Greece at the Olympics while Greece has also hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics. During the parade of nations at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Greece always enters the stadium first and leads the parade to honor its status as the birthplace of the Olympics, with the notable exception of 2004 when Greece entered last as the host nation. Before the Games the Olympic Flame is lit in Olympia, the site of the Ancient Olympic Games, in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals and initiates the Olympic torch relay. The flag of Greece is always hoisted in the closing ceremony, along with
2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony Olympic rings. The Shooting Star drones carried on the symbol of unity and progress from lighting of the torch. While there is no protocol requiring guests to stand for the host country's arrival, United States Vice President Mike Pence was criticized for not standing, as North and South Korean athletes entered during the Parade of Athletes. Pence was accused of hypocrisy, with critics drawing parallels to national anthem protests by NFL athletes. On 24 February, the "Washington Post" reported that U.S. intelligence uncovered Russian spies hacked computers during the Opening Ceremony, an act that was previously speculated to be the