gold.

:32:13. > :32:17.Extraordinary turn for this sport - winter sports mad nation. It is

:32:18. > :32:21.extraordinary. It goes through figure skating, through the shooting

:32:22. > :32:30.the biathlons - the speed skaters. They really cover all of the winter

:32:31. > :32:34.sports. It is more of their cross-country skiers and alpine

:32:35. > :32:39.skiers doing the business at the moment.

:32:40. > :32:50.Look out for the Iron Lady, as she is known.

:32:51. > :33:01.That is an 18-year-old skier. Learnt to ski in hand-made wooden skis,

:33:02. > :33:05.hand made by his uncle. Says he wants a solid performance to try and

:33:06. > :33:17.encourage more development for skiing in his part of the world.

:33:18. > :33:30.A free-style skier, the first ever Winter Olympics Winter Olympicsian

:33:31. > :33:39.skier. She was adopted aged six month months.

:33:40. > :33:49.Is some of the most wonderrous mountain scenery. They have a

:33:50. > :33:52.43-year-old in charge tonight - a cross-country skier. He didn't think

:33:53. > :34:06.he would make it. He broke a couple of ribs and cracked a couple more.

:34:07. > :34:15.The fifth games for him. Of one of 12 nations to have

:34:16. > :34:31.appeared at every single Winter Games, since the first. They are

:34:32. > :34:39.getting to watch the ceremony unfold. They said it would take 40

:34:40. > :34:43.minutes to get everybody in. 2, 800 athletes here. We see the

:34:44. > :34:49.Portuguese. No history of winter sport in Portugal. We normally hit

:34:50. > :34:54.there for warmth. The first woman in that team - that's not her, by the

:34:55. > :34:57.way, to represent her country at the Winter Games. Born to a Swiss mum

:34:58. > :35:16.and a Portuguese dad. Finished fifth in the medals last

:35:17. > :35:28.time around. Look out for their short track

:35:29. > :35:37.skating stars. Look out for Lee Kyou-Hyuk. The

:35:38. > :35:43.longest serving Olympian. Lm Kip, claimed the lady lady's

:35:44. > :35:47.title last time out. She hasn't really had much of a competition

:35:48. > :35:57.season. She's here to retain that title.

:35:58. > :36:04.Romania gave us some wonderful appearances.

:36:05. > :36:10.One bronze in 1968. Nothing since in the last 46 years.

:36:11. > :36:18.You know, we have a lot of relatively new republics competing

:36:19. > :36:24.here. San Marino has been an independent republic landlocked by

:36:25. > :36:29.Italy since 885 AD. The world's oldest republic. Two of the youngest

:36:30. > :36:38.generation, both 17, both alpine skiers.

:36:39. > :36:50.Second time competing on their own at a Winter Games for Serbia. Team

:36:51. > :37:12.of eight. He will compete in both biathlon and cross-country skiing .

:37:13. > :37:27.Slovakia, led by Big Z - Zdeno Chara. He's the tallest in the North

:37:28. > :37:33.hockey league in America. He's a big lad?

:37:34. > :37:35.My sources tell me they might just have an outside chance of getting a

:37:36. > :38:06.medal there too. All of their medals have come on

:38:07. > :38:11.snow. None of them has been in the most precious colour - gold. Could

:38:12. > :38:16.their alpine skier change that comfortably? Brilliant in the

:38:17. > :38:23.technical event. She got two silvers last time.

:38:24. > :38:29.She has been in all of the 27 ski resorts. Always strong in ski-jump

:38:30. > :38:46.jumping too. Well, here they come - the largest

:38:47. > :38:54.ever team from the United States. Indeed from any country at a Winter

:38:55. > :38:59.Games. All 230 members of Team USA. What a significant moment. They have

:39:00. > :39:08.never attended an Olympics held by their former cold war rivals. Who a

:39:09. > :39:16.show of strength here at the XXII edition. They are in some of the

:39:17. > :39:20.loudest knit ware we have ever seen! Twitter went crazy. People not

:39:21. > :39:26.really sure if they like them. I think they are fun. Certainly fun.

:39:27. > :39:34.The team full of some of the most recognisable names. There's one.

:39:35. > :39:45.They have the likes of Sean wieth and Body Millar.

:39:46. > :39:48.-- Wight. The There are chances everywhere you

:39:49. > :40:05.look at the US. Tajikistan - this time he's going to

:40:06. > :40:07.compete in giant slam lop. The President is amongst the watching

:40:08. > :40:31.dignitaries, I am told. What a story this - Thailand had two

:40:32. > :40:35.athletes in Sochi. One is Vanessa May. There she is.

:40:36. > :40:42.She is representing the country of her father.

:40:43. > :40:49.That is in alpine skiing. She was 3366 when she secured her place in

:40:50. > :40:59.Sochi. We wish her well. I am sure the insurance premiums on ore bowing

:41:00. > :41:02.arm must -- on her arm must be massive.

:41:03. > :41:20.Formally under the control of gall. East Timor's rule to independence

:41:21. > :41:25.achieved in 19 t 2. -- 1992.

:41:26. > :41:32.That is East Timor's first winter athlete.

:41:33. > :41:37.He and his mum founded the ski federation at the end of 2012.

:41:38. > :41:51.Welcome! Another new nation to swell the rank

:41:52. > :41:56.ranks - this time 88, Togo. She learnt to ski in France. She'll

:41:57. > :42:01.be the first to compete next Thursday. Fascinating journeys many

:42:02. > :42:15.of these athletes to get to the Winter Games.

:42:16. > :42:31.He will wear what they are marketing as coconut-powered underpants. I am

:42:32. > :42:42.not making it up! Just a across the black sea, with

:42:43. > :42:46.Russia. Many of the athletes travelled to Sochi from Istanbul,

:42:47. > :42:51.just a step away. A cluster of venues on the shore of

:42:52. > :42:54.the black sea. Six athletes for Turkey this time. One more than in

:42:55. > :43:02.Vancouver. Still to win a medal. Came off

:43:03. > :43:06.second best last year behind Tokyo in the competition to stage the 2020

:43:07. > :43:33.games. On the old silk route - with its

:43:34. > :43:42.fascinating cities. I am told some of the best ski resorts in central

:43:43. > :43:52.Asia. Book now to avoid disappointment!

:43:53. > :44:02.A huge support for Ukraine. I have. I have violent unrest at the moment.

:44:03. > :44:07.They compete at a time of great uncertainty in their home country.

:44:08. > :44:13.44, across eight disciplines. Only the one Olympic gold in the winter

:44:14. > :44:20.Winter Games - exactly 20 years ago. You will remember it well? She was

:44:21. > :44:26.the darling of the games. And almost a footnote in the grand

:44:27. > :44:33.scheme of things right now, Ukraine bidding to host the 2022 Winter

:44:34. > :44:38.Games. When the Philippine's 17-year-old figure skater will be

:44:39. > :44:43.the Philippine's first ever Winter Olympicsian. For 22 years and he has

:44:44. > :44:48.promise. He is very, very talented. Lovely to watch on the ice. Has an

:44:49. > :44:57.ease across the blades. Yes, this will put him on the mark here.

:44:58. > :45:06.A snowboarder leads a team of over 100 athletes. She's qualified

:45:07. > :45:11.directly for the Sunday slopestyle final. But for the first time in

:45:12. > :45:17.their long history they've now gone two Games - Turin and Vancouver -

:45:18. > :45:20.without winning a single gold. That's sparked much debate in saunas

:45:21. > :45:40.throughout the land. Bonsoir to the French. It is in

:45:41. > :45:49.order irk-combined athlete who is wielding the tricolour. Gold in

:45:50. > :46:04.Vancouver in the combine event, ski jumping followed by a lung-busting

:46:05. > :46:09.dabbing on the skis. -- lung-busting dash on the skis.

:46:10. > :46:17.Keep an eye out for the French soldier, who will certainly be in

:46:18. > :46:21.the medal mix. No alpine medals last time around for France.

:46:22. > :46:33.There he is, Johnny Be Good, the man who is known to celebrate by playing

:46:34. > :46:39.his guitar and singing Johnny Be Good if he reaches the top step.

:46:40. > :46:45.He's managed three Olympic sill verses in alpine skiing. He is 34.

:46:46. > :46:50.His sister won four golds and two silver. She's an Olympic legend.

:46:51. > :47:02.Will his body hold up? I would love to see him do it, he's a top bloke.

:47:03. > :47:09.Form Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro, literally meaning black

:47:10. > :47:25.mountain, because of the country's heavily forested region.

:47:26. > :47:33.Al skier heads up 88 Czech men and women. He took alpine broz in slalom

:47:34. > :47:43.in Vancouver and these are her third Games.

:47:44. > :47:48.-- al bronze in slalom in Vancouver. It's been a pretty brisk business in

:47:49. > :47:54.terms of the athletes' parade. Official estimates put the number of

:47:55. > :47:58.visiting heads of state at 44. Some notable omissions though Daniel.

:47:59. > :48:04.Yes, I think pretty Putin would have hoped to have got a lot more heads

:48:05. > :48:06.of state from Western European countries and North American

:48:07. > :48:10.countries. The Winter Olympics haven't always been a place where

:48:11. > :48:17.heads of state go, but we've seen in the audience the President of

:48:18. > :48:22.Tajikistan, of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Ukraine and

:48:23. > :48:26.Afghanistan. It is perhaps not the collection of leaders that Vladimir

:48:27. > :48:36.Putin would have wanted to see around him at an event like this.

