Broken Olympic rings, a 'scare bear' mascot, torchbearers who included Putin's rumoured lover and an Obama-mocking 'racist': Shambolic Sochi opening ceremony leaves leader looking glum
- One torchbearer, Alina Kabaeva, was the former gymnast rumoured to be Vladimir Putin's girlfriend
- Irina Rodnina, who lit the cauldron, sparked outrage with 'racist' Twitter photo of Barack Obama looking at a banana
- Within minutes of ceremony starting, one of five gigantic snowflakes failed to blossom into an Olympic ring
- Riot police cracked down on gay rights protesters hours after 'faux-lesbian' singers tATu performed holding hands
- IOC President made apparent attack on anti-gay laws: 'Games are never about erecting walls to keep people apart'
- The Winter Games in Sochi are already the most expensive Olympics in sporting history, costing £31.8 billion
- Opening ceremony began at 4.14pm GMT (8.14 local time) with fireworks and the story of Russia's history
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With the eyes of the world fixed on Sochi's 40,000-seat stadium, it was always going to be tough getting everything right.
Spectacular though it was, however, the Winter Olympics opening ceremony was nevertheless peppered with blunders, political intrigue and a plum role given to Vladimir Putin's rumoured lover - not to mention a giant animatronic droopy-eyed bear.
The official mascot for the 2014 Games quickly gained the nickname 'Nightmare Bear' on Twitter, and its droopy blinking eyes were compared jokingly to those of a drunk or a cannabis smoker.
The first whiff of real controversy over the ceremony - which came after days of complaints about 'shoddy' accommodation - was before it even started, with a pre-show performance by the faux-lesbian pop act tATu despite Russian officials cracking down on gay rights protestors in their own country.
The duo, Lena Katina and Julia Volkova, sang a Russian version of their hit single Not Gonna Get Us, holding hands on the stage and surrounded by Games volunteers. The single, which reached number seven in the UK charts in 2003, lyrically depicted the pair as teenage runaways-in-love.
Scroll down for videos and our interactive Winter Olympic Games 2014 timetable
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#Sochiproblem: However, one of the gigantic glowing snowflakes failed as the four others opened up in an attempt to form the Olympic rings
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Great expectations: The snowflakes were accompanied by the moon and began to converge into the formation of the Olympic rings at the start of the ceremony...
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Uh-oh: ...But as the other snowflakes fanned out majestically into Olympic rings, one remained a snowflake. The rings were eventually faded out and moved away
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Let there be light! Hockey great Vladislav Tretiak and three-time gold winner Irina Rodnina lit the cauldron to the sound of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, after the torch was brought into the stadium by Sochi-born tennis star Maria Sharapova and handed to President Putin's rumoured girlfriend of several years, ex-gymnast Alina Kabaeva
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Bursting into flame: The fire spread through gas burners along the vast length of the Olympic cauldron until exploding in flame at the tip
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Controversy: Figure skater Irina Rodnina, pictured right with Vladislav Tretyak, provoked outrage in September when she Tweeted a 'racist' photo of Barack Obama
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Fireworks: There was another huge burst of explosions in the sky as the Olympic cauldron, right, was lit
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Connection: Russian gymnast Alina Kabaeva, left, was one of the final torchbearers in the ceremony - and has been romantically linked to President Vladimir Putin, right
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Rumours: Talk of the pair, pictured, dates back at least 13 years. In 2001 (when the pair are pictured at an official event) Putin strongly denied a newspaper report that he had divorced his wife and planned to marry Kabaeva
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Controversy: Irina Rodnina, far left, receives the torch from Alina Kabaeva. Rodnina posted a 'racist' photo of Barack Obama on Twitter last year while Kabaeva has long been rumoured to be a lover of President Putin, which he denied
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Racist? Irina Rodnina, right, posted this doctored photo on Twitter in September showing U.S. President Barack Obama looking hungrily at a banana. Many observers claimed it was racist and intended to compare America's first black president to a monkey. At the time she replied: 'Freedom of speech is freedom of speech'
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Diplomacy: The Russian president (centre) knows that the Olympics are a chance to show an image of his country to the world
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Looking glum? The eyes of the world have been on Russia and President Vladimir Putin, pictured standing with IOC President Thomas Bach during the national anthem
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Controversy: 'Faux-lesbian' popstars Yulia Volkova and Lena Katina of t.A.T.u. performed their 2003 Number 7 hit Not Gonna Get Us, which depicted them as two runaway schoolgirls in love, despite the Russian state and violent vigilante groups cracking down on so-called gay 'propaganda'
The song was then remixed with We Will Rock You for the walking-out of the Russian Olympic team.
