Opening Ceremony Winter Olympics

The Caucasus Mountains, where Europe meets Asia, East meets West and

sports take centre stage. On snow and ice, the Winter Olympics brings

together nations and nature. The aim is the same as it always was

- to jump further, ski naster, skate -- faster, skate with elegance or

with brute force. To deliver a stone with pin-point accuracy or hurtle,

head-first at bone-juddering speed. But these are also the Games of big

air. New sports, for a new generation. COMMENTATOR: Absolutely

mind-blowing. There is a magic and a mystery to mountain sports. Danger,

too, in every move and the best know that they have to risk it all to

gain the ultimate reward. These athletes live on the edge. Welcome

to the weird and wonderful world for the Winter Olympics. -- of the.

From the mountains to sea level, Sochi 2014 covers the full range. We

are here on the edge of the Black Sea. They call it the Russian Riff

airia. This is the warmest winter Olympic venue, ever. It is also a

Games of firsts. For the first time in Olympic history, the USA will

compete on Russia soil. For the first time, after 16 years of

trying, women will finally take their place in women's ski jump.

And, for the first time since the first Winter Olympics of 1924, Great

Britain has genuine chances of multiple medals, in skeleton,

short-track speed Kating, curling and slopestyle which is brand new

and brings with it a whole new language of tricks and kickers. It

is about big air, creative, expression and passionate

performance. There are 98 gold medal events in total. 12 new to the

Olympic programme. For the first time, all the ice sports will be

contained here, in one Olympic Park. ?30. 7 billion has been spent

transforming this from marshland into the grandest, ever of winter

Olympic venues, as Russia attempts to make its mark on the 21st

century. And with the staging of a world

event, obviously comes the world. That has meant uncomfortable

questions for President Putin. The sort of questions he would never

normally be asked, about gay rights, animal welfare and corruption.

Russia has changed in many ways but still has massive strides to make

and as hosts of a major international sporting event, the

biggest, there a clam r o, louder than they have ever heard here for

progress, enlightlement, and an understanding of equality. The

opening ceremony is a two-way thing, it is about Russia demonstrating its

strength and power and the best of what it regards of its history but

it is also a ceremony about the athletes, and they represent all

countries and show off the joy of competition and strength of

diversity and President Putin will be desperate for this to go right.

This is a watershed moment. He knows the world is watching and

specifically the world is watching that stadium over there, it's Fisht

Olympic Stadium. It is named after a peak in the greater Caucasus

mountain range that means "whited head" because of its icecap. --

Whitehead. Inside there will be Hazel Irvine and Robin Cousins but

we have thousands going in. We have Amy Williams as part of our

commentary team. You have been enjoying, I guess the Olympic

atmosphere again. amazing. It is strange to be here at an Olympics

but on the other side, not competing not with the athletes. I'm getting

used to it. Everything so far has been awesome. You have been to the

sliding centre. What did it feel like to be back there? Really

emotional. I was prepared to feel a little bit climate change. The track

is beautiful. The best I have ever seen been built. I have seen many.

I'm jealous I'm in the sliding. We have competitorsp wanting to follow

in your footsteps but we'll remind you of your glorious moment in

Vancouver. Your final run. Once you are on the ice you have a feel for

how the run might be going but no idea of your time Skeleton is

unique. You are going down and concentrating on your fears. You

donted know what start time you have. You can only go by how well

you feel. You get to the bottom and don't have a clue. I made a few

mistakes. I don't know what is happening. It was only when I got

off the sled and my coach was at the bottom there, I remember tilting my

helmet up and I remember going to him and I whispered in his ear -

where did I come? He whispered back - you are Olympic champion. I

remember thinking, now what, do do I -- what do I do? I remember looking

back at the footage, I kept thinking --en didn't I take my helmet off.

I'll advise the other girls to take their helmets off. You know Lizzy

Yarnold particularly well. You are her landlady. I am, as it happens.

Yeah, she rents one of my flats from me. I advise here. She was close to

me in training. For preparations you do everything as an athlete to help

you train and prepare. She has been living it for the last summer. I

like to think I'm a good landlady. How is she as a competitor? How calm

is she? She is a unique athlete. I have been impressed with her

training it's a tud. She trained so hard. -- with her training attitude.

She saw me win four years ago. She was like - I want to go to so muchy.

She has been bringing on the same principles I did, I've helped her

out. She has gone from strength-to-strength. She works hard

and know what is she wants. She is a natural. Has great form,

aerodynamic. Learns those lineser hard and puts it all in on a race

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

the skeleton. I'll come boost the Olympic rings. You have seen

volunteers getting their photograph taken. And Matthew Pinsent. How are

you? Very well. Not too cold. It is actually all right. Very warm during

the days. So far we are not completely freezing yet. I wanted to

talk to you about our flag-bearer in the opening ceremony tonight. This

is a job you did in Sydney. How proud a moment is this for Jon Eley

the short track speed-skater? I saw him give a presentation in front of

Team GB the other night having been given the responsibility and the

nominal leadership. I think it is great for him. A huge honour for

anyone, given the chance to carry the flag. It is his third Games. He

hasn't won a medal before. Hopefully, I think everyone hopes,

that this sort of opportunity, this leg-up, will give him adrenaline

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

reasons he has been selected, and elease Christie there, alongside

him, who has a great chance in the short track speed-skating. They

selected him for his experience but they also said he upholds the values

they regard a good Team GB member to have. Gosh. Now you are going to ask

me what that means. I guess, well, probably he is forthright, honest

and respected by his team members. That's the way they do the

flag-bearer. They ask each sport to put someone forward and then all of

the game managers and leaders vote between themselves about which one

it is going to be. He has obviously come through that process. Enough

people know and respect him to give him the job for the night. Can I ask

you, as an athlete, what is an opening ceremony like? Is it

something you enjoy or a distraction from what you want to be doing? I

think it depends how exciting the first bit is. Those opening big set

pieces. Sometimes you are twiddling your thumbs and thinking - right,

when do we get a chance to go on? But certainly that moment when you

come into the stadium is electric and important that our guys use it

in the right way and think - we are here, we should be excited. We

should be full of the Olympic spirit T starts tonight. This is the most

important moment yet, or so far but then it goes up another notch when

you get to your venue and start competing and get through the heats.

It is a series of ramp-ups. Tonight, they should enjoy it. They should be

motivated by it. But there is still more to come. You had a little

glimpse inside the Fisht Olympic Stadium but what about Sochi as a

whole snl Jason Mohammed has been out and about and can tell you

exactly. Welcome to Sochi, or and strange but

true this, sunny winter Olympic city boosts the warmest climate in the

whole of Russia. In the summer time this is the place to come but in

seven years it has transformed itself from a popular holiday

seaside resort to a region ready to make its Olympic debut.

Now, the new Sochi is fully equipped for two weeks of world class

sporting action. Thankfully, one winter Olympic necessity was already

in place. A huge magnificent mountain range.

Sochi is located in the south-west of Russia on the Black Sea coast and

it is surrounded by the vast Caucasus mountain range. Threes

mountains lie at the heart of Sochi's history. -- these mountains.

In after 30 years of fighting in the region, Russian rule began. By the

1930s, Stalin decided that Sochi should become a seaside paradise for

Soviet workers. St, alin spent months at a time here painting green

on the outside to prevent him from assassination attacks.

If you think about it, there is a good chance that he made decision

abouts life and death during the great purge. Despite Russia's

troubled past, this country has been determined to turn Sochi into a

modern Olympic host. The irony, however, is that none of the Games

will take place in Sochi city itself. So, if I'm going to show you

around, we need to get a move on. The Olympic Park is actually based

closer to the town offed a letter and the mountain events will take

place in the Polyana resort. 2,000m up the views have been breathtaking

but this resort has changed completedly. Once a small Caucasus

town, it is now a winter Olympic hub that will host the majority of the

games. Down in the Olympic Park, five brand new venues are part of a

new nifty design for Russia's first Winter Games. Best of all, they are

in walking distance much each other and here at theed a letter arena,

spectators will see a host of international talent on ice --

Adler. The home crowd will be here, in the Bolshoy Ice Dome routing for

the Russian ice hockey team. The medal President Putin wants most is

the gold for the men in this arena. The iceberg will host a figure

skating competition and at the Ice Cube our British teams will be going

for gold in the curling. The stage is set for the largest number of

events in winter Olympic history. Athletes will strive to etch their

names into the record books before the Games close here Te Kanawa Fisht

Stadium. This is -- at the Fisht stadium. This is Sochi 2014. And

this is the scene here. You can see the lights and it really does look

spectacular. The opening ceremony, it will be underway shortly. The

stadium is filling up in terms of spectators and it is a big secret as

to what will happen and who will light the flame get the Winter

Olympic Games underway. But what about the locals? What do Russians

make of the money spent and the fact that for the first time Russia is

hosting a Winter Olympic Games. So this winter games has made headlines

all over the world, not always for the right reasons. Everyone has had

their say on the cost, venues and politics. I have come to a

traditional Russian restaurant to find out what the people here think.