:48:37. > :48:44.Indeed. As we see the Swiss. And than is Simone, a magician, and

:48:45. > :48:52.twice a double gold medallist in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. One

:48:53. > :48:58.more would see him conjure up a fifth gold. He went to Russia

:48:59. > :49:03.because of his family connections. This is Switzerland's largest team

:49:04. > :49:11.ever. In amongst that mass of red, look out for the snowboarder, named

:49:12. > :49:17.iPod in the half-five. He's the man who first landed the double cork

:49:18. > :49:27.1440. If you want to see it he might drop in and try it on Tuesday.

:49:28. > :49:32.The Swedes have opted for the home-grown designs of Swedish

:49:33. > :49:37.fashion giant H for their outfits and it does the job nicely. A

:49:38. > :49:49.version of which will be on the high street soon. Home of the great

:49:50. > :49:53.alpine ski, but Sweden's men's ice hockey team are the reigning

:49:54. > :49:58.champions and they would love to spring a surprise here in this hotly

:49:59. > :50:06.contested event. An independent country from 1918 to

:50:07. > :50:11.40 and then became part of the Soviet Union and independent again

:50:12. > :50:18.from 1981. The colours signify the blue skies, the dark, the suffering

:50:19. > :50:24.from the past, and the white, the snow, on which they hope to win some

:50:25. > :50:29.gold medals. You would have guessed it, Robin,

:50:30. > :50:34.perhaps the biggest cheer of the night for the Jamaicans. It is

:50:35. > :50:40.bobsleigh and they are back. This is Marvin Dixon. It is his first

:50:41. > :50:46.Olympic Games. He is the brake man for 46-year-old Winston Watts in the

:50:47. > :50:54.two-man bob. It is his fourth go at the Games.

:50:55. > :51:07.We have many happy memories of Japan's Games of 1998. Before that

:51:08. > :51:15.in sap or o in -- Sapporo in 1971. In three Games, the golds have dried

:51:16. > :51:23.up. Only one, in Turin, in 2006. We've got Mao Osada, is she going to

:51:24. > :51:29.challenge the Korean? She is going to do her best and is certainly

:51:30. > :51:34.capable of doing so. The men's and women's skating teams are incredibly

:51:35. > :51:40.strong fort Japanese. We are hoping for good medal prospects.

:51:41. > :51:48.CHEERING I should tell you that women's ski jumping makes its debut

:51:49. > :51:56.here and Sarah Takanashi could win gold. All this 40,000 crowd care

:51:57. > :52:02.about are the arrival of Team Russia.

:52:03. > :52:11.And they crank the music up just as Team GB had the same treatment in

:52:12. > :52:22.London 2012. This sound to the sounds of Daft Punk's remix of

:52:23. > :52:26.Harder, Better Fast Stronger. The music's been great, because it

:52:27. > :52:30.has been a mix of modern, but underneath the thumping beat have

:52:31. > :52:35.been some very old-fashioned traditional Russian folk songs. They

:52:36. > :52:41.have. The crowd is enjoying this, just as they are the arrival of this

:52:42. > :52:47.huge team. The old Soviet Union first competed in the Winter Games

:52:48. > :52:53.of '-56 and they topped the medal team eight times. But in Vancouver,

:52:54. > :52:59.only three golds, 11th place on the medal table. Russia's report card

:53:00. > :53:03.read, not good enough. These new Games and facilities are

:53:04. > :53:09.fundamentally important for winter sport in Russia. They've got much to

:53:10. > :53:15.prove on their home snow and ice. The stadium really kicking off now.

:53:16. > :53:26.Huge expectations on the likes of Nikita in cross-country, from the

:53:27. > :53:33.Russian Rocket in skeleton, and a wonderful history in pair skating,

:53:34. > :53:39.the likes of Yevgeny back again in the men's. He came back in great

:53:40. > :53:43.form last night. The Russian figure skating team are in top tomorrow and

:53:44. > :53:46.they are expecting to sweep the board. But they are going to get

:53:47. > :54:01.pushed. Could there be a triumph return for

:54:02. > :54:19.lush enco? He's got more events to come on Sunday.

:54:20. > :54:28.This huge Russian team, approximately 230. I think the one

:54:29. > :54:32.they all want and the one that Vladimir Putin has said, if there

:54:33. > :54:37.was only one gold, it is the men's ice hockey. No pressure, boys, but

:54:38. > :54:42.the nation expects, rather like they did in Canada, Robin. They do, they

:54:43. > :54:47.take their ice sports very seriously. As big as the stars are

:54:48. > :54:52.in figure skating, it is the hockey team who they want, and Putin says

:54:53. > :54:58.yes, I want the gold in the hockey Arena. If they do it, Russian

:54:59. > :55:04.athletes are set for a ?75,000 windfall if they win gold here at

:55:05. > :55:11.home. That's quite an incentive. But what better incentive to win at home

:55:12. > :55:15.in front of your home crowd, and for the first time in an independent

:55:16. > :55:21.Russia. It is an amazing atmosphere. The Arena has taken on another... I

:55:22. > :55:26.can feel the chills on the back of the neck. Especially having seen the

:55:27. > :55:30.athletes come in. It was never this scale in my day, back in the old

:55:31. > :55:34.days, but there is something to being able to be a part of this

:55:35. > :55:39.Olympic family. It is wonderful. They've cranked the music, the

:55:40. > :55:44.volume's gone up. The athletes are now going to enjoy the rest of the

:55:45. > :55:48.ceremony. You work so hard, every day, every second, breathing,

:55:49. > :55:54.eating, sleeping your sport, and this is the culmination of this for

:55:55. > :55:59.so many athletes. You just hope they get to do it to the best of their

:56:00. > :56:04.own ability. They reckoned it would take a full five minutes to get the

:56:05. > :56:11.Russian Federation's team in. They were squeezing them up into the

:56:12. > :56:16.aisles and their seats now. Being marshalled nicely by some nicely

:56:17. > :56:21.dressed but very firm young ladies in winter whites. President Putin.

:56:22. > :56:44.Surveying the scene. Daniel, what a significant moment

:56:45. > :56:48.for Russia, not just in terms of their sport but I'm sure that many,

:56:49. > :56:54.certainly in political circles, see this as the start of a new era, not

:56:55. > :57:01.just in sporting terms but in terms of Russia's impacts on the world.

:57:02. > :57:05.Yes, Russia's been struggling for a new identity since the end of the

:57:06. > :57:09.Soviet Union. Many Russians feeling that was the end of their imperial

:57:10. > :57:14.time, and looking for a new identity. This is all part of

:57:15. > :57:18.President Putin's plan to give the Russians a new identity, something

:57:19. > :57:23.that helps them to walk proudly on the world stage. But which doesn't

:57:24. > :57:28.have those negative associations that the Soviet Union had. But I

:57:29. > :57:32.should say his party's being slightly spoiled at the moment. We

:57:33. > :57:40.are hearing news from the Associated Press that there's been an attempted

:57:41. > :57:45.hijacking to take a plane from the Ukraine to Turkey, and to take it to

:57:46. > :57:51.Sochi. The plane is now safely on the ground in Istanbul, but there

:57:52. > :58:00.was an attempt hijacking and they tried to take it to Sochi.

:58:01. > :58:04.Daniel, I'm sure we'll hear more news on that throughout the coming

:58:05. > :58:22.hours and days. A record-breaking number of Olympic

:58:23. > :58:59.athletes are sitting in their seats. A moment of (Inaudible) in

:59:00. > :59:06.proceedings. Allow us to introduce our official mascots, they are the

:59:07. > :59:10.polar bear, the Snow Leopard and Arctic hare. They've adapted to

:59:11. > :59:17.their new surroundingings tonight. Terrific, and the size of the

:59:18. > :59:23.animation, wonderful. Figure skates, skis and a snowboard, which would

:59:24. > :59:26.you prefer to be on. ? I think the 8 metre-tall bear has the most natural

:59:27. > :59:32.talent of the lot. He's on the skates. Although I have to say a

:59:33. > :59:34.triple looks too much for him. I don't think he's going to get that

:59:35. > :59:52.weight off the ice. I wouldn't mind coming back and

:59:53. > :59:59.having a go at the snowboards but my knees will never let me have a go at

:00:00. > :00:09.that. I'm sure many will appreciate the echoes of the 1980s Summer Games

:00:10. > :00:15.in Moscow, which also had a bear as a mascot, Mishka, which shed a tear

:00:16. > :00:20.at the closing certainliny. Those Games 34 years ago took place

:00:21. > :00:25.shortly after Robin had won his gold in Lake Placid.

:00:26. > :00:43.Take a bow, boys and girls! And now some of the most popular

:00:44. > :00:48.Russian actors all feature as we tell the story of Russia through the

:00:49. > :00:57.ages - a multi-century story of people's connecting across

:00:58. > :01:03.continents, time zones and cultures. The Greeks and others. Russia has

:01:04. > :01:56.been a melting pot for at least 45,000 years.

:01:57. > :03:34.And the construction of this Fisht Stadium, is you feel here seen here

:03:35. > :03:40.as the start of a new chapter in Russian history.

:03:41. > :03:45.We saw some snow falling around the Fisht Stadium in that video. Not

:03:46. > :03:48.much of that down by the coast, but plenty of it coming now inside the

:03:49. > :04:14.stadium. A blizzard is on the way! Our little hero girl struggles in

:04:15. > :04:24.the blizzard, above here her is one of the meaningful symbols in Russia,

:04:25. > :04:30.the troika. Three horses pulling the sleigh. They travelled up to 30

:04:31. > :04:34.miles per hour. The horses' harnesses with bells to warn of

:04:35. > :04:53.their impending arrival. We have never seen one quite like this.

