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Winter Olympics 2018 opening ceremony: What time does it start and what TV channel is it on?
What is it?
It's the official curtain-raiser for the 2018 Winter Olympics, which will be held in South Korea for the first time.
Seoul was the host for the summer Olympics in 1988, but Pyeongchang becomes the first South Korean city to stage the winter incarnation of the games.
When is it?
The opening ceremony will take place on Friday February 9, oddly one day after the first official events take place.
The games' closing ceremony will then take place on Sunday, February 25.
What time will it begin?
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8pm local time in Pyeonchang.
With South Korea nine hours ahead of the UK, you will be able to catch the show from approximately 11am.
What TV channel will it be on?
BBC One will be showing the ceremony, with coverage beginning at 10.30.
Where will it be staged?
The Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies - but the build up to the start of the games has been dogged by concerns that the venue will be too cold for spectators.
“The cold could ruin the entire opening party. The fate of the event is down to the mother nature,” said ruling party politician and Pyeongchang local Yeom Dong-yeol.
What to expect
The ceremony will broadly follow the same structure as the show put on by the Russians in Sochi four years ago.
Schedule:
Entry by the head of state
Playing of the national anthem
The parade of participants
The symbolic release of pigeons
The head of state declares the Games open
Raising the Olympic flag and playing the Olympic anthem
The taking of the Olympic oath by an athlete
The taking of the Olympic oath by an official
The taking of the Olympic oath by a coach
The Olympic flame and the torch relay
The artistic programme
The symbolic release of pigeons has recently been adapted after a number of birds were accidentally incinerated when the Olympic torch was lit in the opening ceremony of the Seoul games.
"Following the unfortunate demise of several pigeons sitting on the edge of the Olympic cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the Seoul Games, this part of the protocol was modified, but not eliminated," reads section four the IOC's guide to opening ceremonies.
"Today, the symbolic release of pigeons follows the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
"Once the national anthems been played, the show begins. Usually, the content is kept secret until the last minute.
"The opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi adopted a historical theme, portraying Russian achievements such as industrialisation, space exploration and the foundation of St. Petersburg, and celebrating great authors and composers, all seen – in 13 distinct parts – through the eyes and dreams of a young girl named Lyubov (which means “love” in Russian)."