Then, minutes into the ceremony, there was an embarrassing 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, but only four joined together into Olympic rings while the fifth remained a snowflake, apparently stuck behind the rest.
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.
One of the biggest reactions on the internet came for mascot The Polar Bear - who was described by Games organisers as a bobsleigh champion but provoked mirth on Twitter, where users claimed it would haunt their dreams.
An enormous robotic incarnation of the bear came out and performed to the crowd, blinking and bowing accompanied by a snowboarding leopard and a skiing hare - but his droopy eyes were compared variously to those of a cannabis smoker, a drunk and a criminal.
Twitter user @d_a_shin even joked: 'I'm pretty sure North Korea could have done a better job with #Olympics2014 than Sochi #NightmareBear.'
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The cauldron was lit by three-time gold-winning figure skater Irina Rodnina, accompanied by hockey great Vladislav Tretiak.
But there was anger in some quarters - as Rodnina sparked outrage in September last year when she Tweeted a doctored, allegedly racist photo of Barack Obama looking hungrily at a banana.
Many observers claimed the photo was an attempt to compare America's first black president to a monkey. At the time, she replied: 'Freedom of speech is freedom of speech, and you should answer for your own hang-ups.'
Tonight riot police were in Moscow's Red Square trying to quell a gay rights protest, just hours after the performance by tATu.
During the ceremony, IOC President Thomas Bach made the strongest reference yet to the controversy around Russia's apparent state-sanctioned homophobia.
He told the packed stadium: 'The Olympic Games are never about erecting walls to keep people apart. They're a sports festival embracing human diversity, embracing unity.'
The ceremony in the Black Sea resort began at 4.14 GMT (8.14pm local time) with a small girl called Love asleep being swept up in the air with the help of a kite.
The backstory was that she dreams of Russia and that her dream will take us on a journey of the land. Four kilometres of rail were laid out on the roof of the Fisht Olympic Stadium to support nine giant floats, representing different parts of the Russian Federation.
In attendance were dozens of world leaders, but Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron were all notably absent.
Present but not looking amused was Britain's Princess Anne, who opened up a good book and started reading in the middle of the opening ceremony.
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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
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Off with a bang: Fireworks are seen over Olympic Park during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics
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Welcome to Sochi! Fireworks explode over the Fisht Olympic stadium after the ceremony, which first got under way at exactly 4.14pm GMT
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Opulent: The £32 billion price tag had paid for the huge stadium, impressive venues in the mountains and a compact purpose-built Olympic Park on the coast
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Hello Sochi! The Russian Olympic team came on in fur-style coats to the soundtrack of a remix between Not Gonna Get Us, by tATu, and We Will Rock You
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National pride: Suited to the cold weather, the Russian athletes wore red, white and blue echoing the colours of the national flag
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Pride of Britain: Britain's flag-bearer Jon Eley leads the Team GB contingent onto the stadium during the opening ceremony
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Our boys and girls: Short track speed skater Eley heads a cheering Team GB in dark blues and reds, waving the Union flag as the walk onto the stadium to applause
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Flying the flag: Team GB, led by Jon Eley, wore Russian-style hats and thick coats as they paraded through the stadium. Prime Minister David Cameron was notably absent
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Glittering: Nordic combined skier Todd Lodwick of the United States Olympic team carried his country's flag as they became one of the last to emerge into the stadium
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Loud outfits: The German Olympic team entered the stadium in flamboyant fashion with costumes shining in bright red, yellow, green and blue
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Garish: The German entourage certainly wrapped up warmly - and brightly - as they walked into the Fisht stadium during the parade of nations
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Stars and stripes: Barack Obama did not attend the opening ceremony in Sochi, instead sending a delegation of gay athletes in protest at a crackdown on sexuality
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What a trip: A member of Austria's delegation lies on the ground after falling over in the middle of the stadium during the country's entry walk at the Opening Ceremony
Glitches aside, the ceremony featured spectacular stagecraft in its retelling of Russia's history - including a 200ft long lit-up Troika, an 18th Century carriage drawn by three horses, being pulled across the stadium to the sound of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
Other huge constructions included St Basil's Cathedral, whose multicoloured onion domes dominate Red Square in Moscow, followed by a huge projection of a ship crossing the sea across the stadium floor.
