The opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics kicked off in Sochi’s Fisht Olympic Stadium on Friday, but not without a fair share of awkward moments, including a major lighting malfunction, a fallen athlete, and at least one stray dog that evaded the pre-games sweep to eradicate them.
Before this year’s competitors strutted through packed stadium in alphabetical order of the country they’re representing, the Olympic rings descended from above — first as snowflakes — before each flake began to unfold into one of the games’ signature symbols. The impressive lighting display hit a snag, however, when one ring failed to complete its metamorphosis — a technical error that made the display a little cockeyed.