Olympic Torch Lighting 2018: Significance of Opening Ceremony, Parade of Nations

The 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea will officially begin on Friday with the opening ceremony taking place at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium.

The stadium has been built specifically for the opening and closing ceremonies and holds up to 35,000 spectators.

Read on for full scheduling information for the ceremony and details of what to expect.

When: Friday, 9 February, 11 a.m. GMT/6 a.m. ET

Where: Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium

TV: BBC (UK), NBC (U.S.)

Live Stream: BBC Sport (UK), NBCSports (U.S.)

The 2018 Pyeongchang Games actually kicked off the day before the opening ceremony with the first curling and ski jumping events being held on Thursday.

The opening ceremony follows on Friday and will include the parade of nations and the lighting of the Olympic flame. The torch will then remain alight until the end of the closing ceremony.

The opening ceremony is an important part of the Olympic Games and helps to set it apart from other sporting tournaments.

There is a protocol that must be followed, which is outlined in the International Olympic Committee's factsheet and consists of the following:

• Entry by the head of state
• The playing of the national anthem
• The parade of participants
• The symbolic release of pigeons
• The head of state declares the Games open
• Raising the Olympic flag and playing the Olympic anthem
• The taking of the Olympic oath by an athlete
• The taking of the Olympic oath by an official
• The taking of the Olympic oath by a coach
• The Olympic flame and the torch relay
• The artistic programme

The opening ceremony in Pyeongchang will also see a show unity between North and South Korea, per IOC Media:

The parade of nations features competing athletes bearing the flags of their nations. Tradition dictates that the Greek team are the first nation to appear, with the host nation appearing last, according to the International Olympic Committee.

The other competing nations appear in alphabetical order and march behind their flag bearers. Olympic skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold will carry the flag for Great Britain, while four-time Olympian Erin Hamlin will lead the U.S team:

"

Introducing our Flagbearer for the Opening Ceremony @pyeongchang2018....

...Congratulations @TheYarnold! 

➡ https://t.co/oZM5lvSzw8 pic.twitter.com/2E2teix1Mf

— Team GB (@TeamGB) February 8, 2018"

The Olympic torch, meanwhile, will end the journey it started in October when it was lit at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece.

The torch arrived in South Korea in November and has made its way through several major cities including Busan, Gwangju, Incheon and Seoul.

The 2018 Pyeongchang official Twitter account shows the torch being carried through South Korea's capital Seoul before it headed to its final destination:

When it arrives in Pyeongchang, the torch will have travelled 2,018 kilometres and been carried by around 7,500 torchbearers, per the official Winter Olympics website.