Which sport are you looking forward to seeing?

Russia has spent a lot of money on the Olympic Games.

You don't think it is too much? What do you think the people around the

world are thinking about Russia right now?

How many gold medals are Russia going to win? All of them? All of

them. That is the genuine view of the

locals. Joining me is the BBC's Moscow correspondent, demand yell

Sandford. Do you find in your time here that Russia is different from

how you expected it to be? It is a more modern nation than people think

it is. People think of the Soviet stereotype but it has moved on since

then. If you if to the small towns it is still the same place, and some

of the attitudes are there, and some of the anti-western attitudes are

there, at ground level. Crucially there is still a tension between

western countries and Russia. That is partly because it suits Russia's

politicians for that tension to exist. Why? Politically they know

they have people out there that view the West suspiciously and if they

want to get the core vote in the far-flung regions of Russia, that's

a way of acting. If you have an enemy in Russian politics, it brings

the nation together. One of those firebrand points, one of those real

areas of disagreement between the liberal western countries and Russia

is over gay rights. How much does President Putin notice what

everybody else thinks? And is this something where he might be more

progressive in future? President Putin has very acute antennae. He

listens carefully to what the world says but also to what his own people

are saying. Of course he knows what people have said but he knows from

extensive opinion polling what Russians think of these issues. His

people are conservative, with a small c, and it suits him a bit if

the West is criticising him for standing up to these conservative

values as he sees it. I don't think at the moment he will listen but if

Russians change, he will start to change. As far as the opening

ceremony is concerned, is this a demonstration about power? Is this

about Putin himself? These Olympics are incredibly important to Russia,

because this is a moment when they are starting to rebrand themselves.

To set aside first of all the Soviet stereotypes and the chaotic years

when they've been trying to chaing themselves. Putin is using this as

an opportunity to say this is our new status as a modern nation. He

knows that his own people aren't sure that they are there yet, but he

can say to the Russians, look, you may think I haven't done that much

for you in the last ten years, but I brought the world to Sochi, and that

is very important to him. That was an interesting debate, if I can say

as such, between the head of Sochi 2014, who is called? Dmitry

Chernyshenko. And the new ICC President, Thomas Bach, about

whether athletes were allowed to make statements in press

conferences. He said if they want to, they can. This brings home to

you the reality of modern Russia, the Russian political classes think

they can control everything. So Dmitry Chernyshenko was saying no,

you can't make political statements at the Olympics, but Thomas Bach

quickly brought him up and said no, that's not the rules, and Dmitry

Chernyshenko quickly had to back down. Russia's ruling classes are

used to having things their own way but they are not quite in control of

this. This is the IOC's game, they are just based in Russia. One could

argue that because the Winter Olympics are being hosted here in

Sochi there is more awareness of Russia and how it needs to modernise

than if the Winter Olympics hadn't been brought here at all. It was a

contact late risk by the Russian leadership and Vladimir Putin. They

knew they were going to attract a lot of negative publicity. Russia is

still a complicated and confused place. There are lots of dark

secrets that bubble up to the surface. They've expected what's

happened over the last few months, the focus on human rights, the fact

they had to release a lot of people from prison in order to deal with

that particular problem. But I think they are hoping that after that has

all upon the and people watch the Games, people will say actually that

was perhaps better than they expected from Russia. And then they

are starting to build this new image, this new brand heading

towards the World Cup in 2018, the golden prize. Interesting, Daniel

will join Hazel and Robin inside the stadium. He will be part of our

commentary team. Thank you. As for Hazel, she's already been

part of this extraordinary journey towards Sochi 2014, and the ceremony

will be particularly special for her, because she carried the torch

in Moscow in October on the second day of the relay. It has been on a

40,000 mile trip. In October it went to the North Pole. That's the first

time that the flame has burned in the natural refrigeration up there.

But for Hazel it couldn't have been in safer hands. We are going to join

her now to tell us what we can expect in the opening ceremony. Yes

Clare, I was grateful for the honour. The baggy track suit not so

much. It was a great thrill to run with the Olympic torch. That's the

limit of my Olympic achievements. This man, Robin Cousins, has a gold

medal from his efforts 34 years ago. What might the athletes and the

British team be going through at this moment before the opening

ceremony? An incredible excitement. From the team GB excitement they are

pumped. There is a wonderful excitement in the camp, and to feel

that atmosphere during the flag raising. They are ready to get

going. They love the venues. Let's hope they can give the performances

they want. What's your impression of the venue? Is the skating venue is

gorgeous. I want to put my skates on and feel it. It has an intimacy even

though it is a large venue. Everyone is doing what they can to make sure

the athletes do what they can. The volume levels are going up here in

the stadium! What are wing up for tonight? Something exciting. London

was frivolity, but this is going to be high culture, so they tell us,

opera and ballet. We had pop culture with Danny Boyle's opening ceremony

in London, but this one is going to be worth a watch. It is a great

show. At the end of it we'll see how and who will light the Olympic

cauldron. That's a closely guarded secret, but the Olympic flame is on

its way. Thank you to Robin and haze hell,

who is working on her 13th Olympics, her six Winter Games. The torch for

the first time went to the North Pole. Here are the shots of that.

And also in November cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky carried

an unlit torch outside the International Space Station, 260

miles above the earth. The torch has been on a spacecraft twice before

but it has never been taken into open space.

And this is where ultimately the Olympic flame will be burning

throughout these Games. The I've been told that the way it will be

lit is going to be quite dramatic. We'll see that at the end of the

opening ceremony. We want you at home to be in touch with us

throughout these Winter Olympics, throughout the opening ceremony as

well. Use the # #bbcsochi. That will make sure we see anything you say on

social media. If you go to our BBC Sport website you will find a link

to all the Winter Olympics and when everything is being shown, with

profiles of all the athletes. You can find out about the leading names

in different sports, and the best of your comments on social media will

be used. You can be on it throughout the ceremony if you want to. You can

have a dual version of BBC input. We are here in the Olympic Park. As

you are aware there is no snow here. Let's head to the mountain as, where

there most definitely is and get a guide to everything up there from Ed

Leigh. As far as commutes to work goes,

this isn't a bad one. Welcome to the Caucasus Mountains and the which

exists because of the Olympic Games. An estimated cost of $51 billion,

these are reputed to be the most expensive Games in history. A big

chunk of that spend lies right here. A few years ago none of this

existed. A dirt track that led to a few minor dwelling has been trancer

formled into a highway-fed super-resort capable of hosting

these winters Games. Tens of thousands of construction workers

have laboured around the clock to finish road and rail links, plus

hotels and utilities before they even started on the Olympic venues,

which include a cross-country and biathlon contest, an alpine resort,

a sliding centre, and this bad boy, a 265 million dollar ski jump, the

single most expensive venue of them all. But have they succeeded? Has it

all been worth it? The best test will come when this feat of human

endeavour hosts an Olympic Games. One thing is for certain, with this

much political and financial investment, expectations are high.

From the mountains back down here to the Olympic Park. And there the

British team making their way into the stadium. Johnny Lee will be

carrying the flag. With ehave 56 athletes here, the largest winter

Olympic team since 1988. You get an idea there of the Russian hats

they've decided to wear. Those jackets will keep them warm. They

are in high spirits. You will see plenty of their photos I'm sure

across social media. Let's hope they don't get lost! Our

curling team have a great chance of a medal.

Ed Leigh is with me now with his Ski Sunday in crime Graham Bell.

Welcome. You will have skied as much of it as you can, how does it feel?

Pretty good actually. The mountains are good on top. They've

water-injected the men's downhill and it was pretty rock 'n' roll.

Tough. Who will that suit? The big headline story of these Games could

be Bodie Miller. He loves it really tough. He loves it water-injected.

This time around he isn't partying or going out to the knife clubs. He

is married. His wife is in the finish area. He's a different Bodie

Miller. A changed person. And who will be carrying the flag for

Norway? He is one of the best, certainly the favourite going into

it. The last time a favourite won was way back in' 8 -- in '-88 in

Calgary. He is topping but isn't necessarily favourite to win the

race. The men's downhill, with the best will in the world we haven't

got many chances of British medals in al skiing but we have in

slopestyle. Ed, that's your territory. Are you excited that

maybe for the first time the Winter Olympics is taking this seriously?

We've got some really really deep seams of talent that have been taken

from dry slopes and from indoor snow domes. We can't build half pikes in

the UK but snow domes are the perfect training ground, and the

four slopes. Ski slope is three rails and four jumps. Jamie Nicholls

and Jenny Jones and Amy full ter, we've got some real talent. Is the

snow artificial? They tried to run a test event in February 2013 and they

couldn't be the slopestyle, so they blew huge amounts of artificial

snow. These jumps have been carved. They are expecting them to melt a

bit but they haven't. So they've ended up with huge pile of snow.

