The 2014 Sochi Olympics are still more than 15 months away, but apparently it’s never too early for details of the Opening Ceremony to start leaking out.
Anonymous members of Sochi’s organizing committee have revealed an early outline of the festivities that will highlight Russian history and culture, comprising an event that will seek to keep pace with the awe-inspiring extravaganza from Beijing, but may more closely resemble the wacky-but-loveable spectacle that kicked off London 2012.
“Welcome to Sochi” will begin with teams of performers acting out scenes from Gogol’s “Dead Souls” as well as various Russian fairy tales. That will be followed by segments featuring geographic marvels like Lake Baikal and the Ural Mountains, a fleet of ships sailed by Peter the Great, and a dramatic recreation of Russia’s industrial revolution (a la Danny Boyle’s London ceremony).
And, of course, there will be the parade of athletes at some point during the ceremony and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron as the event draws to a close.
Basically, it sounds like we’re in for a hodgepodge of artistic interpretations of all things Russian, some of which the wider world already knows about, some of which will require some Googling as the scene unfolds.
The ceremony won’t take place until Feb. 7, 2014, so it’s entirely possible that much of what is roughly planned now will change. The real rumor-mongering – not to mention the limitless variety of wagers that can be made – surrounding the Opening Ceremony will heat up in the weeks immediately preceding the Games.