:04:54. > :05:01.The giant horses pull behind them the sun. To give you an idea of how

:05:02. > :05:39.visually imposing this is the troika and the sun measure 65 metres long.

:05:40. > :05:48.To the sound of the Breaking of Spring. One of the most influential

:05:49. > :05:53.pieces of 20th century music, the sun melts the ice to reveal a

:05:54. > :07:19.medieval city. Up from the depths rises the

:07:20. > :07:22.medieval city - a jumble of domes and inside acrobats, kos sack

:07:23. > :07:47.dancers. You hear the voices of ancient

:07:48. > :08:09.languages. In a crystal globe, she foresees the

:08:10. > :08:14.creation of the icon iconic St Basil's Cathedral. Now we have a

:08:15. > :08:24.medieval carnival. Colourful - everything you would want from an

:08:25. > :08:31.Olympic op n Olympic Opening Ceremony.

:08:32. > :08:41.And you will see those giant puppets. They are not precursors of

:08:42. > :08:49.the inflatable men. They are the powerful men of Russia.

:08:50. > :08:55.The ol oligarchs of their time, you might say. This was a period of

:08:56. > :09:02.massive change in medieval Russia. It was. I mean the Russians had a

:09:03. > :09:07.very, very difficult period, when at one point they were invaded on

:09:08. > :09:10.successive occasions. This is the moment Russia was really coming out

:09:11. > :09:17.of that period and starting to establish itself as the powerful

:09:18. > :09:21.nation. It became that over the next couple of hundred years. This was

:09:22. > :10:01.the beginning of Russia becoming one of the world's great nations.

:10:02. > :10:17.The sleeping giant of Russia awaken. The icon iconic Cathedral before us.

:10:18. > :10:20.Legend has it the architects were blinded and nothing would ever again

:10:21. > :10:25.be so beautiful. He was a charmer all right.

:10:26. > :10:31.He turned Russia from the small medieval state to a massive empire.

:10:32. > :11:07.Our hero girl is perhaps wise to move on.

:11:08. > :11:27.And the medieval era passes in a jangle of bells from the Onion dome.

:11:28. > :11:32.We have seen images projected on to the floor of a stadium in Opening

:11:33. > :11:39.Ceremonies a lot over the last few year, in Beijing and in Vancouver -

:11:40. > :11:43.rolling fields of wheat and corn. This next sequence rivals all of

:11:44. > :12:01.that, as the floor is transformed into a raging sea.

:12:02. > :12:10.The storm signals the rise and rise of imperial Russia, under the 43

:12:11. > :12:15.year reign of Peter the great - the Tsar said to drag the country out of

:12:16. > :12:20.medieval times to become a great European state.

:12:21. > :12:23.Peter created a navy and fought campaigns that would give that navy

:12:24. > :12:37.access to the Black Sea - right outside the stadium.

:12:38. > :12:44.Why was this Navy so important to Peter and the ambitions of Russia He

:12:45. > :12:49.looked about himself at the time when he came to power and looked at

:12:50. > :12:53.what the great nations of the world are and he saw Britain and Holland

:12:54. > :13:00.with their huge navies dominating the world. He realised if Russia

:13:01. > :13:05.wanted to come out of this living in - on the edge of Europe and Asia and

:13:06. > :13:09.wanted to become a great European nation, it whatted to have a navy --

:13:10. > :13:14.it had to have a navy and one that had access to seas that were not

:13:15. > :13:19.frozen for much of the years, which of course the northern seas are.

:13:20. > :13:26.That is why the Baltic became so important in Peter The Great's time.

:13:27. > :13:31.It is to the Baltic that we shift our focus now.

:13:32. > :13:37.We see the famous shadow of the statue of Peter the Great. We of

:13:38. > :13:43.remember that he modernised the Army and moved the capital from Moscow to

:13:44. > :13:47.the city that is emerging on our map right now - on the stadium floor -

:13:48. > :15:22.St Petersburg. The construction of St Petersburg

:15:23. > :15:28.not by the way created without great loss of life to the conscripted

:15:29. > :15:34.peasants who built it for him. St Petersburg built on a marsh, just as

:15:35. > :15:40.President Putin has built in incredible complex on marshy ground,

:15:41. > :15:56.20 miles from Sochi, in the district of Adler.

:15:57. > :16:04.Robin, we sat together in Vancouver and watched the transmission of

:16:05. > :16:09.images on to the floor, but this is extremely creative and impressive.

:16:10. > :16:16.Extraordinarily beautiful, too, as is this transitional sequence now.

:16:17. > :16:24.As we move the a, St Petersburg, which was seen as Russia's window

:16:25. > :16:29.for Europe, and for 200 years there after-Russia would be the great

:16:30. > :16:37.power at the dawn of an age of literature, with the likes of

:16:38. > :16:48.Pushkin, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. It is to War and Peace which we are

:16:49. > :17:13.being trance port -- from the -- transported to now.

:17:14. > :17:23.The stadium is being transformed into an elaborate imperial ballroom.

:17:24. > :17:26.It is for one of the central characters of War and Peace, who

:17:27. > :17:32.arrives with her father to dance with members of some of the five

:17:33. > :17:41.families around whom the story of War and Peace revolves. Set against

:17:42. > :17:46.a backdrop of the impending Napoleonic wars. With so many words

:17:47. > :17:54.in the book, I won't attempt to precis it for you. We'll enjoy

:17:55. > :22:06.performances from some of the world's greatest ballet dancers.

:22:07. > :22:22.A few double axles thrown in there, but exquisitely done. Vladimir

:22:23. > :22:30.Vasiliev has drawn comparisons with newer Cenotaph himself. I would like

:22:31. > :22:37.to -- with Nureyev himself. I would like to see him try those on skates!

:22:38. > :22:43.They would like to have a stage this size to dance on more often. Ballet

:22:44. > :22:49.is so fundamentally important to Russian culture and has been since

:22:50. > :22:55.the first Imperial School of Ballet was founded in St Petersburg in this

:22:56. > :23:00.1740s. The style of traditional Russian ballet is enjoyed the world

:23:01. > :23:06.over and their stars are superstars the world over. As Natasha and her

:23:07. > :23:13.family exit the scene for the moment, there's foment in the air as

:23:14. > :23:24.we hear the composer Alfred Schnittke. The Napoleonic era is

:23:25. > :23:31.ending. A cold wind is blowing. Surf Dom is being abolished and

:23:32. > :23:37.disenfranchised peasants effectively slaves are finally being given their

:23:38. > :24:01.freedom outside the halls of the bourgeoisie.

:24:02. > :24:13.Natasha and her beau are briefly reunited, but a swirling vortex

:24:14. > :24:52.consumes them and the old order in Russia.

:24:53. > :24:58.There's so much foment in the air and there's no stopping one of the

:24:59. > :25:02.most significant events of the 20th century like a run away train. Here

:25:03. > :25:49.it comes, the Revolution of 1917. Whole she victim, less than anyone,

:25:50. > :25:54.trotsy, civil war, a bloody end to the era of the tsars, and with it

:25:55. > :26:10.ultimately the Soviet Union and communism. -- Bolshevism, Lenin,

:26:11. > :26:16.Trotsky, civil war, a bloody end to the era of the tsars, and with it

:26:17. > :26:23.ultimately the Soviet Union and communism. Moving overhard are

:26:24. > :26:28.fragments of the avant-garde artwork bier artists of the time. It is like

:26:29. > :26:42.a supersized art gallery in here now. I love this music. It is by

:26:43. > :26:50.Zuderov. It was one of the iconic skating routines. A three-times

:26:51. > :27:05.pairs skating champion, one of the legends of Russian sport.

:27:06. > :27:13.The music is time forward. It was even used as the theme tune for the

:27:14. > :27:38.evening news in its time. Daniel, a powerful interpretation of

:27:39. > :27:45.those early days, after the revolution. A time of total turmoil

:27:46. > :27:50.in this country. Yes, and a time when millions of people died as they

:27:51. > :27:55.tried to do with these Communist agricultural reforms. Millions of

:27:56. > :28:00.people died in Ukraine and even in parts of southern Russia. Thousands

:28:01. > :28:06.of people died in al-Lynn's purges in -- died in Stalin's purges. It

:28:07. > :28:12.was a bloody time in Russia, a time when the whole country was

:28:13. > :28:53.electrified. Huge railways were built and industry started up.

:28:54. > :29:05.The creative of this -- creative director of this show, Konstantin

:29:06. > :29:09.Ernst, created much of the staging in front of us, fleeting almost

:29:10. > :29:13.overhead. This has been a staging effect used so beautifully and

:29:14. > :29:18.effectively tonight. And not overused. There is such a vast space

:29:19. > :29:28.above the floor. It is great to see it used in this way. Some very

:29:29. > :30:06.innovative touches to this opening ceremony so far.

:30:07. > :30:11.APPLAUSE But the red machine shows down.

:30:12. > :30:16.Leader, Joseph Stalin's five-year plans were punk tuaited by famine

:30:17. > :30:22.and the great purges of the 1930s, revolution was, indeed a painful

:30:23. > :30:25.process. But most, painful of all, the Second World War, known here as

:30:26. > :30:29.the great patriotic war, in which the of Soviet Union lost an

:30:30. > :30:31.estimated 27 million people. Around half of all casualties from that

:30:32. > :30:49.time. As it's searchlights move around

:30:50. > :31:30.this stadium, silence pierces through the darkness.