Artificial snow sets like concrete, no give in it. The landings are very

icy. Temperatures are set to rise, so we'll get spring conditions and

that plays into the slopestyle, skiers and snowboarders' hands. The

first medals will be awarded tomorrow morning. You can see that

at 8. 45am on BBC Two. That's your Olympic channel.

Some of the British medal chances. Let's take you through all of those

that could be in contention. Here's Matthew Pinsent.

Back in Chamonix in 1924 when the British team won that record number

of medals, there were no skiing events. Probably because the

technology was something like this. But now, it is a lot more advanced

and the British team are still aiming high. So where better to

start than the top of the mountain. Dave Ryding and Chemmy Alcott are

our sole representatives in the Alpine events. Chemmy has been

played with illnesses and injuries since Vancouver in 2010.

The extreme park might just be where we win the bulk of the British

medals. We have a young team just itching to take on the world in

Sochi. Especially in the new discipline of slope style. World

number 2, Billy Morgan goes in the men's snowboard slope style. That

goes tomorrow and double X Games gold medallist Jenny Jones goes in

the women's event on the 9th. It won't just be snowboarders taking

part in this amaze amazing venue. Katie Summerhayes has recovered from

a knee operation to be a medal contender. You won't be able to take

your eyes off summer star in the making, 2013 World Cup champion,

James Woods. He does the men's event on 13th.

Among the Brits with the outside chance of a medal. Rowan Cheshire is

there. Now time for the slide sliding

centre. The skeleton represents our best gold medal shot. Lizzy Yarnold

comes in as World Cup champion having won four races this season.

She is a gold medal favourite but Shelley Rudman, Olympic silver

medallist from 2006 and current World Champion should the be

discounted. Down at sea level for the indoor events, it's curling

takes place in the ice Cube, Eve Muirhead brings in a British team

that are World Champions. They will be hoping to compete right the way

through to the end of the women's event on 20th February. The men's

team, as world bronze medallists, will be hoping to still be there at

the end of theirs, the day after, on 211st.

A short hop across the Olympic Park, and you get to the beautiful iceberg

venue. It is hear that Elise Christie heads up a strong squad of

British short track speed-skaters. Our best medal chance comes in her

favoured event the 1,000m. Once all those are out of the way, we have to

go, once more, back up to the mountains.

Royal Marine sergeant, John Jackson and his team have to wait until the

final day of the Games to compete in the four-man bobsleigh. After a

silver in the European Championships and a World Cup second place, they

certainly come into the Winter Games in flying form. Can they bring down

the curtain on the British effort here with just one more medal?

That's it. Two weeks of sport. Two weeks of British chances. After

London 2012, this is going to be Team GB - the next chapter.

And actually some bad news for that four-man bob that Matthew was

promoting, hopefully as a medal hope. Craig Pickering, a former

sprinter and actually missed the London 2012 Olympics with a back

problem. That back problem has come back and he is forced to miss the

Winter Olympics as well. We are waiting to hear how they will

reshape that four-man bob. I have moved over here to show you. Away

there, the blue stage you can see, is where they will be hosting all of

the medals ceremonies. After every event, whether the mountains,

sliding centre or extreme park or down here, it's medals ceremonies

will happen here. That's the ultimate aim for the athletes who

are heading into the stadium. Let's catch up with Team GB and see who

Jason has managed to talk to. Shelley Rudman and Eve Muirhead are

on their way into the Fisht stadium. Can you tell me what is going

through your mind right now? What is the atmosphere like? Electrifying.

Everybody is really excited and proud to be representing Great

Britain. Eve, what do you make of this Olympic Park? It is pretty

special? It is unbelievable. It is like London, a fantastic atmosphere.

The stadiums next to each other. It is excited to get going. It is super

good. Confident of winning a medal We are. We are going in full of

confidence. We will give it everything. Lovely to see you. The

nation is behind you. Thank you very much indeed, guys. Good luck,

goodbye, thank you. Great to see them smiling and

running back there to catch up with the rest of the teem. Eve Muirhead

skipper of the curling team and Shelley Rudman the reigning World

Champion in skeleton and has a strong chance of making the podium.

We could have two of them there together with her team-mate, Lizzy

Yarnold. It is' interesting. The competition has begun and I'll grab

Ed Leigh and bring him in. He has been watching qualification for the

slopestyle snowboarding and we had Billy Morgan and Jamie Nicholls.

Billy Morgan was the one everyone was talking about beforehand. He is

number two in the world? Yes, there has been an up and down

qualification process for the Games. They haven't managed to run too many

men's slope style events. Billy has done well in qualification and then

they cancelled the finals on him. He has done well. There is two - a bit

like boxing, there are two governing bodies. But Billy has managed to

come through and really prove himself under the FIS system, the

one they use here at the Olympics. He came out. A lot of people were

hoping for big things. He pulled out the triple cork, the big move all of

the riders have been hunting for in the build-up. He landed it on the

second run. The score was not anywhere close to what he was

looking for. He thought he was going to be up in the 90s N contrast,

Jamie Nicholls had recognised that the judges maybe were looking for

more technical flat spins, rather than gymnastic flips that Billy went

for. It was something we hadn't anticipated. Jamie landed this. A

switch. He takes off going backwards and spins four times. That's '1,440

degrees. He has only done that device before. He decided at the top

he was going to have a go at it. You can see the look on his face.

Express static. He was floating around in a daze for about 20

minutes afterwards and, he's earned - he's already set his goal. He has

come into the finals. He has achieved what he set out to achieve.

I think now, I hope that that will set him free. He has one more trick

to go as well. Another trick he can use on the last jump, so he can

improve. A lot of the other riders, I was very surprised in

qualification. Most of them threw everything at qualification. There

are two more rounds of competition left tomorrow and they have all

thrown everything and the kitchen sink in there. So... The big

surprise, the big disappointment is the biggest name in snowboarding,

Shaun White. He decided to give the snowboard a miss to concentrate on

the half-pipe. A couple of ways to look at this. In short he is a

half-pipe machine but he is also a very, very competitive athlete. He

is driven by a desire to win. Having focussed on half-pipe for so long,

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

just how far off the pace he was. He worked so hard to get in the US

team. He took some huge slams in the build-up to these Games fighting his

way into the US team. I think, when he got here, he realised how much he

was risking by entering slopestyle and he knew that potentially he

wasn't going to medal. So, you can look at that as a good thing, he was

big enough to focus. It was a brave move, 24 hours away. There was Kyle

Mac, the fourth athlete who would have taken his place, obviously left

at home. And that, I think is the disappointing thing. When you make a

decision like that, you have denied somebody else a place in the team.

But going back to British medal chances and more names to look out

for the jovial James Woods who is part of this new generation and he

is a very patriotic member of Team GB as they make their debut here.

Former UK snow snowboard champion has known him since he was a young

boy. Who better to meet him at the airport.

The flight from London Heathrow has arrived. Let's go and find our man.

How are you? Hello. Show me where we are going. It is easy. This way.

Let's get going. Woodsy here we are. First time in

Russia. It is exciting, isn't it. It is quite impressive. So, there is

the flame. That will take some lighting. The Fisht stadium. Once

you have caught a fish, it's been fished. A good way of remembering

it. So, this is Sochi down here. This is

the Olympic Village y centry bit. But we, of course, are going up to

the mountains. Do you still get butter flies in your tummy when you

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

It's been a few days since I have actually ridden.

-- to ski. Is this it? Are we here? I don't

know what Russian is for, "We've arrived", but we've arrived. Close

the door. Let's get on the gondola. Wow. How important is the result to

you, here? Obviously huge. I mean the Olympics is the top thing in

sport. I'm at the top of my ga. I'm loving it. Have a look over there.

You can probably see the Union Flags. Oh, that is us. Home for the

next month, right there, look. Wicked.

I feel like I'm sneaking a cheeky look. Can you get into the athletes'

village down there? You can't get in unless you have a pass. He is an

athlete. We'll go and have a look. That was rather presumptuous of that

lady. Let's get you home. Come on. There it is. The Union Flag. How

does it feel to be representing Team GB? It's huge. It's such a big - it

is a big deal to me. I'm very patriotic in general. Obviously I

don't think... What gives us that impression? We love that. Good luck.

Put it there, big man. Good to see you.

He's the man. I've known him since I was about 12. He is pretty nuts.

And if you want to see Woodsy in action, you can do that from

Thursday onwards in the slopestyle skiing. Well, this is the scene,

darkness here across the Black Sea and on the south coast of Russia we

are live in Sochi and just moments away from the opening ceremony of

the Winter Olympic Games, the 22nd Olympiad. The athletes get the

chance to take centre stage and they can re-write history over the next

16 days of glorious sport. We will be covering it all on the BBC, on

BBC Two and on Five Live and, of course on the website. You can join

in, #bbcsochi if you want to make a comment. Not far away now.

COMMENTATOR: Amy Williams is the Queen of speed. Oh, and he is over.

The United States have beaten the Soviet Union. She's done it.

