It’s a four ring circus in Sochi.
The five Olympic rings were reduced to four at the Sochi opening ceremony on Friday, when a technical glitch meant the fifth ring failed to open.
Five glowing snowflakes floated to the top of Fisht arena and started transforming into the Olympic rings, but last ring appeared to get stuck.
The result: four Olympic rings and an asterisk.
The five rings were supposed to join together and erupt into pyrotechnics, but the hiccup meant they were eventually darkened and moved out of the arena.
It was a big fail, as the unveiling of the rings is one of the most iconic moments of an opening ceremony.
In another mishap, a stray dog was spotted strolling into the stadium.
Sochi officials had come under fire for the extreme lengths it took to get rid of stray dogs in the lead up to the Games, including exterminating the animals.
James Ellingworth, who tweeted the photo of the lost pooch, wrote that volunteers eventually shooed the dog away.
Three-time Olympic gold medal winning skater Irina Rodnina and hockey great Vladislav Tretiak lit the Olympic torch, despite speculation Vladimir Putin’s rumored flame, former gymnast Alina Kabaeva would take the honor.
Rodnina herself is a controversial figure. The 64-year-old, who is a member of the Russian parliament, was labeled a racist after tweeting a doctored photo of U.S. President Barack Obama looking at a banana last year. The waving of bananas at black players at soccer matches is seen as a racist slur in Russia.
Google used its rainbow-colored Doddle on Friday to mark the opening day of the Olympics and take a swipe at the Russian Prez’s anti-gay stance, an underlying theme of the Sochi Games.
Germany’s team uniform also looked like a homage to the LGBT flag as the athletes marched out in rainbow striped jackets and red floral pants.
But the Russians won’t be beaten, as police arrested four gay activists protesting in St Petersburg, shortly before the opening ceremony.
The quartet had unveiled a banner quoting the Olympic Charter’s ban on discrimination at a protest on Vasilyevsky Island.