:31:31. > :31:57.The sound of reconstruction is heard. It is heard in Moscow.

:31:58. > :32:03.Snr we are in the mid-20th searching rip and now the Soviet Union and its

:32:04. > :32:10.allies have formed the Eastern bloc and there is a big old Iron Curtain

:32:11. > :32:15.separating us and them. But just as in the West, life is

:32:16. > :32:24.going on. And it's going on at quite a pace. And that's Nikolai Valuev.

:32:25. > :32:41.One of the best-known former heavyweight boxing champions. Now an

:32:42. > :32:54.MP. 7 foot. Another big lad. It's the page of the space race. The

:32:55. > :32:59.days of Gregarin and the first woman up there. All the while Moscow's

:33:00. > :33:00.famous skyscrapers leap from the ground and the Soviet Union reaches

:33:01. > :33:21.for the stars. It is Khathurian with a twist. Would

:33:22. > :33:27.he approve? Shot sure. Meanwhile, looking down from the rope, the old

:33:28. > :33:32.symbols of Communism at its Cold War height. The hammer, the sickle, the

:33:33. > :33:38.monuments to the workers. All of this is being done with tongue

:33:39. > :33:42.firmly in cheek. The Russian audience, you sense, really enjoying

:33:43. > :33:49.poking a bit of fun at times past. All the while, classic cars from the

:33:50. > :33:58.Soviet era are whipping around. The Lada is one. Daniel, you field, as

:33:59. > :34:03.always, a fondness for certain parts of those times. Yes, you can see it

:34:04. > :34:07.is being treated as being quite a pleasant time in Soviet history with

:34:08. > :34:12.humour. I think many Russians do now look back on that time with a bit of

:34:13. > :34:16.nostalga actually. You might be surprised by that. There were far

:34:17. > :34:19.fewer freedoms for Russians. They didn't have the ability to travel in

:34:20. > :34:24.the way they do now but it was a time of certainty are where people

:34:25. > :34:28.knew what the rules were. Since the Soviet Union, Russians have perhaps

:34:29. > :34:31.suffered and felt a bit that while they really enjoyed the freedoms

:34:32. > :34:36.that they had, there was less certainty in their world. Just to

:34:37. > :34:41.update you on that hijack story, all three major news agencies have now

:34:42. > :34:46.confirmed a plane from the Ukraine to Istanbul, there was an attempted

:34:47. > :34:51.hijack with a passenger, according to Turkish officials, wanted the

:34:52. > :34:54.plain to fly to Sochi. But it went on to Istanbul and is be under the

:34:55. > :34:58.control of the Turkish authorities there. Suggestions that the

:34:59. > :35:08.passenger may have been drunk. How serious a hijacking attempt this

:35:09. > :35:14.was, is not clear at the moment. Thank you. He we see. Am Ural motor

:35:15. > :35:20.cycle and side cars a rather iconic vehicle. Russian sports stars, so

:35:21. > :35:26.important as new society. Immortalised. And Soviet poster art

:35:27. > :35:33.there. And the Soviet Union made its debut in the Winter Olympics in 1952

:35:34. > :35:41.and became a sport superpower as well as a political one. And now

:35:42. > :35:45.this Moscow knights. A tune Robin knows well It was a big skating song

:35:46. > :36:12.in my day. Not this particular version. -- Moscow Nights.

:36:13. > :36:18.There is Lubov again. The creative director of the show told us earlier

:36:19. > :36:21.this week, that although it was a society living under a political

:36:22. > :36:24.system very different from our own, people got on with their lives.

:36:25. > :36:29.Well, they had no choice. They went to work. Couples fell in lot. Many

:36:30. > :36:33.had kids. People were still people, no matter how limited were their

:36:34. > :36:37.freedoms. And this is a time of Russia's babyboom and it is getting

:36:38. > :37:37.a Busby Berkeley-striel treatment. Lubov's dream-like journey through

:37:38. > :37:43.the oold country is almost at an end. -- old country. The Soviet

:37:44. > :37:51.Union was dissolved on 26th December, 1991. Lubov releases her

:37:52. > :37:59.red balloon. Communism is at an end. And a new Russia is born. But what

:38:00. > :38:05.is the character of that new Russia? What do you feel, Daniel? Well, it

:38:06. > :38:08.is the question that's not really answered in this opening ceremony.

:38:09. > :38:12.It is interesting to make the comparison between this and Beijing,

:38:13. > :38:16.the Beijing Summer Olympics, of course, were a time when China

:38:17. > :38:20.celebrated the extraordinary change in its economy. Well I'm sure

:38:21. > :38:23.President Putin would like people to see this as the same moment for

:38:24. > :38:27.Russia. That it is a time of extraordinary change for Russia. But

:38:28. > :38:31.the difference is that actually, in Russia, there hasn't been a big

:38:32. > :38:34.change in the economy. The economy is in quite a bad state. The one

:38:35. > :38:39.thing that has changed has been the price of oil. All the money that has

:38:40. > :38:42.been used to fund these Olympics has essentially been funded off the back

:38:43. > :38:46.of the oil price change. Some people in Russia feel that they'd rather

:38:47. > :38:50.that that money had gone into their own pockets or into improving the

:38:51. > :38:53.country's infrastructure, which is still appalling, rather than being

:38:54. > :38:56.spent on the Winter Olympics. I think that's been the big

:38:57. > :39:01.controversy, really, domestically, about these games.

:39:02. > :39:07.Well, so many issues have come to light in the build-up, over the last

:39:08. > :39:11.six or seven years. But we are in the present. Russia is staging these

:39:12. > :39:16.Games and we get another glimpse here of the long journey of the

:39:17. > :39:21.Olympic Flame over the last 123 days. En route it has been

:39:22. > :39:28.transported to the top of Europe's highest point. It's been all over

:39:29. > :39:37.this vast nation here in the Caucasus range. There it is at the

:39:38. > :39:40.top of Europe's high highest point. One of the special projects

:39:41. > :39:45.undertaken by the men and women who carried the torch. After blasting

:39:46. > :39:49.off from Russia's launchpad, the torch even went all the way to the

:39:50. > :39:56.International Space Station on a first-ever space walk. It is we are

:39:57. > :40:01.ard insured, the same torch that will light the cauldron, the one

:40:02. > :40:06.that was in space but who will wield it, we still don't know? If that is

:40:07. > :40:08.he at warm-up act, it is going to be tough to follow it, you have to say.

:40:09. > :40:30.We should know very soon. As we look out over this most

:40:31. > :40:36.impressive coastal cluster, with its handful of beautiful new venues, all

:40:37. > :40:38.at a huge cost, it's almost time to officially open the Games. But

:40:39. > :41:09.before that, it's the speeches. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome

:41:10. > :41:16.the President of the 2014 organising committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko and

:41:17. > :41:16.the President President of the International Olympic Committee,

:41:17. > :42:17.Thomas Bach. Welcome to the XXII Olympic Winter

:42:18. > :42:21.Games in Sochi. Our city is unique, as all of Russia is unique. It is

:42:22. > :42:24.the largest country in the world, a country where Europe meets Asia, a

:42:25. > :42:29.country of great achievements and victories.

:42:30. > :42:33.We are proud to have the privilege to host the entire world. In

:42:34. > :42:36.Guatemala in 2007, our president, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin told

:42:37. > :42:37.the entire world about our dream which seemed impossible to many

:42:38. > :42:56.people. But we and the International Olympic

:42:57. > :43:00.Committee believed in this dream. Seven years later, here we all are

:43:01. > :43:14.in the middle of this dream that came true.

:43:15. > :43:27.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE A huge team of Olympic organizers

:43:28. > :43:29.toiled under the direction of the government's Deputy Prime Minister

:43:30. > :43:35.Dmitry Nikolaevich Kozak, to turn ideas into reality. Construction,

:43:36. > :43:38.power and transportation workers and the residents of the city of Sochi

:43:39. > :43:45.and Russia have poured a part of themselves into this tremendous

:43:46. > :43:51.project. Thanks to you, it became possible to hold the Games that are

:43:52. > :43:54.going to inspire a generation! Today, our thoughts and hopes are

:43:55. > :44:03.with the great heroes of this celebration - the athletes.

:44:04. > :44:13.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE These heroes are living the dream of

:44:14. > :44:22.the Olympic podium, having trained for years for a moment that will

:44:23. > :44:27.leave an indelible mark in history. Your talent and skill in overcoming

:44:28. > :44:31.what seemed impossible is inspiring. The Sochi Games are our chance to

:44:32. > :44:33.show the world the best that our country is proud of our hospitality,

:44:34. > :44:59.our traditions, our Russia. Our Games will be hot, not only

:45:00. > :45:07.because of the palm trees outside the ice arenas but also because of

:45:08. > :45:16.the heat of our hearts. Our Games will be cool, with new modern

:45:17. > :45:19.sports, new heroes, new icons. Our Games will be yours, all of yours,

:45:20. > :45:21.because when we come together in all our diversity, it is the Olympic

:45:22. > :45:45.Games that unite us. Thank you to the International

:45:46. > :45:55.Olympic Committee and our partners for your support.

:45:56. > :45:58.APPLAUSE Thank you to our volunteers, without

:45:59. > :46:08.your contribution this undertaking would be impossible to accomplish.