It will be a emotional. It will be dramatic and glorious. Let's head

inside that Fisht stadium, 40,000 taking their seats and for

commentary, we join, Daniel Sandford, Robin Cousins and first of

all, good evening to Hazel Irvine. Good evening everyone from inside

the Fisht stadium. This is the start of the most expensive Olympics in

history, summer or winter. Over ?30 billion has been spent for the event

and we're about to see what return on the investment that the Russians

and President Putin may get. Good things come to those who wait.

Good evening from the Fisht stadium. The centre-piece of these venues.

Gleaming new stadia all around at the start of the most expensive

Olympics in history, summer or winter. Over ?30 billion has been

spent and over the 16 days or so, we are about to see what kind of return

on investment the Russians and President Putin will get.

First things first, do you know your Russian ABC?

Every one of Russia's 31 letters of the Cyrillic alphabet highlight

their contribution to science, art and dance.

It was a Scotsman, John Logie Baird, who first transmitted moving images

in the 1920s. Our heroine is 9 years old, and her character's name is

Lubov, the Russian word for love. As we've seen in other ceremonies

through the years, this little girl is going to embark on a journey seen

through the eyes of one little child. She dreams of Russia, a vast

land, the largest country on the earth.

And her dreams will take us on a journey across this land.

Cover one 8th of the entire world's surface, it would take you nine

hours in a plane to travel through nine different time zones from the

Black Sea to the most easterly shores of Vladivostok, across 7

million square miles of land. But tonight Russia's many diverse

geographical regions are flying to us.

Nine different landscapes float in front of us suspended from giant

traps, almost four kilometres of rails on the roof of the Fisht

stadium, among them the Ural mountain chain and the wilderness of

the far north-east. Toot strains of Fly Away on the

Wings of the Wind from Borodin's opera they fill the air, and 500

cast members representing over 185 ethnic groups within the raugs

federation will shortly be heard as they emerge. -- the Russian

Federation. Robin, it is a beautiful start. It is exquisite and the scale

and size is quite breathtaking. As the snow whirls all around, keep

your eyes on the big flakes. A slight malfunction with one of the

flakes, but I think we get the idea! In London we forged the Olympic

rings. I think that's what you call a fast-freeze weld.

And now it is time to meet the dignitaries.

Daniel Sandford is watching this in the studio with Clare. To what

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

This is really the culmination of his time as President. He's wanted

to put Russia back on the world map. This is his first opportunity to

really do that in a sporting context. So it is a big, big day for

him. He's brought the Games to his own personal favourite city in

Russia. That was a dream of his. He's pulled it off tonight.

The build-up has been dominated by security concerns and controversies

over human rights issues and disquiet about soaring costs and

corruption. But for the next 16 days President Putin's Russia is under

global scrutiny. As is tradition, we will hear the

national anthem of our host country. #

Russia - our sacred homeland. # Russia - our beloved country.

# A mighty will, great glory. # These are your heritage for all

time! # Be glorious, our free Motherland,

Age-old union of fraternal peoples. # Ancestor-given wisdom of the

people! #Be glorious, our country!

#We are proud of you! # From the southern seas to the

polar lands. # Spread are our forests and fields.

# You are unique in the world, one of a kind.

# This native land protected by God! # Be glorious, our free Motherland,

Age-old union of fraternal peoples. # Ancestor-given wisdom of the

people! #Be glorious, our country!

#We are proud of you! # Wide spaces for dreams and for

living. # Are opened for us by the coming

years. # Our loyalty to the Motherland

gives us strength. # Thus it was, thus it is and thus

it always will be! # Be glorious, our free Motherland,

Age-old union of fraternal peoples. # Ancestor-given wisdom of the

people! #Be glorious, our country!

#We are proud of you! # And the full-length anthem gets the

full treatment. The flag raised by a group of Russian Cosmonauts. The

anthem sung by the choir of the Sretensky Monastery. This is where

it all began. In the early days, of course for ancient Greece. It is

where this massive torch relay for so much I why's Games began, as

well. It arrived, the flame in early October and it has embarked upon a

40,000 mile journey around all 83 regions of Russia over the last 123

days. The torch is shaped like the feather of a firebird. A magical

glowing bird, used in Russian fairy tales, to light the way. The

ground-breaking journey of the Olympic flame has seen it carried by

roid, train, troika and nuclear-powered icebreaker to the

North Pole. And to the bottom of the world's

deepest lake, this one, Lake Baikal. It's been carried by 40,000

torchbearers, and despite the old hiccup, famously involved a

cigarette lighter, it arrived here in the crass no car region on

Wednesday and it is making its way to the stadium later. Krasnodar.

Robin, this was quite an be undertaking. It certainly S there is

such a great pride, as the Flame is carried around the country. We felt

it in 2012 enwith the Flame carried towards London. I was lucky to be

carrying it in my adopted home town of Brighton. But you got to carry

the flag here in Russia. I did. It was a great thrill. And believe me,

it's quite heavy. I was pleased that I had done my

shoelaces up by the end of it, I can tell you that. But it is coming and

it has been a pretty snappy start to this ceremony. Some wonderful

staging innovations and a subtle reinvention now of a traditional

very tour, the Athletes' Paraded. Because as we prepare to welcome the

competitors of the 22nd Olympiad, on to the stadium floor, we see

projections, brilliant projections at that from space of the outline of

each one of the record 88 nations and territories competing in Sochi.

And symbolically, emerging from the very heart of each one of those

nations, as the middle of the stadium floor opens up, here come

the athletes. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the athletes of the

Sochi, 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Starting as is tradition with the

country at the heart of the Olympic movement, Greece where it all began.

Although minus the lycra and thermals.

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

from the third Games. This team includes the -- 15-year-old athlete.

And we have the first ever Greek ski jumper.

Australia. Well, it may be baking on Bondi. These are just as much at

home in the cold. They are on the up in Winter Games. Best-ever in 2010

for them. The two gold medal winners then are

back to defend their title. They are bringing their best-ever team here.

The current Aussie team includes three Olympic champions.

Smith is back for one last go. Austria. Well, think Austria and

think of skiing legends. But, it was a big shock for the once

mighty wonder team, last time around, not a single medal in Alpine

for any of their male skiers. My goodness, they are trying to put

that right. Step up Hersher he is in the giant force in giant slalom.

Talk about great expectations. Of course, Robin we'll see them in the

likes of ski jumping, a record 130 athletes in this big Austrian team.

It'll be great to see them back on form on the slopes, wouldn't it? It

would. Huge expectations there. The first of the 15 post Soviet

republics we'll see. The first one, in fact to declare independence when

the Soviet Union was dissolved in December 1991. They have an ice

dance couple and two Alpine skiers from a country that shares a lot in

common with this region. It, too, is dominated by the giant cue cabbing

us is -- calk be a us is mountain range.

Albania. Their Alpine skier there. The best place for him was a 35th

spot in the giant slalom, Erjon Tola, he carries the flag for

Albania. Andorra. The tiny principality of an

doeria. It was their cross-country skier who provided one of the iconic

images four years ago when he battled out a sprint finish in the

50 k classic event. It was a battle for second-last palatial and he won

it. His sister is now part of the team and she's competing in

biathlon. The second-largest country in South America. As ever, their

winter team dominated by one family, thecy. Imari Birkne wreckses. All

Alpine skiers this time. Incredibly, members of this same family have

been wint other Olympians since 1988. It's in the genes. It is. I

hear her dance is very good, too. You can stop doing the Macarena now.

Armenia the smallest of the 15 former Soviet republics. A hop over

the mountains from here. Four have made the trip.

Sergey Mikayelyan carries the flag. We have 48 heads of state, we are

told, here tonight. From the Caribbean, it's welcome

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

Crook, that's him. He will become only the second British Virgin

Islands athlete at the Winter Olympics. Their first for 30 years.

I think with all the palm trees around here, he'll probably be

feeling at home. One of the few winter athletes to feel at home

seeing a palm tree and a beach right next to it.

A big cheer for Belarus. One of 14 countries that has be a land border

with our Russian hosts. Another former Soviet public, once known as

White Russia. Under the old system Belarus provide vieded some

brilliant starts for the USS R, among them Olga Korbet.

But Grishin will be defending his title in the freestyle. 27 in the

team. All competing in on skis. There is an athlete nicknamed Dasha.

Handy when you are a sprinter. Winter sports aren't what come to

mind when you think about Belgium but there are mountains in the

south-east. There are more than 800 kilometres of ski trails. We see the

former IOC President Jacques Rogge there. He competed for his country.

However, none of the members of this team is a cross-country skier.

Bermuda. Will he or won't he, don the shorts? That's Tucker Murphy.

They have all done T as ever, the bore mu Dans, never let us down.

He is 32 -- Bermudans. He is a scholar from Oxford University. He

finished 88th in his event four years ago. He is also an

international triathlete. Bulgaria, lying just to the west of

us here, across the Black Sea. Maria Kirkova Alpine skier at the front.

And shes' competing in the slalom and giant slalom. Her third Winter

Olympics. One of the Bulgarian countries didn't make the shortlist

to host the 2020 games. What might have been, eh?