The Russian Revolution loomed large in the ceremony, but decades of Soviet brutality were depicted almost with nostalgia as 1960s cars zoomed around the stadium floor to the sound of the Soviet pop hit I Am Glad, Because I'm Finally Back Home - which has since become a massive internet meme known as the 'Trololol song'.
A dazzling array of Russian cultural and social icons including Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman cosmonaut to travel into space, and prominent musicians and a journalist carried the Olympic flag.
The torch was then carried into the stadium by tennis star Maria Sharapova - who was born in Sochi - before being handed to Alina Kabaeva.
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Scale: The ceremony featured a 200ft-long lit-up Troika, an 18th Century carriage pulled by three horses, as part of the story of Russia's history
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History: Performers re-enacted the construction of Moscow's St Basil's Cathedral, so beautiful its architect was blinded afterwards so it would be unique
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Vibrant: Dancers performed around inflated objects which were designed to represent St Basil's Cathedral
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Through the looking-glass: The onion domes of the cathedral took on a dream-like quality as they were turned into multi-coloured teapots and inflatables
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Jumping for joy: Circus-like performers in brightly-coloured outfits around the construction of St Basil's Cathedral in the inside of the stadium
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Spectacle: Performers and dancers were lit up during the ceremony into the shape of a bird on the floor of the stadium
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Left, dancers perform, while right, 'Lubov' (Love), the main character featured in the Opening Ceremony, is suspended over performers in classic Russian costumes
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Glimmering: The elaborate costumes made the performers look like otherworldly shapes - or to some, birds, jellyfish or lampshades
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Dancing for their country: Danila Korsuntsev and Svetlana Zakharova perform in the ceremony, which featured Russian classical music and a dramatisation of War and Peace
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Choreographed: What the ceremony lacked in the mass human spectacle of Beijing 2008, for example, it made up for with modern costumes, dances and lighting
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Sailing through the past: At one point a giant projection on the floor of the stadium depicted a sailing ship, with people standing on the deck
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Inspired: The ceremony began with Lubov, the so-called 'Hero Girl', being lifted up on strings and into a journey through Russia's history and culture
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Is it over yet? A Russian child yawns while others wave the national flag as the national anthem is played during the live broadcast of the ceremony in downtown Sochi
The games will last for 16 days, and nearly 100 medals will be handed out to athletes from across the globe.
Sochi 2014 organisers said 66 leaders, including heads of state and international organisations, were due to make an appearance the ceremony, with the United Nations' secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and the respective leaders of China and Japan joining Putin in the VIP box.
A £32 billion price tag demonstrates that no expense has been spared in staging the Games on the Black Sea coast, with impressive venues in the mountains and a compact purpose-built Olympic Park on the coast.
Around 2,900 athletes are set to compete in 15 disciplines starting on Saturday, switching the focus from concerns over security, human rights and last-minute hitches to the sporting action.
The opening ceremony at the Fisht Olympic Stadium was designed to showcase to the world the ultimate achievement of Vladimir Putin's Russia.
The ceremony focused on Russia and Olympic ideals of sportsmanship and achievement. The ceremony's director, Konstantin Ernst, promised ‘relatively simple metaphors’ - and no obscure references, like the NHS nurses in the London Games' opening ceremony, which he called one of the most ‘incomprehensible’ moments in Olympic history.
Most of the performance instead leaned on Russia's rich classical music traditions, with piano virtuoso Denis Matsuev performing, opera soprano Anna Netrebko singing the Olympic anthem, and several compositions by Igor Stravinsky, the Russian composer so avant-garde that the premiere of his 1913 Rite of Spring prompted riots in Paris.
