Colourful show launches Olympics in Turin

Philipp Schoch carried the Swiss flag into the Olympic stadium Keystone

The 2006 Winter Games have formally opened with a spectacular ceremony in Turin's Olympic Stadium and amid tight security.

Italy’s former cross-country champion Stefania Belmondo lit the Olympic flame and snowboarder Philipp Schoch led the Swiss delegation into the arena.

An estimated two billion viewers worldwide watched the ceremony on Friday.

It included skaters with six-foot flames shooting form their heads, fake cows on wheels, a red racing car and performances by Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, as well as by Yoko Ono and Peter Gabriel, who sang John Lennon’s peace hymn Imagine.

“It is a great honour for me and for the snowboard athletes in general,” said Swiss flag bearer Schoch.

“It’s a great experience and also a recognition for my success four years ago,” he added.

Schoch won a gold medal in the giant slalom parallel event in Salt Lake City in 2002.

The Swiss team entered the packed arena in Turin at 9.13 pm local time.

The delegation is made up of 130 athletes who will take part in the competitions over the next two weeks. The first sporting events will take place on Saturday.

In front of the screen

More than 60 Swiss athletes, including skiers Didier Cuche and Ambrosi Hoffmann, as well as some medical staff, trainers and coaches, did not take part in the ceremony.

Instead they watched the event on television screens at the Swiss House in Sestriere, which is nearly 100 kilometres outside Turin.

“Some athletes take part in competitions on Saturday and preferred to stay in the Olympic village,” said the head of the Swiss ski team, Gian Gilli.

However, he told swissinfo that many athletes would have liked to be present in Turin, but the organisers did not supply enough tickets.

“It’s simply a fantastic experience. A shiver runs down my spine again when I think back,” said Jonny Oberson, who works as a technician for the Swiss snowboarder team.

He took part in the opening ceremony in Nagano, Japan, in 1998.

Passion on parade

The main theme of Friday’s extravaganza in Turin was “rhythm, passion, speed” and showcased Italy’s rich culture and history.

The show mixed artistic and formal elements, following Olympic protocol.

Under a 40-metre arch containing the five Olympic rings, the Italian and the Olympic flags were carried into the arena, followed by delegations of all 84 competing countries.

For the first time in the history of the Winter Games, the delegations of North and South Korea marched together into the stadium.

swissinfo, Mathias Froidevaux in Sestriere

Key facts

About 2,500 athletes from 84 countries took part in the opening show.
The Swiss delegation was led by snowboarder Philipp Schoch.
35,000 spectators attended the ceremony in the Olympic stadium in Turin.
An estimated two billion people worldwide watched the show on TV.

In brief

The opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Games took place in Turin’s Olympic Stadium. More than 3,500 volunteers and 250 artistic directors contributed to the spectacle.

The stadium was built in the 1930s and underwent renovation for the Olympics. It can seat up to 35,000 spectators for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games.

The venue will later be used by top-flight football club Torino, the local rival of Juventus.

About 60 members of the Swiss delegation watched the opening ceremony from the Swiss House in Sestriere.