Bosnia-Herzegovina. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Sarajevo

games where Torvill and Dean swept the board. Thereafter, the country

was ravaged by the Balkan war but they sent athletes to the

Lillehammer games. Six then, five now, once more it is Zana number of

ovakovic who holds their flag alot of, as she did in Vancouver. -- Zana

a Novakovic. A big year for Brazil. Strange to think of the be Winter

Olympics as a warm-up event but #245s' what it is for the nation

that will host the summer's World Cup. Some venues might not be ready

yet but their team here certainly is. They have men's and women's bob

sled teams. So snowless nations, again, will be well-respect

respected at the sliding centre in the mountains.

Russians owe a fair bit to Macedonia.

They provide the saints that provided the first alphabets which

became the krillic alphabet and we saw a little bit of it from Lubov

earlier on. Interesting to note, Robin, for the first time the team

being marshalled both ways. And here we go.

Great Britain. We say good evening to the 56 men and women who make up

the largest Great Britain and Northern Ireland team since the

Calgary Games of 1988. That is Jon Eley. A short track speed-skaters.

Getting a hearty welcome. The man from Solihull celebrates his third

Winter Games in short track. His best a fifth place. We see Chemmy

Alcott. It is a special night for Chemmy. The first time in four Games

she has been able to come to an Olympic opening ceremony. There were

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

I? I have to compete tomorrow. You have to feel this atmosphere. It is

fantastic. We see the Hungarians come in. We should tell you about

some of the marvellous prospects for not only this team but for Great

Britain's, Lizzy Yarnold, of course in skeleton. Shelley Rudman, Eve

Muirhead, Dave Murdoch in curling. So plenty of hope for Great Britain

and indeed a few hopes for the Hungarian team. Venezuela's one-man

team is a man of great energy. What a story this is. He was diagnosed

with a brain tumour at the age of eight. Only given three months to

live and battled back it make a full recovery. At the age now of 43 he

becomes an Olympian. That is wonderful and that's the Olympics.

It is a true Olympic story. Making their 7th appearance at the

winter Games the US Virgin Islands. The motto of those islands - United

in pride and hope. That's jast minute Campbell. She follow in the

track of of her father who also donned the boots and tracks for the

islands. -- Jasmine. Wow. The Olympic motto is being

rewrit web with the outfits tonight They match the gloves. The colours

of the Olympic rings on the gloves. This is a take on this, I think. It

is being interpreted several different ways. And Thomas back

himself the President of the IOC, who competed, of course in fencing

in his country, stands up to applaud one of their backest teams -- Thomas

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

the sliding centre in the bob sled. We have hot favourites in the luge.

Another one-man team. I'm a one-man Army, he said, the first and only

male athlete from Hong Kong, I'm very excited and honoured to be

here. He began speed skating short track at ten and decided to pursue

it, against his parents' wishes, but he's made it, and good on him. It

was on this night four years ago that the Georgian team following the

tragic death of a team-mate, and we remember him this evening. This has

been a difficult time for the Georgians, a brief war between them

and Russia, over the disputed territories of Abkhazia and South

Ossetia, but four of their athletes have travelled here. We welcome the

Danes. I had hoped they would be wearing woolly jumpers, but that's

pretty smart. Lena Nielsen is carrying their flag. Sheis a curler.

Believe it or not, Denmark have won only one silver medal in curling, in

their whole history. Hello to Dominica, the Caribbean

island, population 373,000, a milestone for the nation as they

make their Winter Games debut. And it is a husband and wife team. They

are both New Yorkers and they were offered citizenship after charitable

work for the island. Thanks to the glorious sounds of the

Russian Cyrillic alphabet, Z follows D, and that is why Zimbabwe is

following them in the athletes' parade. Luke Stein is the man who is

going to ski giant slalom for them, and good luck for him.

Tonight marks Israel's 20th anniversary in the Olympics. In

Lillehammer and they've got a team of five, the a short-tracker and an

alpine skier. There were supposed to be three men

competing for Iran. His family name comes from the Iranian ski resort of

Semshack. Skiing and snowboarding are available throughout the season.

Other ski resorts are available! Welcome to our friends from Ireland.

Conor Lynn carrying the Irish tricolour. A team of five, featuring

shamous O'Connor, who was born in San Diego and could have represented

Russia through his mum and Great Britain through his dad. But he

chose Ireland, where his grandparents were born. He is

already through to the semifinals of the snowboard slow still tomorrow.

We wish our Irish friends, as ever, the very best.

You would think they are covered in snow and ice, Iceland would be a

good bet for medals at the Winter Olympics, but nope. Will they

finally win a first in what is their 17th Games? Remarkable Robin. It is,

maybe it is just a bit too cold to ski, and they like to stay in front

of the fire and have a tipple. That must be it.

Very warm welcome from the Spanish here. They are led by Javier

Fernandez, a man that you know well, and his talents could be major. The

first ever European skating champion for Spain. Defending his title very

well a month ago and is hungry and ready to try and get his first

Olympic ice skating medal for his country.

Italy's produced some of the great winter Olympians on skis. But look

at the front. It's the man who is a master of the ice. It is the big

man, one of the best ever in luge. He's won medals at least of the last

five games - two golds, a silver and two bronze. Could he make it six out

of six? The man now 40, I reckon he might slide right on to the medal

podium again. Got a great chance, as indeed have many of these Italian

skiers, snowboarders and winter Olympians.

Another former Soviet republic, the flag adopted in 1992 with a blue

background representing an endless sky and a gold n sun above a golden

steppe eagle. And incredible talent. We'll be

looking forward to seeing him here. Those events will take place in the

iceberg skating Arena. A beautiful venue.

The Cayman Islands,ed that their Winter Olympics debut in Vancouver.

-- made their Winter Olympics debut in Vancouver. He must have enjoyed

it because he's back again. A huge welcome for the Canadians,

and no wonder. What magical Games they gave us four years ago in

Vancouver. It is the ice hockey player making her fifth Olympic

appearance in ice hockey. She leads the Canadian team. They really did

own the podium in Vancouver, finishing with a record 14 gold

medals, the most ever by a host nation in the Winter Games. They are

back to try and regain their men's ice hockey and women's titles.

Remember Crosby scoring the winning goal against the United States? The

whole of Canada went into overdrive that night. This is the largest ever

team, 220 Canadians. One of their gold medallists from four years ago

confidently claimed a few weeks ago that Sochi's Games belong to Canada.

We shall see. Cyprus have two alpine slalom

skiers. That's him carrying the flag, and Alexandra Taylor. Her dad

is English and her mum is a Greek Cypriot. They are gathering in

Exeter and Okehampton to watch, so Good evening to the Taylors.

Kurdistan in central Asia. A yellow motif representing the roof of a

traditional yurt, in case you were wondering.

We are used to seeing them at or near the top of the Summer Games

medals table, but the Chinese are coming as a winter Olympic nation

too, underlined by the fact that they are serious bidders for the

2022 Games. The flag bearer is a figure skater. Her fiancee proposed

live on television on their version of Dancing On Ice. Robin, do you see

what you've started? It does, the it brings people together.

The Chinese just taking in their surroundings. Saying their he

believes. Seven of China's winter golds have come in short track. A

shock two weeks ago when one of their well-decorated Olympians in

short track broke her ankle. Shock, horror! Very sad for her but in her

absence I'm sure there'll be no shortage of medals at the short

track stadium. The Latvians, 57-strong con I think

the tent. At their head a winner in the avalanche. -- a 57-strong

contingent. Lebanon, two alpine ski from

Lebanon. He is the flag bearer and most certainly they can train some

of the time at home. They've been skiing on their own range since the

1930s. Great skiing and great food. One restaurant offering the best

sushi in the Middle East. You couldn't make it up.

Bordering the Baltic Sea we are seeing them coming. It is the

Lithuanians. That is probably the brightest outfit we are going to see

tonight. Yet to win a medal as an independent nation. Nine fleets

attempting to get them -- nine athletes attempting to get them off

the mark tonight. The Principality of Liechtenstein, a

team of four, and at their head the member of alpine skiing royalty. Her

mum is one of the true alpine double gold in Lake Placid, where Robin won

his gold. Her uncle won two medals as well. It is in the genes. No

pressure. The nation that had its shiniest

moment at these Games courtesy of the two silver medals earned by a

great all round alpine skier, 22 years ago now.

We say hello to Malta and to their first ever representative at the

Winters. She was born in France, qualifies through her Maltese-born

great granddad. She will compete on slopes 53 metres high.

Morocco is one of four African countries competing in Sochi, as two

ski resorts high in the atlas mountains, and two competitors. Both

of them are alpine skiers. I should mention that the music for

tonight is being mixed ring-side as the athletes are entering. And

that's the DJ doing the mixing live. This fella is a character. He is at

the tender age of 55 the second oldest winter Olympian. He spent

over 30 years in Olympic competitions. His first competition

was in Sarajevo in 1984. He is going to ski in a mariachi-themed racing

suit, which has to be seen to be believed.

