CBC marks the official start of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games with live coverage of the Opening Ceremony tomorrow (Friday, February 7) beginning at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT) on CBC-TV, online at cbc.ca/olympics and simulcast on CBC News Network. Broadcasting live from Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, CBC gives Canadians the best seat in the house as Russia officially welcomes viewers from countries all over the world and their top winter athletes to Sochi.

 

CBC’s coverage includes an exclusive one-hour pre-show at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT) prior to the start of the Opening Ceremony at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT). TSN2, Sportsnet and Sportsnet ONE will simulcast CBC’s live coverage of the big event beginning at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) while TSN will join the coverage in progress at 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT). Live coverage of the Opening Ceremony on CBC will also be available with described video provided by Descriptive Video Works for blind and visually impaired audiences.

 

CBC’s Ron MacLean (@RonMacLeanCBC) and Peter Mansbridge (@petermansbridge) will co-host both the pre-show and the Opening Ceremony. MacLean will host Olympic Primetime throughout Sochi 2014 while Mansbridge hosts The National from Sochi until Friday, Feb. 7 before returning to Canada. The duo will be joined in the broadcast booth by CBC special studio analyst for Sochi 2014 and 2010 Canadian flag bearer, Clara Hughes (@ClaraHughes_), during Canada’s entrance into the stadium during the Opening Ceremony. In addition, CBC News Network’s Heather Hiscox (@cbchh) and host of Q on CBC Radio, Jian Ghomeshi (@jianghomeshi), will be part of the Opening Ceremony broadcast.

 

 

An encore broadcast of the Opening Ceremony will be available exclusively on CBC starting at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT). In addition, a special enhanced broadcast, complete with athlete interviews and reaction to the most memorable moments from the ceremony, will air during Olympic Primetime on Friday evening (7 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. MT, 7 p.m. CT and 8 p.m. AT). CBC’s Olympic second screen experience, Primetime Plus, makes its debut tomorrow night during Olympic Primetime, inviting viewers across Canada to interact with the broadcast live.

 

Sochi 2014 features more countries and more athletes than ever before and Canada’s flag bearer Hayley Wickenheiser will lead a record 221 homegrown athletes into the Opening Ceremony during the Parade of Nations. Canada will march under the letter ‘K’ as the Parade will follow the Russian alphabet, with Greece marching first and host nation Russia entering last, as per tradition.

 

With no competitions scheduled for Friday, the eyes of the world will be on the Opening Ceremony, which will be in English, French and Russian, promises pyrotechnic displays throughout and a section on the history of Russia from the medieval period to present day.

 

Viewers are invited to get involved with the broadcast from a social media standpoint by using #WhoWillLightIt to share their predictions via Twitter of how the Olympic cauldron will be lit, and by whom. Users can join in the conversation nationwide by following @cbcolympics and using #cbcolympics.

 

CBC.CA/OLYMPICS - Canada’s Olympic Network Website

During the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, cbc.ca/olympics will offer Canadians a number of commentated, multilateral feeds—a Canadian first. A continuously updated version of the daily schedule across all networks is available at cbc.ca/olympics. The website will also feature the latest news, sports and videos from Sochi 2014. This will be the first Olympic Winter Games in which Canadians will be able to livestream all events directly to their smartphones or tablets.

 

CBC/Radio-Canada is the place to be as we count down to Sochi 2014. With coverage across all platforms—including TV, radio, online and mobile—Canadians can connect with the biggest stories and the latest content whenever and wherever they want. In addition to world-class storytelling and the best performance coverage available through CBC/Radio-Canada, Canadians can engage with the broadcasts throughout the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games online in English at cbc.ca/olympics as well as on Twitter @cbcolympics (#cbcolympics) and at facebook.com/cbcolympics and in French at olympiques.radio-canada.ca/ and on Twitter at @RC_Sports (#RColympiques) and on Facebook at facebook.com/radiocanada.sports.

 

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About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.

 

For a complete list of publicity contacts and for more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre. Follow CBC’s publicity team on twitter @CBC_Publicity.

 

For more information, please contact:

Simon Bassett, publicist, CBC Sports/Olympics

simon.bassett@cbc.ca 416-205-8533 (Office) 416-988-1590 (Mobile)