--- description: Highlights from the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics title: Opening Ceremony Photos: Sochi Winter Olympics image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e3b42b5383b839e/6986821bf983e7d8b204c604/opening-ceremony-sochi-winter-olympics-001-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [olympics](/tag/olympics/) ## olympics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See Photos of the Opening Ceremony Before You Can See Them on TV by [TIME Photo](/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 7, 2014 8:15 PM CUT  Liza Temnikova as Lyubov performs Voices of Russia during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Liza Temnikova as Lyubov performs Voices of Russia during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.Quinn Rooney—Getty Images by [TIME Photo](/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 7, 2014 8:15 PM CUT  Irina Rodnina and Vladislav Tretyak light the Olympic cauldron while fireworks explode during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Feb. 7, 2014. Robert Cianflone—Getty Images  Liza Temnikova as Lyubov performs Voices of Russia during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Quinn Rooney—Getty Images  Snowflakes hover above performers of Voices of Russia. Quinn Rooney—Getty Images  Performers take part in the opening ceremony for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. David Gray—Reuters  One of the Olympic rings fails to open during the opening ceremony. David J. Phillip—AP  Athlete marshals light up to form a Russian flag. Richard Heathcote—Getty Images  Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, left, applaud during the playing of the Russian national anthem. David Goldman—AP  Nordic combined skier Mario Stecher of the Austria Olympic team carries his country's flag during. Richard Heathcote—Getty Images  Todd Lodwick of the United States waves his national flag and enters the arena with teammates. Charlie Riedel—AP  Russia's flag-bearer Alexander Zubkov leads his country's contingent. Issei Kato—Reuters  Sochi 2014 mascots prepare to come on stage during the opening ceremony. Stanislav Krasilnikov—ITAR-TASS/ZUMA Press  Characters perform during the opening ceremony. David J. Phillip—AP  Performers with balloons representing St. Basil's cathedral. Clive Mason—Getty Images  A scene showing the heritage of Russia is portrayed during the Opening Ceremony. Damien Meyer—AFP/Getty Images  Performers are seen during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Mark Blinch—Reuters  Dancers perform during the Opening Ceremony. Pascal Le Segretain—Getty Images  A general view of atmosphere during the Opening Ceremony. Clive Mason—Getty Images  Artists perform during the opening ceremony. Petr David Josek—AP  Actors perform "Swan Lake" during the opening ceremony. David J. Phillip—AP  A performer dances during the opening ceremony. Issei Kato—Reuters  The Olympic flag is paraded past the Russian flag. Issei Kato—Reuters  Suspended figures representing different winter sports illuminate. Pawel Kopczynski—Reuters  Performers take part in the opening ceremony. Mark Blinch—Reuters  Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova holds the Olympic Torch. Brian Snyder—Reuters  The Olympic Cauldron is lit during the opening ceremony. Darron Cummings—AP ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5876/see-photos-of-the-opening-ceremony-before-you-can-see-them-on-tv/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5876/see-photos-of-the-opening-ceremony-before-you-can-see-them-on-tv/"},"headline":"See Photos of the Opening Ceremony Before You Can See Them on TV","datePublished":"2014-02-07T20:15:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:08:39.722Z","description":"Highlights from the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics","url":"https://time.com/5876/see-photos-of-the-opening-ceremony-before-you-can-see-them-on-tv/","keywords":["olympics","Winter Olympics","Sochi","photography","2014 Sochi Olympics"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e3b42b5383b839e/6986821bf983e7d8b204c604/opening-ceremony-sochi-winter-olympics-001-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Photo","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-photo/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e3b42b5383b839e/6986821bf983e7d8b204c604/opening-ceremony-sochi-winter-olympics-001-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Liza Temnikova as Lyubov performs Voices of Russia during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.","caption":"Liza Temnikova as Lyubov performs Voices of Russia during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.","creditText":"Quinn Rooney—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/olympics/","name":"olympics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5876/see-photos-of-the-opening-ceremony-before-you-can-see-them-on-tv/","name":"See Photos of the Opening Ceremony Before You Can See Them on TV"}}]}] ```