Moldova, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, it was once part of the

Soviet Union. Six Games for them. Five athletes, four on skis, and one

on luge. Albert of Monaco was a regular

Olympian. Five times he drove the bobsleigh, and there he is. He ran

with the Olympic torch in Moscow in October. He is watching a team of

five. And yes they do have a bob team. It is in the two-man event

this time. Welcome to Mongolia, their two

representatives were keen to get us under way and were among the first

teams to be welcomed into the Olympic Village last Saturday. It is

a delightful minus 17 in the capital, Ulan Bator today. Their

Italian-designed outfits are made of Mongolian cashmere, and that is

their secret. That's the costume you want to switch, try and get that one

at the end of the Games. Three Indian competitors here

competing as independent Olympic participants. India has been

suspended temporarily from the IOC and is expected to return to the

fold soon. Their three competitor compete for a fifth time in luge at

the winters. There he is - he's 44. He says, I

think there's a chance I'll finish last, but the placing is not

important, if I can teach young people about the spirit of the

Olympics. No surprise to anybody that she's a

long-track speed skater. 82 out of 86 of the Netherlands' winter medals

have come at the long-track speed skating. 27 of those are gold. Their

big stars are here again. The flying Dutchman - targeting three golds.

Well, it is a pleasant 24 Celsius right now in Auckland - almost

approaching the height of their summer. 15 of their boys and girls

have got on their skates. Here they come - the most successful

nation in Winter Olympics history - a population of just under five

million people. They have won 306 medals. One-third of them gold.

Extraordinary turn for this sport - winter sports mad nation. It is

extraordinary. It goes through figure skating, through the shooting

the biathlons - the speed skaters. They really cover all of the winter

sports. It is more of their cross-country skiers and alpine

skiers doing the business at the moment.

Look out for the Iron Lady, as she is known.

That is an 18-year-old skier. Learnt to ski in hand-made wooden skis,

hand made by his uncle. Says he wants a solid performance to try and

encourage more development for skiing in his part of the world.

A free-style skier, the first ever Winter Olympics Winter Olympicsian

skier. She was adopted aged six month months.

Is some of the most wonderrous mountain scenery. They have a

43-year-old in charge tonight - a cross-country skier. He didn't think

he would make it. He broke a couple of ribs and cracked a couple more.

The fifth games for him. Of one of 12 nations to have

appeared at every single Winter Games, since the first. They are

getting to watch the ceremony unfold. They said it would take 40

minutes to get everybody in. 2, 800 athletes here. We see the

Portuguese. No history of winter sport in Portugal. We normally hit

there for warmth. The first woman in that team - that's not her, by the

way, to represent her country at the Winter Games. Born to a Swiss mum

and a Portuguese dad. Finished fifth in the medals last

time around. Look out for their short track

skating stars. Look out for Lee Kyou-Hyuk. The

longest serving Olympian. Lm Kip, claimed the lady lady's

title last time out. She hasn't really had much of a competition

season. She's here to retain that title.

Romania gave us some wonderful appearances.

One bronze in 1968. Nothing since in the last 46 years.

You know, we have a lot of relatively new republics competing

here. San Marino has been an independent republic landlocked by

Italy since 885 AD. The world's oldest republic. Two of the youngest

generation, both 17, both alpine skiers.

Second time competing on their own at a Winter Games for Serbia. Team

of eight. He will compete in both biathlon and cross-country skiing .

Slovakia, led by Big Z - Zdeno Chara. He's the tallest in the North

hockey league in America. He's a big lad?

My sources tell me they might just have an outside chance of getting a

medal there too. All of their medals have come on

snow. None of them has been in the most precious colour - gold. Could

their alpine skier change that comfortably? Brilliant in the

technical event. She got two silvers last time.

She has been in all of the 27 ski resorts. Always strong in ski-jump

jumping too. Well, here they come - the largest

ever team from the United States. Indeed from any country at a Winter

Games. All 230 members of Team USA. What a significant moment. They have

never attended an Olympics held by their former cold war rivals. Who a

show of strength here at the XXII edition. They are in some of the

loudest knit ware we have ever seen! Twitter went crazy. People not

really sure if they like them. I think they are fun. Certainly fun.

The team full of some of the most recognisable names. There's one.

They have the likes of Sean wieth and Body Millar.

-- Wight. The There are chances everywhere you

look at the US. Tajikistan - this time he's going to

compete in giant slam lop. The President is amongst the watching

dignitaries, I am told. What a story this - Thailand had two

athletes in Sochi. One is Vanessa May. There she is.

She is representing the country of her father.

That is in alpine skiing. She was 3366 when she secured her place in

Sochi. We wish her well. I am sure the insurance premiums on ore bowing

arm must -- on her arm must be massive.

Formally under the control of gall. East Timor's rule to independence

achieved in 19 t 2. -- 1992.

That is East Timor's first winter athlete.

He and his mum founded the ski federation at the end of 2012.

Welcome! Another new nation to swell the rank

ranks - this time 88, Togo. She learnt to ski in France. She'll

be the first to compete next Thursday. Fascinating journeys many

of these athletes to get to the Winter Games.

He will wear what they are marketing as coconut-powered underpants. I am

not making it up! Just a across the black sea, with

Russia. Many of the athletes travelled to Sochi from Istanbul,

just a step away. A cluster of venues on the shore of

the black sea. Six athletes for Turkey this time. One more than in

Vancouver. Still to win a medal. Came off

second best last year behind Tokyo in the competition to stage the 2020

games. On the old silk route - with its

fascinating cities. I am told some of the best ski resorts in central

Asia. Book now to avoid disappointment!

A huge support for Ukraine. I have. I have violent unrest at the moment.

They compete at a time of great uncertainty in their home country.

44, across eight disciplines. Only the one Olympic gold in the winter

Winter Games - exactly 20 years ago. You will remember it well? She was

the darling of the games. And almost a footnote in the grand

scheme of things right now, Ukraine bidding to host the 2022 Winter

Games. When the Philippine's 17-year-old figure skater will be

the Philippine's first ever Winter Olympicsian. For 22 years and he has

promise. He is very, very talented. Lovely to watch on the ice. Has an

ease across the blades. Yes, this will put him on the mark here.

A snowboarder leads a team of over 100 athletes. She's qualified

directly for the Sunday slopestyle final. But for the first time in

their long history they've now gone two Games - Turin and Vancouver -

without winning a single gold. That's sparked much debate in saunas

throughout the land. Bonsoir to the French. It is in

order irk-combined athlete who is wielding the tricolour. Gold in

Vancouver in the combine event, ski jumping followed by a lung-busting

dabbing on the skis. -- lung-busting dash on the skis.

Keep an eye out for the French soldier, who will certainly be in

the medal mix. No alpine medals last time around for France.

There he is, Johnny Be Good, the man who is known to celebrate by playing

his guitar and singing Johnny Be Good if he reaches the top step.

He's managed three Olympic sill verses in alpine skiing. He is 34.

His sister won four golds and two silver. She's an Olympic legend.

Will his body hold up? I would love to see him do it, he's a top bloke.

Form Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro, literally meaning black

mountain, because of the country's heavily forested region.

Al skier heads up 88 Czech men and women. He took alpine broz in slalom

in Vancouver and these are her third Games.

-- al bronze in slalom in Vancouver. It's been a pretty brisk business in

terms of the athletes' parade. Official estimates put the number of

visiting heads of state at 44. Some notable omissions though Daniel.

Yes, I think pretty Putin would have hoped to have got a lot more heads

of state from Western European countries and North American

countries. The Winter Olympics haven't always been a place where

heads of state go, but we've seen in the audience the President of

Tajikistan, of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Ukraine and

Afghanistan. It is perhaps not the collection of leaders that Vladimir

Putin would have wanted to see around him at an event like this.

Indeed. As we see the Swiss. And than is Simone, a magician, and

twice a double gold medallist in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. One

more would see him conjure up a fifth gold. He went to Russia

because of his family connections. This is Switzerland's largest team

ever. In amongst that mass of red, look out for the snowboarder, named

iPod in the half-five. He's the man who first landed the double cork

1440. If you want to see it he might drop in and try it on Tuesday.

The Swedes have opted for the home-grown designs of Swedish

fashion giant H for their outfits and it does the job nicely. A

version of which will be on the high street soon. Home of the great

alpine ski, but Sweden's men's ice hockey team are the reigning

champions and they would love to spring a surprise here in this hotly

contested event. An independent country from 1918 to

40 and then became part of the Soviet Union and independent again

from 1981. The colours signify the blue skies, the dark, the suffering

from the past, and the white, the snow, on which they hope to win some

gold medals. You would have guessed it, Robin,

perhaps the biggest cheer of the night for the Jamaicans. It is

bobsleigh and they are back. This is Marvin Dixon. It is his first

Olympic Games. He is the brake man for 46-year-old Winston Watts in the

two-man bob. It is his fourth go at the Games.

