The Opening Ceremony

Posted by Paola
The  Olympic Winter Games start tomorrow, and I'm going to tell you about the opening ceremony.

The modern opening ceremony started in 1896,  at that time 258 athletes from thirteen different countries marched through the stadium in Athens Greece. It is called, the Parade of Nations. First, the Greek flags comes. It is followed by Greek athletes. The rest of the countries' flags come in alphabetical order. They are followed by their athletes. There were more than 70,000 people watching at that time. Today millions of people are watching around the world.

The king of Greece announces that the Olympic games begin. Every country that participates in the Olympic games, hold a  party on the day the games begin. The party includes, music, dancing, and anything else you can think of. 

After that, the president of the Organizing Committee and the president of the I.O.C (International Olympic Committee) make speeches. Then, the Olympic flag is raised, and the Olympic hymn is played. Next, the Olympic torch lights the Olympic flame. Then, doves fly through the stadium. They are a symbol of peace. Next, the athletes and an official take the Olympic Oath. Lastly, the host city provides cultural entertainment.