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Photo Credit: @adagamov (https://twitter.com/adagamov) Rustem Adagamov
Russia-IC is launching its 2014 Olympic coverage. Get more news when the Games start on our website and Facebook account. Send us your pictures from sports venues, selfies from around Sochi and menus from the hotels where you stay.
In the meantime, the talk of the town in Russia is: who’s going to light up the main Olympic torch?
Also, there’s been no official confirmation yet on who will carry the flag at the opening ceremony and who will perform the national anthem.
There have been some media reports on rumoured candidates, though. In particular, Argumenty i Fakty says Irina Rodnina, who won ten successive World Figure Skating titles and three successive Olympic gold medals, could be the bearer to light up the main torch of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.
One of the unknowns is the nomination for the pivotal flag bearer role at the opening ceremony. There has been much buzz about the emotional and psychological impact it might have on the athlete. Also, “many are superstitious saying that flag bearers rarely will any medals afterwards,” President of the Russia Olympic Committee told the R-Sport news agency.
Another reason for refusal is much simpler – the ceremony is expected to last for four hours and the cold conditions could have an adverse effect on those whose events are slated for the next day. For example, this was the case with the oldest Russian athlete on the team, Albert Demchenko, 42.
Anyway, the nomination is set to take place on February 5, and Russia-IC will hope to bring you the details as they are available.
Perhaps, the biggest surprise has been the reported appearance of Tatu, an all-female musical band which used to be very popular both in Russia and abroad. It is said to perform its 2001 hit, Nas Ne Dogonyat (They Are Not Gonna Catch Us) while the national team will be marching down the stadium.
The choice has been dubbed as controversial, both because the song seems to send an unequivocal signal to other teams that Russia is determined to prevail and because the band speculated on their alleged lesbian status in the earlier part of their career. Anyway, it could be a smart response to the US official delegation which is expected to feature Caitlin Cahow, an openly gay two-time Olympic hockey medalist.
Below is the sneak preview of the opening ceremony done by someone present at the stadium during a rehearsal.
Sources: http://www.aif.ru
Author: Mikhail Vesely