We have many happy memories of Japan's Games of 1998. Before that

in sap or o in -- Sapporo in 1971. In three Games, the golds have dried

up. Only one, in Turin, in 2006. We've got Mao Osada, is she going to

challenge the Korean? She is going to do her best and is certainly

capable of doing so. The men's and women's skating teams are incredibly

strong fort Japanese. We are hoping for good medal prospects.

CHEERING I should tell you that women's ski jumping makes its debut

here and Sarah Takanashi could win gold. All this 40,000 crowd care

about are the arrival of Team Russia.

And they crank the music up just as Team GB had the same treatment in

London 2012. This sound to the sounds of Daft Punk's remix of

Harder, Better Fast Stronger. The music's been great, because it

has been a mix of modern, but underneath the thumping beat have

been some very old-fashioned traditional Russian folk songs. They

have. The crowd is enjoying this, just as they are the arrival of this

huge team. The old Soviet Union first competed in the Winter Games

of '-56 and they topped the medal team eight times. But in Vancouver,

only three golds, 11th place on the medal table. Russia's report card

read, not good enough. These new Games and facilities are

fundamentally important for winter sport in Russia. They've got much to

prove on their home snow and ice. The stadium really kicking off now.

Huge expectations on the likes of Nikita in cross-country, from the

Russian Rocket in skeleton, and a wonderful history in pair skating,

the likes of Yevgeny back again in the men's. He came back in great

form last night. The Russian figure skating team are in top tomorrow and

they are expecting to sweep the board. But they are going to get

pushed. Could there be a triumph return for

lush enco? He's got more events to come on Sunday.

This huge Russian team, approximately 230. I think the one

they all want and the one that Vladimir Putin has said, if there

was only one gold, it is the men's ice hockey. No pressure, boys, but

the nation expects, rather like they did in Canada, Robin. They do, they

take their ice sports very seriously. As big as the stars are

in figure skating, it is the hockey team who they want, and Putin says

yes, I want the gold in the hockey Arena. If they do it, Russian

athletes are set for a ?75,000 windfall if they win gold here at

home. That's quite an incentive. But what better incentive to win at home

in front of your home crowd, and for the first time in an independent

Russia. It is an amazing atmosphere. The Arena has taken on another... I

can feel the chills on the back of the neck. Especially having seen the

athletes come in. It was never this scale in my day, back in the old

days, but there is something to being able to be a part of this

Olympic family. It is wonderful. They've cranked the music, the

volume's gone up. The athletes are now going to enjoy the rest of the

ceremony. You work so hard, every day, every second, breathing,

eating, sleeping your sport, and this is the culmination of this for

so many athletes. You just hope they get to do it to the best of their

own ability. They reckoned it would take a full five minutes to get the

Russian Federation's team in. They were squeezing them up into the

aisles and their seats now. Being marshalled nicely by some nicely

dressed but very firm young ladies in winter whites. President Putin.

Surveying the scene. Daniel, what a significant moment

for Russia, not just in terms of their sport but I'm sure that many,

certainly in political circles, see this as the start of a new era, not

just in sporting terms but in terms of Russia's impacts on the world.

Yes, Russia's been struggling for a new identity since the end of the

Soviet Union. Many Russians feeling that was the end of their imperial

time, and looking for a new identity. This is all part of

President Putin's plan to give the Russians a new identity, something

that helps them to walk proudly on the world stage. But which doesn't

have those negative associations that the Soviet Union had. But I

should say his party's being slightly spoiled at the moment. We

are hearing news from the Associated Press that there's been an attempted

hijacking to take a plane from the Ukraine to Turkey, and to take it to

Sochi. The plane is now safely on the ground in Istanbul, but there

was an attempt hijacking and they tried to take it to Sochi.

Daniel, I'm sure we'll hear more news on that throughout the coming

hours and days. A record-breaking number of Olympic

athletes are sitting in their seats. A moment of (Inaudible) in

proceedings. Allow us to introduce our official mascots, they are the

polar bear, the Snow Leopard and Arctic hare. They've adapted to

their new surroundingings tonight. Terrific, and the size of the

animation, wonderful. Figure skates, skis and a snowboard, which would

you prefer to be on. ? I think the 8 metre-tall bear has the most natural

talent of the lot. He's on the skates. Although I have to say a

triple looks too much for him. I don't think he's going to get that

weight off the ice. I wouldn't mind coming back and

having a go at the snowboards but my knees will never let me have a go at

that. I'm sure many will appreciate the echoes of the 1980s Summer Games

in Moscow, which also had a bear as a mascot, Mishka, which shed a tear

at the closing certainliny. Those Games 34 years ago took place

shortly after Robin had won his gold in Lake Placid.

Take a bow, boys and girls! And now some of the most popular

Russian actors all feature as we tell the story of Russia through the

ages - a multi-century story of people's connecting across

continents, time zones and cultures. The Greeks and others. Russia has

been a melting pot for at least 45,000 years.

And the construction of this Fisht Stadium, is you feel here seen here

as the start of a new chapter in Russian history.

We saw some snow falling around the Fisht Stadium in that video. Not

much of that down by the coast, but plenty of it coming now inside the

stadium. A blizzard is on the way! Our little hero girl struggles in

the blizzard, above here her is one of the meaningful symbols in Russia,

the troika. Three horses pulling the sleigh. They travelled up to 30

miles per hour. The horses' harnesses with bells to warn of

their impending arrival. We have never seen one quite like this.

The giant horses pull behind them the sun. To give you an idea of how

visually imposing this is the troika and the sun measure 65 metres long.

To the sound of the Breaking of Spring. One of the most influential

pieces of 20th century music, the sun melts the ice to reveal a

medieval city. Up from the depths rises the

medieval city - a jumble of domes and inside acrobats, kos sack

dancers. You hear the voices of ancient

languages. In a crystal globe, she foresees the

creation of the icon iconic St Basil's Cathedral. Now we have a

medieval carnival. Colourful - everything you would want from an

Olympic op n Olympic Opening Ceremony.

And you will see those giant puppets. They are not precursors of

the inflatable men. They are the powerful men of Russia.

The ol oligarchs of their time, you might say. This was a period of

massive change in medieval Russia. It was. I mean the Russians had a

very, very difficult period, when at one point they were invaded on

successive occasions. This is the moment Russia was really coming out

of that period and starting to establish itself as the powerful

nation. It became that over the next couple of hundred years. This was

the beginning of Russia becoming one of the world's great nations.

The sleeping giant of Russia awaken. The icon iconic Cathedral before us.

Legend has it the architects were blinded and nothing would ever again

be so beautiful. He was a charmer all right.

He turned Russia from the small medieval state to a massive empire.

Our hero girl is perhaps wise to move on.

And the medieval era passes in a jangle of bells from the Onion dome.

We have seen images projected on to the floor of a stadium in Opening

Ceremonies a lot over the last few year, in Beijing and in Vancouver -

rolling fields of wheat and corn. This next sequence rivals all of

that, as the floor is transformed into a raging sea.

The storm signals the rise and rise of imperial Russia, under the 43

year reign of Peter the great - the Tsar said to drag the country out of

medieval times to become a great European state.

Peter created a navy and fought campaigns that would give that navy

access to the Black Sea - right outside the stadium.

Why was this Navy so important to Peter and the ambitions of Russia He

looked about himself at the time when he came to power and looked at

what the great nations of the world are and he saw Britain and Holland

with their huge navies dominating the world. He realised if Russia

wanted to come out of this living in - on the edge of Europe and Asia and

wanted to become a great European nation, it whatted to have a navy --

it had to have a navy and one that had access to seas that were not

frozen for much of the years, which of course the northern seas are.

That is why the Baltic became so important in Peter The Great's time.

It is to the Baltic that we shift our focus now.

We see the famous shadow of the statue of Peter the Great. We of

remember that he modernised the Army and moved the capital from Moscow to

the city that is emerging on our map right now - on the stadium floor -

St Petersburg. The construction of St Petersburg

not by the way created without great loss of life to the conscripted

peasants who built it for him. St Petersburg built on a marsh, just as

President Putin has built in incredible complex on marshy ground,

20 miles from Sochi, in the district of Adler.

Robin, we sat together in Vancouver and watched the transmission of

images on to the floor, but this is extremely creative and impressive.

Extraordinarily beautiful, too, as is this transitional sequence now.

As we move the a, St Petersburg, which was seen as Russia's window

for Europe, and for 200 years there after-Russia would be the great

power at the dawn of an age of literature, with the likes of

Pushkin, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. It is to War and Peace which we are

being trance port -- from the -- transported to now.

The stadium is being transformed into an elaborate imperial ballroom.

It is for one of the central characters of War and Peace, who

arrives with her father to dance with members of some of the five

families around whom the story of War and Peace revolves. Set against

a backdrop of the impending Napoleonic wars. With so many words

in the book, I won't attempt to precis it for you. We'll enjoy

performances from some of the world's greatest ballet dancers.

A few double axles thrown in there, but exquisitely done. Vladimir

Vasiliev has drawn comparisons with newer Cenotaph himself. I would like

to -- with Nureyev himself. I would like to see him try those on skates!

