Olympic Games ceremony a standard 18-event program was established. In order to open a Games in ancient Greece the organizers would hold an Inauguration Festival. This was followed by a ceremony in which athletes took an oath of sportsmanship. The first competition, an artistic competition of trumpeters and heralds, concluded the opening festivities. The Olympic opening ceremonies represent the official commencement of an Olympic Games. In recent Olympics, athletic competition began prior to the opening ceremonies. For example, the football competitions for both men and women at the 2008 Summer Olympics began two days prior to the opening ceremonies. The 2014 Winter Olympics
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