:46:09. > :46:14.When we set out on this journey, we tried to open the doors to the

:46:15. > :46:36.future, to break down stereotypes, to reveal a new Russia to the world.

:46:37. > :46:39.Today, this future is here, and we welcome everybody and present you

:46:40. > :46:48.these Games - hot, cool, yours. The moat yoe of the Games sqliended by

:46:49. > :46:50.Chernomyrdin. -- motto. And now I have the honour to invite the

:46:51. > :46:52.president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, to

:46:53. > :47:24.speak. Dobri Wetscher Sotschi. Dobri

:47:25. > :47:29.Wetscher Rassiija. Good evening, dear Athletes. Mr President of the

:47:30. > :47:32.Russian Federation, Mr Secretary General of the United Nations, Good

:47:33. > :47:44.evening Olympic friends and fans around the world! Welcome to the

:47:45. > :47:46.22nd Olympic Winter Games! Tonight, we are writing a new page in Olympic

:47:47. > :48:52.history. What has been achieved in seven

:48:53. > :48:55.years is a remarkable achievement. I would like it thank, in again, the

:48:56. > :49:03.President of the Russian Federation and his Government. The Sochi

:49:04. > :49:06.organising committee. The Russian Olympic committee. And the IOC

:49:07. > :49:50.members in Russia. Thank you to all the workers for

:49:51. > :49:53.your great contribution under sometimes difficult circumstances.

:49:54. > :49:56.Thank you to all the people of Sochi and the Krasnodar region. Thank you

:49:57. > :50:02.for your patience, thank you for your understanding during these

:50:03. > :50:09.years of transformation. Now you are living in an Olympic Region. I am

:50:10. > :50:21.sure you will enjoy the benefits for many, many years to come. Thousands

:50:22. > :50:23.of volunteers have welcomed us with the well-known warm Russian

:50:24. > :50:36.hospitality. APPLAUSE

:50:37. > :50:46.Many thanks to all the wonderful volunteers. Bolshoi spasiba,

:50:47. > :50:58.valantyoram! APPLAUSE

:50:59. > :51:04.Thank you very much to everyone. Force Russia and the Russians have

:51:05. > :51:11.set the stage for you, the best winter athletes on our planet.

:51:12. > :51:25.From this moment on you are not only the best athletes, you are Olympic

:51:26. > :51:31.Athletes. You will inspire us with your outstanding sports

:51:32. > :51:40.performances. You have come here for sports. You have come here with your

:51:41. > :51:49.Olympic dream. The International Olympic Committee wants your Olympic

:51:50. > :51:52.Dream to come true. This is why we are investing almost all of our

:51:53. > :52:00.revenues in the development of sports. The universal Olympic rules

:52:01. > :52:08.apply to each and every athlete- no matter where you come from or what

:52:09. > :52:17.your background is. You are living together in the Olympic Village. You

:52:18. > :52:22.will celebrate victory with dignity and accept defeat with dignity. You

:52:23. > :52:30.are bringing the Olympic Values to life. In this way, the Olympic

:52:31. > :52:55.Games, wherever they take place, set an example for a peaceful society.

:52:56. > :52:59.Olympic Sport unites people. This is the Olympic Message the athletes

:53:00. > :53:05.spread to the host country and to the whole world. Yes, it is possible

:53:06. > :53:24.to strive even for the greatest victory with respect for the dignity

:53:25. > :53:28.of your competitors. Yes, Yes, it is possible - even as competitors - to

:53:29. > :53:31.live together under one roof in harmony, with tolerance and without

:53:32. > :53:35.any form of discrimination for whatever reason. Yes, it is possible

:53:36. > :53:51.- even as competitors - to listen, to understand and to give an example

:53:52. > :54:00.for a peaceful society. Olympic Games are always about building

:54:01. > :54:05.bridges to bring people together. Olympic Games are never about

:54:06. > :54:08.erecting walls to keep people apart. Olympic Games are a sports festival

:54:09. > :54:24.embracing human diversity in great unity. Therefore, I say to the

:54:25. > :54:27.political leaders of the world - thank you for supporting your

:54:28. > :54:39.athletes. They are the best ambassadors of your country.

:54:40. > :54:42.APPLAUSE Please respect their Olympic Message

:54:43. > :54:51.of goodwill, of tolerance, of excellence and of peace. Have the

:54:52. > :54:53.courage to address your disagreements in a peaceful, direct

:54:54. > :55:07.political dialogue and not on the backs of the athletes.

:55:08. > :55:11.APPLAUSE To all sports officials and sports

:55:12. > :55:19.fans I say - join and support our fight for fair play, the athletes

:55:20. > :55:22.deserve it. To you - my fellow Olympic Athletes - I say, respect

:55:23. > :55:37.the rules, play fair, be clean, respect your fellow athletes in and

:55:38. > :55:39.out of competition. We all wish you joy in your Olympic effort and a

:55:40. > :55:56.wonderful Olympic experience. APPLAUSE

:55:57. > :56:00.To all of you - Athletes, Officials, Fans and Spectators around our globe

:56:01. > :56:24.- I say, enjoy the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games! And now I have

:56:25. > :56:27.the honour of inviting the President of the Russian Federation, Mister

:56:28. > :56:36.Vladimir Putin, to declare open the 22nd Olympic Winter Games.

:56:37. > :57:09.A very strong message from Thomas Bach.

:57:10. > :57:31.Doves of peace. Ever since the Seoul summer Games,

:57:32. > :57:35.the release of doves has been symbolic. Here to the strains of

:57:36. > :57:40.Tchaikovsky, they have gone for a new twist on the traditional

:57:41. > :00:08.symbolism - more swans of peace than doves, you might say.

:00:09. > :01:30.STARRING ANOTHER RENOWN BALLERINA, WHO HAS PERFORMED WITH THE best ball

:01:31. > :01:39.lets in the world. She has never played the part of Odette like that

:01:40. > :01:46.before. She will be busy. Another important piece of protocol

:01:47. > :01:52.now. The strains of Tchaikovsky's Coronation March. The flag designed

:01:53. > :02:00.100 years ago by the founder of the modern games, in June 1914. The five

:02:01. > :02:37.rings symbolises the five inhabited continents of the world.

:02:38. > :02:50.It had been one of the favourites to actually light the cauldron.

:02:51. > :03:13.Speed skating legend - receives a huge welcome.

:03:14. > :03:22.Valentina Tershkova. The first woman cosmonaut in space and the only

:03:23. > :04:04.woman to have flown in space alone. Valery z Gergiev, conductor and

:04:05. > :04:09.people 's person of Russia. One of the greatest icons from Russia And a

:04:10. > :04:20.resident in London with the symphony orchestra.

:04:21. > :04:39.He is a virtual racing car driver in Russia.

:04:40. > :04:51.Nikita Mikhalkov. Holds that Oscar for the movie,

:04:52. > :05:23.Burnt By The Sun. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand

:05:24. > :06:44.for the Olympic Anthen. # Olympian flame immortal # Whose

:06:45. > :06:48.beacon lights our way # Emblaze our hearts with the fires of hope # On

:06:49. > :06:52.this momentous day # As now we come across the world # To share these

:06:53. > :07:58.Games of old # Let all the flags of every land # In brotherhood unfold.

:07:59. > :08:04.# Olympian flame immortal # Whose beacon lights our way # Emblaze our

:08:05. > :08:08.hearts with the fires of hope # On this momentous day # As now we come

:08:09. > :08:10.across the world # To share these Games of old # Let all the flags of

:08:11. > :09:33.every land # In brotherhood unfold # One of the most powerful renditions

:09:34. > :09:38.of of the Olympic Hymn I think we have ever heard, from Anna Netrebko,

:09:39. > :09:57.who I think was born here in the Krasnodar region.

:09:58. > :10:07.Ladies and gentlemen, to take the Olympic loathe oath on behalf of all

:10:08. > :10:19.athletes is a Russian short track skater.

:10:20. > :10:25.In the name of all competitors, I promise we shall take part in these

:10:26. > :10:30.Games respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing

:10:31. > :10:34.ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs.

:10:35. > :10:41.In the true spirit of Sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and for the

:10:42. > :10:52.honour of our teams. It is a message that will be echoed twice more.

:10:53. > :11:05.Ladies and gentlemen, to take the Olympic oath on behalf of all

:11:06. > :11:50.judges. Ladies and gentlemen, now the

:11:51. > :11:58.Olympic oath will be taken on behalf of all coaches. A former Russian

:11:59. > :12:00.slalom skier, who has a complete set of medals, gold, silver and bronze

:12:01. > :12:14.to her name. In the name of all coaches and other

:12:15. > :12:20.members of the athletes entourage, I promise we shall commit ourselves to

:12:21. > :12:25.ensuring that the spirit of Sportsmanship and fair play is fully

:12:26. > :12:28.adhered to and upheld in accordance with the fundamental principles of

:12:29. > :13:07.owe limpism. -- Olympicism. We have been joined by hundreds of

:13:08. > :13:16.rollerbladers below and by constellations of stars overhead.

:13:17. > :13:19.Distant galaxies are appearing on the arena floor of this Fisht

:13:20. > :13:40.Stadium. Giant figures representing the seven

:13:41. > :13:44.different sports, 15 different disciplines within those sports that

:13:45. > :14:13.we are going to see in these Games. This section is called Olympic Gods.

