Let the Games begin! Fireworks exploded over the Olympic stadium in the Black Sea resort of Sochi as the 2014 Winter Olympics got under way
Well That Didn't Take Long! After Days Of Ridicule Over Terrible Facilities, Sochi Winter Games Opening Ceremony Begins... And Within Minutes Olympic Symbol Fails To Light Up -- Daily Mail
* The Winter Games in Sochi are already the most expensive Olympics in sporting history, costing £31.8 billion
* The spectacular show began with 'faux-lesbian' singers tATu holding hands on stage despite anti-gay laws
* Within minutes of ceremony starting, one of five gigantic snowflakes failed to blossom into an Olympic ring
* IOC President made apparent attack on anti-gay laws: 'Games are never about erecting walls to keep people apart'
* The Sochi opening ceremony began at 4.14pm GMT (8.14 local time) with fireworks and pyrotechnics
* It told story of Russian history before torch was carried into stadium by Sochi-born tennis star Maria Sharapova
* Putin's rumoured ex-gymnast girlfriend of several years Alina Kabaeva then took the flame from her
* Hockey great Vladislav Tretiak and three-time gold winner Irina Rodnina lit cauldron to Stravinsky's Firebird Suite
* Rodnina sparked outrage last year when she Tweeted doctored 'racist' photo of Barack Obama looking at a banana
The most expensive Olympics in world history have officially started - and considering the price tag, the expectations were high.
But minutes into the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi, already plagued by complaints of poor organisation and infrastructure, there was another glitch - when one of the five Olympic rings failed to appear.
Five large, glowing snowflakes emerged from a whimsical opening meant to depict the four seasons, floating to the top of arena and, one by one, morphing into rings.
But only four joined together while the fifth remained a snowflake, apparently stuck behind the rest of them.
The five were supposed to join together and erupt in pyrotechnics similar to those of London 2012 - but instead they were eventually darkened and moved out of the arena as Russian President Vladimir Putin was introduced.
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