IOC boss Thomas Bach is giving a longish speech in which he touches glancingly on 'discrimination'. Good that he said something, but it was a long, long way from definitive.
Vladimir Putin, looking very stentorian, opens the Games officially. Cue fireworks.
Time for the doves of peace.
No helicopter scene for Putin, he just said a couple lines in Russian to officially open the Games
, from his seat, and that's it for him in this opening.
Dancing is beautiful, but like cotton candy, it has its limits.
We are very close to the torch lighter here. Very low odds he/she arrives in a pick-up truck. Grain thresher?
After "Swan Lake" performance, here comes the Olympic Flag. All five rings appear to be in good condition.
A rendition of Swam Lake, one of the most famous pieces composed by Tchaikovsky. Who, Twitterers point out, was gay. Although the previous Soviet era ignored that.
Among those bringing in the Olympic flag - a cosmonaut, a TV reporter, a hockey player, a filmmaker and a ... cyber-sportsman.
from: Shannon Szabados @ShannonSzabados (Women's hockey)
Opening ceremonies are a bit of a mystery to me every year, not quite sure whats going on but its still awesome to watch lol
This Opening Ceremonies represents the largest concentration of white suits in human history. Somewhere in Sochi, there is a laundress having a breakdown.
Oh, now that's a dress! Or a sculpture. Or both!
Never quite sure why the Olympics has its own anthem. It's not a country.
Anna Netrebko, one of the world's great sopranos, is definitely not lip-syncing the Russian national anthem.
It's hard to imagine any 2.5 hour spectacular these days that includes no contemporary music. But I didn't hear anything in the Ceremonies-proper tonight that was less than 50 years old.
Soprano Anna Netrebko just brought it. Or whatever the equivalent opera phrase might be.
Vinay, may she "killed it"? There's always a lot of death in opera. And she did. Beyoncé couldn't have done any better.
My music streak is about to end. This final segment before the torch lighting features a Daft Punk remix.
Massive lit-up figures represent Olympic Gods. Lotso, lotso hockey.
"The Game Has Changed" remix by Daft Punk to follow this segment featuring robot speed skaters. When the machines become sentient and enslave humanity, it will start exactly like this.
Emma, what do you think of Team Canada goalie Mike Smith's mask?
If you'd had any chemical refreshment before this started, you'd be in the midst of the most intensely weird morning/afternoon of your life.