:14:14. > :14:19.This is a wonderful moment to acknowledge the incredible

:14:20. > :14:22.technicians that have helped create the flying rig with think all of

:14:23. > :14:27.these wonderful figures are being used throughout the night. 250 of

:14:28. > :14:32.which are Brits. They are indeed. 17 different nations represented in the

:14:33. > :14:41.crew. Around 10,000 people involved in the opening ceremony. Both in

:14:42. > :14:51.front of and behind the Camaras. And again, use of this incredible

:14:52. > :14:53.gantry, . 4. 5 kilometres of rails in the stadium roof here and being

:14:54. > :16:19.used to mesmeric effect, at times. What a powerful sequence this is. A

:16:20. > :16:26.foretaste of the drama to come over the next fortnight or so.

:16:27. > :18:25.There are 20 of these figures flying in the arena.

:18:26. > :18:32.The ice hockey player shoots his puck across the sky, beckoning the

:18:33. > :18:38.first torchbearer. Ladies and gentlemen, the Olympic

:18:39. > :18:50.flame. Now, a few questions will be

:18:51. > :19:14.answered. A warm welcome for the home town

:19:15. > :19:18.girl. Sharapova, as she is better known on

:19:19. > :19:27.the international stage T first Russian woman to carry the flag at

:19:28. > :19:31.the London Opening Ceremony in 2012. Won silver in London on her Olympic

:19:32. > :19:33.debut. This is a proud moment for the girl, who was born here in

:19:34. > :19:55.Sochi. A brilliant athlete. Two golds and a

:19:56. > :19:58.bronze. Currently serving as the ceremonial Mayor of the athlete's

:19:59. > :20:02.village. Her comments in Moscow last year led

:20:03. > :20:07.many to perceive she was a strong supporter of new controversial laws

:20:08. > :20:16.past last year. She later claimed she had been misunderstood.

:20:17. > :20:22.The Russian bear himself - Alexander the Great, considered the greatest

:20:23. > :20:27.Greco Russian wrestler in history. Three golds and a silver. One of the

:20:28. > :20:36.best-loved figures ever in Russian sport.

:20:37. > :20:50.A member of the Russian Duma - the Lower House.

:20:51. > :20:56.Gymnast and winner of gold and bronze. Now a politician serving in

:20:57. > :20:59.the Duma, the lower House. Many in Russia believe she has been

:21:00. > :21:37.President Putin's partner for several years.

:21:38. > :21:40.One of the most successful skaters in history. Three golds, the last

:21:41. > :21:59.two with her husband. Well, the great greatest ice hockey

:22:00. > :22:07.goalie in history. When the Red machine was really at its height.

:22:08. > :22:20.And Derina was around in my time and I couldn't go to bed, even if I was

:22:21. > :22:27.competing the next day until I had seen her on the ice compete. She was

:22:28. > :22:31.an inspiration. She was a pocket dynamo. She too a Member of

:22:32. > :22:39.Parliament. And the six of them are running out

:22:40. > :22:55.of the Fisht Stadium towards the Olympic cauldron, directly ahead.

:22:56. > :22:58.Through the cast and crew. Echoes of the torch coming into London's

:22:59. > :23:03.Olympic Stadium a couple of years ago, when the construction workers

:23:04. > :23:07.were there to welcome it. A lovely touch that the cast were

:23:08. > :23:13.there to welcome them through the tunnel.

:23:14. > :23:21.They make their way out. They go towards the cauldron.

:23:22. > :23:35.It is the little and large show, isn't it?

:23:36. > :23:45.This will be a popular duo as they light it together.

:23:46. > :23:51.The strains of the Fire Bird. It is the feather on which the torch has

:23:52. > :23:58.been designed. Yes t magical golden, shining bird,

:23:59. > :24:04.which lights the way in Russian fairytale. How appropriate that it

:24:05. > :24:18.signals the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron of the 2 #2 nd Winter

:24:19. > :25:21.Games. Here we go - together. Now that is how you light an Olympic

:25:22. > :25:33.Cauldron! And as the symbol of a strong

:25:34. > :25:41.nation, that is as bold a statement as you could ever make. The XXII

:25:42. > :25:48.Olympic Winter Games are underway. And judged by the standards of any

:25:49. > :25:53.Olympic Cauldron before - it is big, Bolshoy. Everything is Bolshoy. Very

:25:54. > :25:59.dramatic. Classical music. As you say, the feather, the torch. The

:26:00. > :26:04.torch which is now lit is also in the same shape as the feather torch.

:26:05. > :26:07.It will be lit for... And the thing I love about it is you can get very

:26:08. > :26:11.close to it. It is not in the distance. It is right there for you

:26:12. > :26:16.to be in the middle of the medals plaza. That is the Bolshoy arena,

:26:17. > :26:21.where the ice hockey will take place. As you can see, the scale and

:26:22. > :27:03.ambition of this Sochi coastal cluster - the fireworks continue.

:27:04. > :27:12.Well, we got pop culture in London 2012. We got high culture too. No

:27:13. > :27:17.apologies from the Russian organisers for that. This was big on

:27:18. > :27:23.budget and ambition. It was not without humour and mosh than a few

:27:24. > :27:28.very novel touches -- and more than a few very novel touches throughout.

:27:29. > :32:13.A great Opening Ceremony and a great finale.

:32:14. > :32:21.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE The 22nd Winter Games are under way.

:32:22. > :32:24.And apart from one slightly misbehaving snowflake, it's been a

:32:25. > :32:28.good night. Lovely. The space was used so beautifully. Everything was

:32:29. > :32:33.given space to breathe. It was lovely to see the air being used.

:32:34. > :32:36.And some glorious material. Some glorious material. Some glorious

:32:37. > :32:42.images. All well and good. Now, bring on the

:32:43. > :32:46.sport, Clare. Couldn't agree with you more, Hazel.

:32:47. > :32:54.That fireworks display, finishing it's opening ceremony. The flame is

:32:55. > :32:57.lit behind us, Daniel Sandford, our Moscow correspondent here. How do

:32:58. > :33:01.you think that will have gone down with Russians? I think they will be

:33:02. > :33:05.proud. Many Russians would have hoped they could put on something

:33:06. > :33:12.which impressed the world. I think everybody will agree it will have

:33:13. > :33:15.impressed the world. I think they'll forgive the emissions in the

:33:16. > :33:21.history. I think they will be impressed. One thing many Russians

:33:22. > :33:33.will be talking about tonight was the presence of the athlete there,

:33:34. > :33:38.and the gossip about her possibly being the partner of Vladimir Putin

:33:39. > :33:43.will be heightened with that. The Kremlin in September had to deny a

:33:44. > :33:50.rumour that she had married him. I heard it mention, Hazel talked about

:33:51. > :33:55.it in commentary, you confirmed for us, that her inclusion would have

:33:56. > :34:01.been over and above what she achieved as a sportswoman and I

:34:02. > :34:05.guess if they have gossip column Ises they would be raving about

:34:06. > :34:12.that. She was a talented rythmic gymnast. She was well-known for a

:34:13. > :34:15.special move as a rythmic gymnast but in the pantheon of Russian

:34:16. > :34:23.Olympic greats, she was there but probably not in the top six. People

:34:24. > :34:29.will notice that. You can see the crowds around us. Some didn't have

:34:30. > :34:36.tickets for the stadium but they positioned themselves around here to

:34:37. > :34:40.get a good view. You may not be aware of the story that broke during

:34:41. > :34:45.the process. About a plane that was en route to Istanbul. We think it

:34:46. > :34:50.was an attempted hijacking. Do you have any more on that? The Transport

:34:51. > :34:53.Minister in Turkey has told our correspondent there there was an

:34:54. > :34:57.attempt to hijack this plane going from the Ukraine to Istanbul. That

:34:58. > :35:02.the plane was kept under control by the pilot who managed to land it in

:35:03. > :35:06.Istanbul and the Transport Minister confirmed that the hijacker had

:35:07. > :35:13.wanted to fly the plane to Sochi. But, it is worth saying that

:35:14. > :35:16.Ukrainian Security Service, while confirming the story and saying the

:35:17. > :35:20.passenger was Ukrainian are pointing out that the man was very drunk,

:35:21. > :35:23.which may, of course take the edge off concerns over that story. You

:35:24. > :35:27.can see from the behaviour of some of those around, he may not have

:35:28. > :35:30.been the only one suffering the after effects of alcohol. If you are

:35:31. > :35:33.getting in and want to see highlights of the opening ceremony

:35:34. > :35:52.of Sochi 2014, now is the moment. Good evening everyone back home

:35:53. > :36:05.welcome to the most expensive Olympics ever. Summer or winter. The

:36:06. > :36:10.largest Canadian team. 220. The most successful nation in Winter Olympic

:36:11. > :36:17.history. The arrival of Team Russia.

:36:18. > :36:31.The most meaningful symbols in Russia. The troika.

:36:32. > :36:44.Here it comes, the Revolution of 1917.

:36:45. > :36:48.It's the Age of the Space Race. It is almost time to officially open

:36:49. > :36:52.the Games. We are off and running, the 22nd Olympic Winter Games are

:36:53. > :36:57.well under way. Well, it was a dramatic and eventful

:36:58. > :37:01.opening ceremony. A rapid history lesson, as well, in terms of

:37:02. > :37:05.Russia's creation and through the Soviet Union as well. Matthew

:37:06. > :37:09.Pinsent and Amy Williams alongside me. Both competed at Olympic Games.

