Why Greece Goes First In The Olympics Opening Ceremony
Greece always enters the stadium first in the Olympics, and there’s a good reason for it. Whether it’s the modern version or the ones from ancient times, the Olympics are one of the oldest traditions in the history of sports. The event has gone through many changes, but some aspects are the same as always, and this is one of them.
The 2022 Winter Olympics are set to begin on February 2, 2022, in Beijing and run until February 20, although the official opening is two days later on February 4. Nothing is currently known about the opening ceremony, but The Great Wall's Zhang Yimou, who directed the opening ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympics, is in charge again, so something on that scale should be expected. Something that is known, however, is that Greece will be the first ones to enter the stadium and lead the parade, just like they do at every Olympic Games.
The reason why Greece is first in the opening ceremony is simple: it’s to honor their involvement in the creation of the Games. Greece was the birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games, and when the Olympics were revived for the modern-day, the very first Olympic Games were held in Athens. If it wasn’t for the people of Ancient Greece, the same time period as the epic Zack Snyder historical film 300, there would be no Olympics, and the Games honor that fact by letting them enter the stadium first, regardless of where the Games are being held, followed by all other countries in alphabetical order, save for whichever nation is currently hosting the Games.
This has been the case for nearly every Olympic Games Greece has been involved with since 1896. The only time Greece wasn’t leading the charge was in 2004, but that was only because they were hosting the Games that year. Traditionally, the country hosting the games enters the ceremony last, so Greece had to honor that and do the same, even if it had the side effect of forcing them to break a separate tradition.
The 2022 Winter Olympics seem like they’ll be a completely normal Olympic Games, however, so there’s no reason to think that the opening ceremony by The Great Wall director Zhang Yimou will go any differently. Just as it was in previous Games, Greece will be the first country to enter the stadium for the opening ceremony, and China, being the host, will enter the stadium last. Additionally, the closing ceremonies for the Games should also see Greece’s flag being hoisted alongside the Chinese and Italian flags, since Italy is set to host the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.