1,218 drones fill the sky to form the Olympic rings at the opening ceremony
Peace, passion, harmony, and convergence. These four themes are what the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics was focused around. These topics carried through the whole Olympic experience as athletes from all over the world gathered together to represent their respected countries.
The opening ceremony created a visually beautiful kickoff for the games. Incredibly talented musicians, singers, and dancers filled the stadium with Korean pride and culture. Five children were featured, each representing an Olympic ring and an element that is believed to have made up the Earth: fire, water, wood, metal, and earth.
1,218 drones took over the sky with a record breaking show. This production seen on television was pre-recorded, but that does not take away from the amazing technological advances we watched occur right before our eyes. The drones formed the Olympic rings and a moving snowboarder in the sky. Before this was seen, there were snowboarders racing down a hill with lights wrapped all around them.
The Parade of Nations was of course led by Greece, the host of the first Olympics, and concluded with Korea. Both South and North Korea marched together under the Korean unification flag. The countries marched in alphabetic order based on the host country’s language. 242 athletes led by Erin Hamlin, a luger, competed from the United States: the largest amount of athletes from one country in Winter Olympics history. This year, Russia was not allowed to march under their flag or showcase their colors. This was a punishment for the country being caught doping.
Yuna Kim, a Korean figure skater lit the torch while ice skating and the games began.
In the actual Olympic games, the United States brought home nine gold, eight silver, and six bronze medals. These medals came from curling, snowboarding, skiing, hockey, bobsleighing, skating, luging, and sports in between. Norway, Germany, and Canada finished in front of the U.S. with 39, 31, and 29 total medals, respectively. All in all, every country has extremely talented athletes that represent their countries and our world well.
The closing ceremonies wrapped up the games and previewed the next Olympics in a very nice way. They ceremony started out with performances from Korean artists and more talented children showcasing their skills. A surreal display of dancers made viewers dizzy with all of the awe-inspiring movements.
Drones filled the sky once again with the 2018 Winter Olympic mascot, Soohorang, and a heart. The flag was passed onto China, as the winter games will be held in Beijing in four years.
The peace and unity that the Olympics bring to the countries of the world is exactly what is needed right now. The games will always be a symbol of the greatness we can achieve when we put our differences aside and just look at who we are as people. Carry that peace, passion, harmony, and convergence onto the next games.