:37:10. > :37:15.Both have won gold medals. I'm fascinated by how, as a athlete you

:37:16. > :37:19.refocus after something like that? You must come out feeling...

:37:20. > :37:22.Buzzing. You are part of the biggest show on earth. Everyone needs to get

:37:23. > :37:28.to bed now. For the guys up the mountain maybe they are on a bus, 45

:37:29. > :37:32.minute minutes up the mountain, head down, get your rest into your

:37:33. > :37:37.routine. I arer going to the Olympic ceremony in Atalanta and once the

:37:38. > :37:42.Flame was lit, Steve turned to me and said - that's it, off. It was

:37:43. > :37:46.complete - let's not long around, get back and into our routine and

:37:47. > :37:49.for the people competing in the opening three or four days. If they

:37:50. > :37:52.are competing tomorrow they are unlakely to be here but in that

:37:53. > :37:55.first week, straight back into T harder for the people who have a

:37:56. > :38:00.longer time to go. You know, there is still some time for the sliders,

:38:01. > :38:04.perhaps, they have a week left now. You need to, if you are not careful,

:38:05. > :38:07.the Olympics is a lot of time twiddling your thumbs. How you

:38:08. > :38:11.handle that is important as well. They havep given it a lot of

:38:12. > :38:15.thought. You are seeing the Olympic Park here and the Olympic flame

:38:16. > :38:21.burning brightly. Amy, that for the athletes, the symbol, it lights the

:38:22. > :38:24.fire inside them, I guess? You know, this whole ceremony, for them, this

:38:25. > :38:27.is the Olympics. It is there. You see the Flame, you hear the oath.

:38:28. > :38:33.You have all your other nations around you, from little gymnasts -

:38:34. > :38:38.ice-skaters, I mean, to the big ice hockey stars. It is an amazing time

:38:39. > :38:42.for them, it hit them. They are here but now, asking Matt says, they have

:38:43. > :38:46.to go away focussed. Remember they are here at a competition and really

:38:47. > :38:51.get into their training and then qualify and do their finest.

:38:52. > :38:55.The only hiccup in that opening ceremony was very early on, it was

:38:56. > :38:59.the mis-firing of one of the five Olympic rings. A moment that I'm

:39:00. > :39:03.sure the organisers would have been going - oh, no, why didn't that

:39:04. > :39:08.work, as the snowflakes turned into the rings. The first four were fine.

:39:09. > :39:13.The fifth one decided not to play ball. Top right, you can see. Such

:39:14. > :39:16.things happen. Mistakes are made. For athletes as well. You have to

:39:17. > :39:19.learn to deal with little mistakes that will happen, things that won't

:39:20. > :39:22.work, transport that won't necessarily be there when you want.

:39:23. > :39:26.I guess in that sense, Amy, it is about survival as well as

:39:27. > :39:31.excellence. You might not always have the perfect plan. For me, I

:39:32. > :39:36.always had Plan A, B and C. You had that perfect day when everything

:39:37. > :39:41.went fine but when it didn't, you shouldn't faze you, you should have

:39:42. > :39:45.plan B and C. For me in Vancouver one of the starts was delayed for

:39:46. > :39:50.two to three hours. That could throw you but if you have a plan in your

:39:51. > :39:54.head, then it shouldn't worry you, you crack on and keep going and do

:39:55. > :39:57.what you have always done and hopefully perform just like we all

:39:58. > :40:01.hope they will. Some fantastic colours coming by on people's

:40:02. > :40:07.jackets. You will see many of them, the volunteers, 2,000 of them,

:40:08. > :40:12.working on the opening ceremony, are wearing the Sochi colours, which are

:40:13. > :40:15.very bright. But more solemnly dressed is Ollie Williams, who has

:40:16. > :40:20.been across social media. You have been looking at what people thought

:40:21. > :40:26.of ceremony, using the hashtag, #bbcsochi. As you can see behind us,

:40:27. > :40:30.people grabbed their phones, took a photo and broadcast it to a world.

:40:31. > :40:35.What better cause if you are a Team GB athlete in the opening ceremony.

:40:36. > :40:39.First up, here is the flag bearer Jon Eley as his first Olympics. The

:40:40. > :40:42.first selfie from him. And moving on the British curler, David miles per

:40:43. > :40:46.hour do, a world bronze medallist. He was there in the crowd this

:40:47. > :40:50.evening, sporting the fancy Team GB hat. Do you think they'll hang on to

:40:51. > :40:55.those and wear them in the future? They probably will. If they don't

:40:56. > :41:00.I'll have one. Elise Christie, she is interesting, a bright young

:41:01. > :41:13.character. And Richard Shoebridge. Another member of the short track

:41:14. > :41:16.team. And here you have the mountains with the members of the

:41:17. > :41:19.Team GB team who couldn't make it there, gathered around the TV

:41:20. > :41:23.watching the sermony, trying to have their part. We'll have much more on

:41:24. > :41:28.that from the athletes throughout the game if you go to Twitter and

:41:29. > :41:35.follow us on BBC Sport. I promise you will see that picture

:41:36. > :41:39.of Elise Christie. She is going to design her hair so that it'll look

:41:40. > :41:43.like a flame come down the track. Flames coming out. She's hoping it

:41:44. > :41:47.might well intimidate the competition as well as look cool.

:41:48. > :41:51.Damien, come over here. The architecture of many of the Olympic

:41:52. > :41:55.venues within the Olympic Park is British designed if not

:41:56. > :41:59.British-designed it is British-built. Damien Levell is part

:42:00. > :42:04.of the team that has been working here a long time on this Fisht

:42:05. > :42:07.stadium. You were telling me it is the biggest indoor space ever

:42:08. > :42:11.created. In terms of an enclosed stadium. Not just the biggest volume

:42:12. > :42:15.but also with the technology in the roof, as we saw tonight. It has the

:42:16. > :42:20.capability of achieving all sorts of theatrical as well as sporting

:42:21. > :42:24.events. What will it be used for after the Winter Olympics? It is a

:42:25. > :42:27.designated venue for the fee at that World Cup in 20818. We have a lot of

:42:28. > :42:32.work to do to take out certain stuff to bring it into football mode but

:42:33. > :42:36.at the same time, I think the legacy ought to make use of the amazing

:42:37. > :42:40.roof structure that so many people have toil #d over for a relatively

:42:41. > :42:45.compressed period of time, over the last two years. -- toiled over. So

:42:46. > :42:50.it is an excellent achievement and a very good example of where British

:42:51. > :42:55.expertise has come together with Russian expertise and created this

:42:56. > :42:59.wonderful thing. Of course not just British expertise, it is global. But

:43:00. > :43:04.so much of it is British technology, which has been honed over the course

:43:05. > :43:11.of many Olympic Games. Of course, 2012 was an exemplar in that case.

:43:12. > :43:13.Not just British tal nent terms of production and design but

:43:14. > :43:21.manufacturing, installation and virus products. It roof itself is a

:43:22. > :43:24.British projuct -- British talent in terms of.

:43:25. > :43:27.It is British technology. It has a lot of content from Britain. Great

:43:28. > :43:31.to know that. I know a lot of structure had to be built to

:43:32. > :43:35.withstand earthquakes because we are in a zone susceptible to earthquakes

:43:36. > :43:39.but aesthetic beauty is importance and you can see that in the design

:43:40. > :43:44.of the torch and the way the fountains are shooting up behind it.

:43:45. > :43:47.Hang on one second. Sorry, Sir, can I show your jacket to the Camara? I

:43:48. > :43:53.might have picked the wrong person? You see what I mean, the colourful

:43:54. > :43:56.volunteers jacket. Everyone else is so friendly. If you want to follow

:43:57. > :44:04.the Winter Olympics on the BBC. This is how you can do it. Watch all the

:44:05. > :44:10.excitement of the Winter Olympics with BBC Sport. We are showing every

:44:11. > :44:14.sport, live, from Sochi. With up to six streams of live sports showing

:44:15. > :44:22.across your devices, you will be in full control of all the action from

:44:23. > :44:27.the Games. Check out our live updates. And catch up on any action

:44:28. > :44:33.you've missed on BBC iPlayer. So you can share in all the drama, wherever

:44:34. > :44:40.you are. The Winter Olympics, across the BBC.

:44:41. > :44:43.Here is how you can access our new BBC live digital service. On

:44:44. > :44:49.computer, mobile phone and tablet as well as the six streams of live

:44:50. > :44:51.action on offer every day. There is our comprehensive live text

:44:52. > :44:55.commentary and summary page to keep you right up-to-date and for those

:44:56. > :45:00.moments you may have missed, catch up with a range of highlights and

:45:01. > :45:05.features on demand. And to let you know every evening on BBC Two I will

:45:06. > :45:08.be here with highlights from 7.00 to 8.00pm. Although coverage starts in

:45:09. > :45:11.the morning and you can catch things live and you will want to as much as

:45:12. > :45:23.you can, we will round up everything, every evening between

:45:24. > :45:26.8.00pm owe 7.00pm and 8.00pm. We thought we would take an alternative

:45:27. > :45:41.look at some of Olympics gone by. Jean Torvil and Chris fer Dean.

:45:42. > :45:57.-- Christopher Dean. That's it! What a marvellous set of

:45:58. > :46:15.marks! Eddie The Eagle Edwards. That is his

:46:16. > :46:22.crowd down there. He's on his way! There you are - he's safely down.

:46:23. > :46:27.Listen to the crowd! He's made it as a ski jumper. Let's meet our hero.

