Winter Olympics 2018 opening ceremony as it happened: news from Pyeongchang as the 23rd Games begin

All the highlights from the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium

Fireworks light up Winter Olympics 2018 opening ceremony

The 2018 Winter Olympics begins in Pyeongchang on Friday and the opening ceremony took centre stage to kick-off the 23rd Games.

The Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium welcomed all 92 countries boasting nearly 3,000 athletes, with all eyes on the sight of North and South Korean competitors uniting to walk into the stadium together for the first time.

There was also plenty of attention on the Russian athletes that will feature under the ‘Olympic Athletes from Russia’ banner, with 169 Russians cleared to compete despite the Russian doping scandal resulting in the nation being banned by the International Olympic Committee. Korea will be the last nation to march into the stadium.

Leading out Great Britain was 2014 Winter Olympics gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold, with the skeleton athlete looking to retain her championship in Pyeongchang, and the British team were the 54th to arrive at the stadium – which cost nearly £80m to build and will only be used four times before it is torn down.

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Key Points

• Nearly 3,000 athletes from 92 nations
• North and South Korea to march together while 169 athletes will be represented as 'Olympic Athletes from Russia'
• 2014 gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold named flag bearer for Great Britain

[9 February 2018 11:22 · Liam Corless]

The Rainbow Children's Choir will now perform the national anthem of South Korea.

[9 February 2018 11:26 · Liam Corless]

The athletes will now enter the stadium!

As always, Greece begin the parade, given the country's history in the Games - the first modern Olympics were held in Athens all the way back in 1896.

Following them are the athletes from Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.

[9 February 2018 11:27 · Liam Corless]

[9 February 2018 11:30 · Liam Corless]

Next up are the athletes from the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Denmark and Germany.

Norway is the most successful nation in the history of the Winter Olympics with 329 medals, almost 50 more than the United States with 282 medals and over 100 more than Germany, who are third in the all-time medal table with 228.

[9 February 2018 11:34 · Liam Corless]

Timor-Leste, Latvia, Lebanon, Romania, Luxembourg, Lithuania and Liechtenstein are the next teams out.

[9 February 2018 11:35 · Liam Corless]

Performers entertain fans during the opening ceremony 

[9 February 2018 11:37 · Liam Corless]

Athletes from Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco and Morocco have all just entered the stadium.

The music currently being played at the Pyeongchang Stadium is like something out of a Super Mario game. Its going to get annoying very, very quickly.

No, wait, it's already super irritating.

[9 February 2018 11:39 · Liam Corless]

Competitors from Montonegro, Moldova, Malta and Mongolia are all out.

Scratch my comment about the previous musical offering getting annoying. Gangnam Style has just come on.

Imagine walking out for one of the most significant moments in your sporting career and having that tripe blaring into your ears.

Disgusting.

[9 February 2018 11:41 · Liam Corless]

Athletes from the United States have just entered the building.

The US is the second most-successful country in the history of the Winter Olympics.

[9 February 2018 11:43 · Liam Corless]

Nigerian flag-bearer Ngozi Onwumere enters the stadium with her teammates