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The first Winter Olympics ever held in South Korea will kick off in PyeongChang on February 9, 2018. The opening ceremony will broadcast on NBC at 8 PM EST and is expected to last around two hours. Flags will be hoisted, nations will be celebrated, and the ceremonial spectacle in South Korea will be a global showcase.
Let’s take a moment and be thankful we have the option to watch the opening ceremony from the comfort of our couches. The talk leading up to this year’s ceremony has been around the newly-constructed open-air PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. The open roof – a choice made to save costs and speed construction -could expose competitors, world leaders, and fans to extreme cold. Early weather reports have predicted that wind chill temperatures could creep to as low as seven degrees Fahrenheit, which would make it the coldest Olympics to date. My living room and small TV work just fine for me.
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2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Time, Date & TV Channel
Date: February 9th
Time: 8 PM EST; Live stream starts at 6 AM EST on NBCOlympics.com and NBC Sports app
Location: PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, PyeongChang, South Korea
TV Channel: NBC; Live stream on NBCOlympics.com and NBC Sports app
According to reports, this year’s ceremony will follow the same general schedule as the Sochi Winter Olympics four years ago:
- Entry by the head of state
- Playing of the national anthem
- Parade of participants
- Symbolic release of doves
- Head of state declares the Games open
- Raising of the Olympic flag
- The Olympic oath is taken by an athlete, official, and coach
- The Olympic flame and the torch relay
- The artistic program (the big performance/fun part)
If you want to get a jump on the action, competition is actually scheduled to start the day before. The first rounds of curling (my personal favorite) and ski jumping will take place on February 8th.