:46:28. > :46:30.Eddie, how was it for you tonight? It was great! I really enjoyed

:46:31. > :46:41.myself. Coming around the outside and

:46:42. > :46:47.there's a faller. Oh, they have all good. That has left Stephen Bradbury

:46:48. > :46:51.to cross the finishing line. The most amazing gold medal of any

:46:52. > :46:59.Olympic Games! This is a lap of honour for the

:47:00. > :47:16.American... Oh! Drama! She's done! Oh, look at her! This is incredible!

:47:17. > :47:22.It's on its way. And it needs to be absolutely

:47:23. > :47:27.perfect. It is looking good! She's done it!

:47:28. > :47:41.It is Olympic gold for Great Britain! You will never see a better

:47:42. > :47:48.under greater pressure. Amy Williams, going for gold for

:47:49. > :47:53.Great Britain. The last turn. Surely it is gold for Great Britain. Oh,

:47:54. > :47:57.yes, Amy Williams is the Queen of Speed!

:47:58. > :48:06.We will talk to Amy Williams about the Lego recreation. But this is

:48:07. > :48:10.Danya, working here on behalf of the organising committee. It is a good

:48:11. > :48:15.jacket. I like the gloves as well. Where do you come from? I come from

:48:16. > :48:26.Moscow. I have been here for half a year. I have been living here in

:48:27. > :48:30.Sochi and working. That's it. How exciting is it for you that

:48:31. > :48:38.everybody is here and that the games can finally start? Well, I think it

:48:39. > :48:42.is just amazing. It is very cold. You can feel all the Olympic

:48:43. > :48:48.atmosphere. More over, you feel you are part of the Olympic movement. It

:48:49. > :48:54.is just wonderful. ! Thank you for talking to us. I should have learnt

:48:55. > :49:00.from Olympics gone by, don't grab a volunteer, ask if they speak English

:49:01. > :49:06.and want to talk to you. Thank you, Amy. What did you make of your Lego

:49:07. > :49:11.double? I want my Lego Amy and take her everywhere I go!

:49:12. > :49:16.The sport will get way shortly. Where are you off to tomorrow and

:49:17. > :49:23.what will you do? Cross-country skiing, chasing one of the famous

:49:24. > :49:32.nameses of the nor -- names of the Norwegian skiing team. Will you come

:49:33. > :49:36.out with me? I cannot wait to watch the boys. It is exciting to go to

:49:37. > :49:39.the Extreme Park. I have not been there. The atmosphere will be

:49:40. > :49:46.amazing. The action gets under way with a bang.

:49:47. > :49:50.At this ulty tud and these -- altitude and these temperatures,

:49:51. > :49:56.life is on the edge. Not much moves up here. In these conditions,

:49:57. > :50:02.survival is all about hanging on, not falling off that edge.

:50:03. > :50:06.To defy gravity, to cut through the frozen air, to appreciate the raw

:50:07. > :50:08.beauty up here, you have to soar. You have to take your one brief

:50:09. > :50:22.moment to shine. Or maybe not! Only the most

:50:23. > :50:27.determined, the most resilient, the most resilient to pain - only the

:50:28. > :50:40.best climb back up the mountain. And fly straight off the edge.

:50:41. > :50:49.All over again! The mountains are being taken over

:50:50. > :50:54.by a new generation, a new sport - 12 new to the Olympic movement. In

:50:55. > :51:02.there is snowboard slope-style. We have two competitors in action

:51:03. > :51:06.tomorrow, that is Jamie Nicholls. The other will be in the semi-finals

:51:07. > :51:10.after their qualifying runs. It is the second run of men's

:51:11. > :51:19.qualification and billy Morgan is up first. 270 on, 270 off. Nice and

:51:20. > :51:24.clean for this first run from billy. Up-rail, down-rail combination. 270s

:51:25. > :51:29.off for both of those. Racking up the points. So the run looking the

:51:30. > :51:34.same as the first run so far, but even crisper, I would say. The rails

:51:35. > :51:42.were perfect. There's the cab double underflip. Puts it down. Will we see

:51:43. > :51:50.the triple? Well, there's the front-side, double 10-80. He's got a

:51:51. > :51:55.lot of speed. Yes! Oh, my goodness. And the hands came up. Billy Morgan,

:51:56. > :52:02.the first to lay down a triple in the qualification. We have Jamie

:52:03. > :52:07.Nicholls, the second of our Brits in this slope-style qualification,

:52:08. > :52:14.taking a second run. 270 on. 270 off. 270... Jamie has these rails in

:52:15. > :52:18.his sleep. He has such good board control.

:52:19. > :52:24.Very, very nice rail section. Very nice indeed. As was the first one.

:52:25. > :52:29.So, front-side... Oh, front-side, 14!

:52:30. > :52:33.Where did that come from? He played down practise about his run,

:52:34. > :52:40.switched back-side nine and then this will be the double backside,

:52:41. > :52:45.double 10. Wow! Jamie Nicholls!

:52:46. > :52:50.Well Matthew was up there. You watched those runs today. The

:52:51. > :52:54.feeling for billy was the judges were not very generous. It is a new

:52:55. > :52:58.sport for all of us. I thought he looked happy. As soon as he landed

:52:59. > :53:03.that last jump. It sort of looked OK. He looked happy. The score came

:53:04. > :53:07.up and he was a bit of sort of, oh, like that. Jamie came down, it was

:53:08. > :53:12.sort of the reverse. He sort of looked OK at the end. The score came

:53:13. > :53:17.up. It was... But, hopefully billy can get to the semi-final. He worked

:53:18. > :53:20.out there was some confusion over the format. Eight have qualified.

:53:21. > :53:23.The final will be 12. The semi-final. There are four left to

:53:24. > :53:28.come through from there. Hopefully billy can be one of them. The

:53:29. > :53:36.exciting thing for Jamie is he can stand by and watch them. As Billy

:53:37. > :53:39.Morgan there is more to be done. Et's find out about this former

:53:40. > :53:47.acrobat. Billy Morgan is a freak. I am not

:53:48. > :53:52.being unkind. It is the only way to describe a man with an unnatural

:53:53. > :53:55.talent! Body-positioning in the air is

:53:56. > :54:00.something that is usually learnt through years of practise. It is

:54:01. > :54:06.literally a school of hard knocks. N't Billy is just as -- But Billy is

:54:07. > :54:11.just as comfortable in the air as he is on the snow! Maybe that is

:54:12. > :54:17.because he's only spent seven years riding snow.

:54:18. > :54:20.See what I mean? Billy's rise to the top of snowboarding is - well,

:54:21. > :54:32.freakish! As a gymnast, or an acrobat, you

:54:33. > :54:36.want to be precise. Climbing on people's shoulders in a Pyramid of

:54:37. > :54:39.four men doing flips and stuff and they are throwing me around and

:54:40. > :54:43.stuff. It is the same thing. We would work on the same routine again

:54:44. > :54:48.and again until we got it right and perfect. It gave me the aerial

:54:49. > :54:54.awareness and everything I need to be a snowboarder.

:54:55. > :55:03.Can you feel where you are? Yes, I can see more of it. The more times

:55:04. > :55:07.you do a trick it will slow down and you know where the ground will pass

:55:08. > :55:17.by, so you can go, one, two, three and you get like a throb in the

:55:18. > :55:24.head. Like pressure. A fighter pilot? Exactly!

:55:25. > :55:29.Britain has never won a medal on the snow. Do you have any concept of

:55:30. > :55:34.what it would be like for a British audience to see? You can't put the

:55:35. > :55:37.pressure on me. Do you feel pressure? Yes, especially if my

:55:38. > :55:43.friends say they are betting on me. I think, I cannot lose them money. I

:55:44. > :55:48.will do my best. I would love it if we could get a medal. We have a

:55:49. > :55:57.strong field and enough strong riders. It is possible. Let's do it!

:55:58. > :56:06.And you can see exactly how Billy Morgan and Jamie Nicholls get on.

:56:07. > :56:12.That is tomorrow from 8am. That is when you will see the final.

:56:13. > :56:17.If you are a fan of Winter Olympics gone by, you will remember, as

:56:18. > :56:22.everybody does, the Torvill and Dean victory of 30 years ago. Well their

:56:23. > :56:26.story - The Perfect Story is told tonight at 9pm on BBC Two. It is

:56:27. > :56:30.well worth watching that. Here in Sochi, the crowds continue to pour

:56:31. > :56:35.out. Amy Williams alongside me now. The person I want to talk to you

:56:36. > :56:40.about is Elise Christie. You had a chat with her yesterday. I did. I

:56:41. > :56:44.have been trying to find out what it is like. She said the lights are

:56:45. > :56:49.really, really bright. For her, she has found it being amazing. It has

:56:50. > :56:53.given her energy and a buzz. She is enjoying the training and the

:56:54. > :57:01.excitement. They all have PVs, which -- PBs, which is great hear. She

:57:02. > :57:07.said it -- great to hear. It makes the ice softer. She loves it and

:57:08. > :57:10.everything is going great. She'll be in three events - the 1,000, the

:57:11. > :57:16.last of her three, being her strongest. Well the IOC President,

:57:17. > :57:19.Thomas Bach, has talked about victory with dignity. He said the

:57:20. > :57:22.Olympics represent peace, tolerance, living together without

:57:23. > :57:25.discrimination. He choose his words very carefully. We hope the host

:57:26. > :57:30.country reflect that. The ceremony is over. The sport can now begin.

:57:31. > :57:37.Let the Games commence.