PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — Tracers lit up the night. Explosions rocked the stadium, and the acrid smoke that followed the rockets' red glare left some in the crowd coughing and choking. By the time it was all over, giant flames licked toward the sky as the envoys of two enemy governments watched warily.
It rained fire into Olympic Stadium for parts of two hours on Friday night, and no one panicked — not the North Koreans, not the South Koreans, not the Americans. In fact, everyone seemed thrilled.
All Olympics opening ceremonies are about optics, about intense visuals — and often about meticulously calibrated pyrotechnics in angry colors designed to leave a lasting impression on eyes and mind.