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Unity: International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach appeared to condemn Russia's anti-gay 'propaganda' laws, telling the packed stadium and hundreds of millions of people on TV: 'The Olympic Games are never about erecting walls to keep people apart. They're a sports festival embracing human diversity, embracing unity'
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Stern faces: Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, centre, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, left
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Prime seats: Among the guests at the ceremony have been Russian billionaire and the owner of Chelsea FC Roman Abramovich, centre
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The eyes of the world: Afghan President Hamid Karzai watches fireworks from the stands during the opening ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics
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Is it better than mine? Lord Sebastian Coe (centre) who was in charge of the London 2012 Games, had a seat in the stadium for the vast spectacle
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ID please, Princess: Even Britain's Princess Anne could not forego wearing a huge identity card with her photo attached. She was later seen reading a book in the stands
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Weight of the world on his shoulders: President Vladimir Putin waits in the presidential lounge of the stadium to be introduced to the world
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Happy waves: Putin and IOC President Thomas Bach greet the audience during the Opening Ceremony
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Dreamy landscape: The floats each represented one specific area of Russia, and were moved around the Fisht Stadium with the help of four kilometres of rail on the roof
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Scenes from some of the seven islands that represent the diversity of Russia float past during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics at the Fisht Olympic Stadium
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The opening ceremony began with mellow music, showing a little girl in a small Russian village who is lifted up by a kite in a dreamlike landscape and dreams of the Russian Federation
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Get ready, set, go: The sun sets over the Olympic Park before the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi
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Mother Russia! An ecstatic spectator in a bear costume waves her patriotic scarf as the opening ceremony approaches
Defending the performance by tATu compared to the country's strict crackdown on gay rights, the event's producer said Not Gonna Get Us was chosen because it was one of the only Russian pop songs that international viewers might recognize.
Mr Ernst also argued that the choice was about motivating athletes with an upbeat dance song that challenges competitors by saying ‘you're not going to get us.’
While the singers put on a lesbian act, they have not championed gay rights and it is largely seen as an attention-seeking gimmick.
It contrasts with the very real anger over a Russian law banning gay 'propaganda' aimed at minors that is being used to discriminate against gays.
Some world leaders and activists have protested the law, and President Barack Obama is skipping the opening ceremony and sending a delegation that includes prominent gay athletes instead.
International companies such as Google have changed their logos for the day to include rainbow colours in protest at the law.
The show was focused for TV audiences, with projections onto the stadium floor, so fans in the stands won't enjoy the full effect.
Asked whether Putin might arrive at the ceremony from the air, like stunt actors playing James Bond and Queen Elizabeth II did at in London, Ernst said, ‘it's hardly worth hoping for that.’
The Winter Games ceremony is generally a more low-key event than the summer opener. Ernst said organizers tried to keep it from dragging out too long, since most viewers only care to watch their own team and its key rivals.
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Let the Games begin: As the sun sets over the Olympic park, fans are flocking to the Fisht Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony of Sochi 2014
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Fisheye in Fisht: In a photo taken with a fisheye lens, spectators arrive at the Fisht Olympic Stadium prior to the start of the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics
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True dedication: A Canadian fan has got the Olympic rings shaved into his hair to show his love for the Winter Games which starts tonight
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Probably not the Daft Punk song: The Ministry of Internal Affairs choir sings 'Get Lucky' during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Fisht Olympic Stadium
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Let's get started: Pre-show hosts Ivan Urgant, left, and Yana Churikova arrive during for the non-televised part of the show at Fisht Olympic Stadium
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One is not particularly amused: The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, did not seem to find the spectacle at the Fisht Olympic Stadium interesting enough, so went into her bag to grab a good book instead
Meanwhile, deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak has said that the Olympics in Sochi will be 'just as safe as Boston', less than one year after the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon.
The bombings at the Boston Marathon on April 15, killed three and injured an estimated 264 people, when two Chechen nationals, brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, detonated two pressure cooker bombs near the finish line.
Mr Kozak said Russia can guarantee the safety of people attending the Sochi Games as efficiently as any other government hosting a major event.
'I believe that warnings about Sochi, about Russia were superfluous, and the threat levels in Sochi are just like they are in Boston or London,' he said.
'I would like to reiterate that security in Sochi will be no worse than in New York, London, Washington or Boston.'
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Getting ready to rumble: Britain's James Woods takes a jump during ski slopestyle training at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park in Krasnaya Polyana on Friday
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Russian pride: Local fans wave as they arrive at the stadium for the opening ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics
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The shiny veneer: The snow-covered Caucasus Mountains are visible behind the Iceberg Skating Palace and its palm trees, a result of subtropical Sochi being on the same latitude as Southern France, inside Olympic Park
Sochi has already had a bumpy start as journalist arrived to unfinished hotels, sewage spilling out of the taps and water ‘too dangerous to use on your face’ – and those were the lucky ones who even got a room.
