Russian state TV aired footage on Friday of "five floating snowflakes turning into the Olympic rings and bursting into pyrotechnics" at the Sochi Games Opening Ceremony, according to Nataliya Vasilyeva of the AP. Problem is, "that didn’t happen." The Opening Ceremony "hit a bump when only four of the five rings materialized in a wintry opening scene." But "everything worked fine for viewers" of Russian host broadcaster Rossiya 1. As the fifth ring "got stuck, Rossiya cut away to rehearsal footage." All five rings "came together, and the fireworks exploded on cue." Sochi IOC Coordination Commission Chair Jean-Claude Killy said, "It didn’t show on television, thank God." Producers "confirmed the switch, saying it was important to preserve the imagery of the Olympic symbols" (AP, 2/8).
ON THE DEFENSIVE: The AP reported the recorded images showed "all five rings joining together and fireworks exploding." IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said, "Some people decided to take some other footage and some not. It's a very technical Olympic ceremony, very well organized. But the show itself was a fantastic one. I don't see what the problem is, to be honest." IOC and Sochi officials also "defended Irina Rodnina," the three-time figure skating Gold Medalist who "lit the cauldron with hockey great Vladislav Tretiak at the close of the torch relay." A tweet of Rodnina's from last year drew "new attention on social media on Friday." The image "superimposed an image of a banana in front of a picture of Obama and wife Michelle." Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee President Dmitry Chernyshenko said that Rodnina "is one of the most respected" Olympic athletes in the world. Chernyshenko: "I want to stress that Olympics is not about politics. Any political talks and discussions are inappropriate for the Olympic Games" (AP, 2/8).