They would like to have a stage this size to dance on more often. Ballet

is so fundamentally important to Russian culture and has been since

the first Imperial School of Ballet was founded in St Petersburg in this

1740s. The style of traditional Russian ballet is enjoyed the world

over and their stars are superstars the world over. As Natasha and her

family exit the scene for the moment, there's foment in the air as

we hear the composer Alfred Schnittke. The Napoleonic era is

ending. A cold wind is blowing. Surf Dom is being abolished and

disenfranchised peasants effectively slaves are finally being given their

freedom outside the halls of the bourgeoisie.

Natasha and her beau are briefly reunited, but a swirling vortex

consumes them and the old order in Russia.

There's so much foment in the air and there's no stopping one of the

most significant events of the 20th century like a run away train. Here

it comes, the Revolution of 1917. Whole she victim, less than anyone,

trotsy, civil war, a bloody end to the era of the tsars, and with it

ultimately the Soviet Union and communism. -- Bolshevism, Lenin,

Trotsky, civil war, a bloody end to the era of the tsars, and with it

ultimately the Soviet Union and communism. Moving overhard are

fragments of the avant-garde artwork bier artists of the time. It is like

a supersized art gallery in here now. I love this music. It is by

Zuderov. It was one of the iconic skating routines. A three-times

pairs skating champion, one of the legends of Russian sport.

The music is time forward. It was even used as the theme tune for the

evening news in its time. Daniel, a powerful interpretation of

those early days, after the revolution. A time of total turmoil

in this country. Yes, and a time when millions of people died as they

tried to do with these Communist agricultural reforms. Millions of

people died in Ukraine and even in parts of southern Russia. Thousands

of people died in al-Lynn's purges in -- died in Stalin's purges. It

was a bloody time in Russia, a time when the whole country was

electrified. Huge railways were built and industry started up.

The creative of this -- creative director of this show, Konstantin

Ernst, created much of the staging in front of us, fleeting almost

overhead. This has been a staging effect used so beautifully and

effectively tonight. And not overused. There is such a vast space

above the floor. It is great to see it used in this way. Some very

innovative touches to this opening ceremony so far.

APPLAUSE But the red machine shows down.

Leader, Joseph Stalin's five-year plans were punk tuaited by famine

and the great purges of the 1930s, revolution was, indeed a painful

process. But most, painful of all, the Second World War, known here as

the great patriotic war, in which the of Soviet Union lost an

estimated 27 million people. Around half of all casualties from that

time. As it's searchlights move around

this stadium, silence pierces through the darkness.

The sound of reconstruction is heard. It is heard in Moscow.

Snr we are in the mid-20th searching rip and now the Soviet Union and its

allies have formed the Eastern bloc and there is a big old Iron Curtain

separating us and them. But just as in the West, life is

going on. And it's going on at quite a pace. And that's Nikolai Valuev.

One of the best-known former heavyweight boxing champions. Now an

MP. 7 foot. Another big lad. It's the page of the space race. The

days of Gregarin and the first woman up there. All the while Moscow's

famous skyscrapers leap from the ground and the Soviet Union reaches

for the stars. It is Khathurian with a twist. Would

he approve? Shot sure. Meanwhile, looking down from the rope, the old

symbols of Communism at its Cold War height. The hammer, the sickle, the

monuments to the workers. All of this is being done with tongue

firmly in cheek. The Russian audience, you sense, really enjoying

poking a bit of fun at times past. All the while, classic cars from the

Soviet era are whipping around. The Lada is one. Daniel, you field, as

always, a fondness for certain parts of those times. Yes, you can see it

is being treated as being quite a pleasant time in Soviet history with

humour. I think many Russians do now look back on that time with a bit of

nostalga actually. You might be surprised by that. There were far

fewer freedoms for Russians. They didn't have the ability to travel in

the way they do now but it was a time of certainty are where people

knew what the rules were. Since the Soviet Union, Russians have perhaps

suffered and felt a bit that while they really enjoyed the freedoms

that they had, there was less certainty in their world. Just to

update you on that hijack story, all three major news agencies have now

confirmed a plane from the Ukraine to Istanbul, there was an attempted

hijack with a passenger, according to Turkish officials, wanted the

plain to fly to Sochi. But it went on to Istanbul and is be under the

control of the Turkish authorities there. Suggestions that the

passenger may have been drunk. How serious a hijacking attempt this

was, is not clear at the moment. Thank you. He we see. Am Ural motor

cycle and side cars a rather iconic vehicle. Russian sports stars, so

important as new society. Immortalised. And Soviet poster art

there. And the Soviet Union made its debut in the Winter Olympics in 1952

and became a sport superpower as well as a political one. And now

this Moscow knights. A tune Robin knows well It was a big skating song

in my day. Not this particular version. -- Moscow Nights.

There is Lubov again. The creative director of the show told us earlier

this week, that although it was a society living under a political

system very different from our own, people got on with their lives.

Well, they had no choice. They went to work. Couples fell in lot. Many

had kids. People were still people, no matter how limited were their

freedoms. And this is a time of Russia's babyboom and it is getting

a Busby Berkeley-striel treatment. Lubov's dream-like journey through

the oold country is almost at an end. -- old country. The Soviet

Union was dissolved on 26th December, 1991. Lubov releases her

red balloon. Communism is at an end. And a new Russia is born. But what

is the character of that new Russia? What do you feel, Daniel? Well, it

is the question that's not really answered in this opening ceremony.

It is interesting to make the comparison between this and Beijing,

the Beijing Summer Olympics, of course, were a time when China

celebrated the extraordinary change in its economy. Well I'm sure

President Putin would like people to see this as the same moment for

Russia. That it is a time of extraordinary change for Russia. But

the difference is that actually, in Russia, there hasn't been a big

change in the economy. The economy is in quite a bad state. The one

thing that has changed has been the price of oil. All the money that has

been used to fund these Olympics has essentially been funded off the back

of the oil price change. Some people in Russia feel that they'd rather

that that money had gone into their own pockets or into improving the

country's infrastructure, which is still appalling, rather than being

spent on the Winter Olympics. I think that's been the big

controversy, really, domestically, about these games.

Well, so many issues have come to light in the build-up, over the last

six or seven years. But we are in the present. Russia is staging these

Games and we get another glimpse here of the long journey of the

Olympic Flame over the last 123 days. En route it has been

transported to the top of Europe's highest point. It's been all over

this vast nation here in the Caucasus range. There it is at the

top of Europe's high highest point. One of the special projects

undertaken by the men and women who carried the torch. After blasting

off from Russia's launchpad, the torch even went all the way to the

International Space Station on a first-ever space walk. It is we are

ard insured, the same torch that will light the cauldron, the one

that was in space but who will wield it, we still don't know? If that is

he at warm-up act, it is going to be tough to follow it, you have to say.

We should know very soon. As we look out over this most

impressive coastal cluster, with its handful of beautiful new venues, all

at a huge cost, it's almost time to officially open the Games. But

before that, it's the speeches. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome

the President of the 2014 organising committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko and

the President President of the International Olympic Committee,

Thomas Bach. Welcome to the XXII Olympic Winter

Games in Sochi. Our city is unique, as all of Russia is unique. It is

the largest country in the world, a country where Europe meets Asia, a

country of great achievements and victories.

We are proud to have the privilege to host the entire world. In

Guatemala in 2007, our president, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin told

the entire world about our dream which seemed impossible to many

people. But we and the International Olympic

Committee believed in this dream. Seven years later, here we all are

in the middle of this dream that came true.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE A huge team of Olympic organizers

toiled under the direction of the government's Deputy Prime Minister

Dmitry Nikolaevich Kozak, to turn ideas into reality. Construction,

power and transportation workers and the residents of the city of Sochi

and Russia have poured a part of themselves into this tremendous

project. Thanks to you, it became possible to hold the Games that are

going to inspire a generation! Today, our thoughts and hopes are

with the great heroes of this celebration - the athletes.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE These heroes are living the dream of

the Olympic podium, having trained for years for a moment that will

leave an indelible mark in history. Your talent and skill in overcoming

what seemed impossible is inspiring. The Sochi Games are our chance to

show the world the best that our country is proud of our hospitality,

our traditions, our Russia. Our Games will be hot, not only

because of the palm trees outside the ice arenas but also because of

the heat of our hearts. Our Games will be cool, with new modern

sports, new heroes, new icons. Our Games will be yours, all of yours,

because when we come together in all our diversity, it is the Olympic

Games that unite us. Thank you to the International

Olympic Committee and our partners for your support.

APPLAUSE Thank you to our volunteers, without

your contribution this undertaking would be impossible to accomplish.

When we set out on this journey, we tried to open the doors to the

future, to break down stereotypes, to reveal a new Russia to the world.

Today, this future is here, and we welcome everybody and present you

these Games - hot, cool, yours. The moat yoe of the Games sqliended by

Chernomyrdin. -- motto. And now I have the honour to invite the

president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, to