Journalists checking in were left stunned as they arrived for bookings made last summer to be told they would have to wait indefinitely.
The few that did get rooms, were met with stray dogs, half-built walls, and toxic yellow water spitting from the sinks.
One hotel lobby had no floor - but staff had found time to hang a framed photo of Vladimir Putin.
One reporter was told to wait a day for their room, which had no running water, no internet - and no door to access it.
Nearby, hotel managers advised guests not to splash water on their faces as it 'contains something dangerous' and despite having booked 11 rooms five months ago, CNN's team were told to share one.
In response to the shocking conditions, Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak attempted to argue that the images and tweets were a deliberate attempt by journalists to paint Russia in a bad light.
When confronted about the conditions in accommodations, Mr Kozak said he had proof of 'sabotage' on surveillance footage from hotel rooms.
'We have surveillance video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and then leave the room for the whole day,' Mr Kozak said.
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Judged by the eyes of the world: Judges watch an attempt during the men's normal hill ski jumping training at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Friday
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Getting ready for tonight: A performer rehearses a dance at the Ded Moroz Residence, home of the Russian Santa, at Olympic Park prior to the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics
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On thin ice: Evgeni Plushenko of Russia during his performance in the Team Men Short Program of figure skating and Zhang Hao (bottom) and her partner Peng Cheng of China, compete during the Team Short Program Pairs of Figure Skating
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What a dolly day! A competitor makes a jump in front of a matryoshka doll during snowboard Slopestyle training at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park
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Hard to pull off: A Japanese speed skater trains with her team as the eyes of the world rest on the Black Sea resort
A spokesman for Kozak later told the Wall Street Journal that the deputy premier had misspoke and there were no surveillance cameras inside hotel bathrooms.
In a bid to make the area presentable to welcome in people from around the world, the animals are being fed poison on the streets and left to die.
The action, sanctioned by Putin, involves rounding up stray animals, feeding them poison, and leaving them on the streets to die.
The strategy has outraged animal rights activists - and baffled journalists arriving in Sochi this week who claim the city is brimming with ailing dogs.
The shocking images and anecdotes comes after it emerged Russia exceeded its budget by millions and has ended up spending more than $52billion (£31.8billion) on the games.
Meanwhile, a top U.S. counterterrorist official says there are 'a number of specific threats' aimed at the Winter Olympics- with the greatest danger coming from the Caucasus Emirate, which has threatened to attack the games.
Russia has mounted a massive security operation for the Olympics, deploying more than 50,000 police and soldiers amid threats from Muslim insurgents.
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The man in charge: Russian President Vladimir Putin awaits the arrival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday afternoon at his newly built Bocharov Ruchey state residence in Sochi
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Fans arriving: A United States spectator wears a fuzzy hat decorated with the U.S. and Russian flags, as well as the Communist hammer and sickle during men's and women's downhill practice
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The opening ceremony is not until Friday, but the sparse attendance does not bode well for the Sochi games
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Protection in place: Heavily-armed Russian military flash a thumbs up while patrolling Olympic Park prior to opening ceremony
The athletes hoping to take the spotlight from the logistics disaster, include Short Track speed skater Jon Eley who is Great Britain's flag bearer for the opening of a Games.
Team GB have been set a target of winning at least three medals in Sochi and Lizzy Yarnold, who tops the current skeleton rankings, is arguably the strongest bet to deliver.
Yarnold's Skeleton team-mate Shelley Rudman, the men's and women's curling teams skippered by David Murdoch and Eve Muirhead respectively, freestyle skiing slopestylers James Woods and Katie Summerhayes and short track speed skater Elise Christie are other strong medal prospects.
The host nation will also be determined to challenge towards the top of the medals table, having finished in a lowly 11th place in Vancouver.
Norway, Canada and the United States are most likely to be battling it out to top the medals table in Sochi.
Making their first appearance at the Winter Olympics will be women's ski jump, luge team relay and biathlon mixed relay, and five gold medals will be competed for on Saturday in snowboarding, where Britain's Jamie Nicholls will compete in the final, speedskating, biathlon, cross-country skiing and freestyle skiing.
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