Olympic athletes from 88 different nations made their way to the floor of Fisht Stadium on Friday to open the XXII Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Dazzling lights, impressive set pieces and nearly 3,000 performers helped tell the story of Russia’s past and its modern rebound, as millions of viewers around the world tuned in to watch the elaborate spectacle of the Opening Ceremonies.
Facebook was the place for global conversation, from athletes posting selfies during the Parade of Nations, to fans sharing photos from viewing parties at home. More than 5.9 million people chatted about the event on Facebook, for a total of 9 million combined posts, comments and likes. The Top 5 most-buzzed-about moments were:
1. Team USA in the Parade of Nations (and their colorful sweaters)
2. The Jamaican bobsled team’s entrance
3. Olympic Rings malfunction when fifth snowflake failed to open
4. Lighting of the Olympic Flame
5. Russian history unfolds in an elaborate, colorful performance
Here’s a global buzz map that shows which countries around the world saw the highest levels of Olympic chatter:
Facebook’s data team also looked at which Olympic sports were most mentioned in chatter, and ranked the Top 5:
1. Bobsled
2. Figure Skating
3. Ice Hockey
4. Luge
5. Snowboard
Check out some of the Facebook posts from athletes during the Opening Ceremonies, who shared their unique experience through the lens of their own cameras:
Olympic athletes also posted behind-the-scenes photos to Facebook in the hours leading up to Friday’s main event:
By Alex Walker, Facebook Consumer Content Manager, Robert D’Onofrio, Facebook Data Editor & Dustin Cable, Facebook Data Analyst