Erin Hamlin has led Team USA out for the start of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang after being named as flag carrier ahead of Shani Davis, who boycotted the ceremony.
Hamlin, a four-time Olympian and winner of a luge bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi games, beamed a broad smile as she led out the athletes competing at the games in South Korea to the accompaniment of ‘Gangnam Style’.
The 31-year-old was chosen in a tie-breaking coin toss with speedskater Shani Davis, one of just a few black athletes in Team USA, who says he should have been chosen to carry the Stars and Stripes.
Davis, 35, a five-time Olympian who has won two gold medals and two silver medals, lost after a vote among sports federations represented at the games ended in a draw.
Erin Hamlin carries the flag of the United States during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang
With ‘Gangnam Style’ blaring out across the stadium, the luger beamed a huge smile as she waved the Stars and Stripes
American competitors – minus Shani Davis – parading at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony
Hamlin is a four-time Olympian and winner of a luge bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi games
Hamlin said it is a ‘big privilege to represent Team USA’ at the games has already announced this will be her last Olympics as she is retiring immediately after
Hamlin is the first American to medal in luge singles and a winner of 23 World Cup medal
Hamlin had a big grin as she led her team, many of whom had their cellphones in their hands, videoing the event, into the stadium
A U.S. speed skating spokesman said Davis had not originally planned to march in the parade of nations later on Friday but would have made an exception if he had been chosen as flag-bearer.
‘Shani won’t march in the parade. It was never part of his plans. He is fully focused on his first race and is concentrating on that,’ the spokesman said.
In an angry tweet, Davis took a shot at Hamlin, the holder of a single bronze medal.
‘I am an American and when I won the 1000m in 2010 I became the first American to 2-peat in that event,’ Davis wrote on Twitter in the early hours of Thursday.
United States’ athletes Erin Hamlin, left, and Shani Davis. Davis blasted the selection of luge athlete Hamlin as the U.S. flagbearer for the opening ceremony at the Pyeongchang Games
In an angry tweet (left) at 1.36am on Thursday, Davis, took a shot at Team USA over their ‘dishonorable’ decision to toss a coin to decide the flag bearer. He tweeted again today (right), in what appears to be another a thinly veiled jibe about representing the ‘most diverse country in the world’ after Team USA was criticized for its lack of diversity
Hamlin has since tweeted, saying that she is ‘beyond grateful’ to be able to lead Team USA into the stadium
He then slammed Team USA for ‘dishonorably’ tossing a coin to decide who would have the honor of carrying the flag.
‘No problem. I can wait until 2022,’ he added before using the hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth2018.’
The reaction has not gone down well with fans who dubbed Davis a ‘baby’, ‘spoiled’ and said his reaction was a case of ‘sour grapes’.
He tweeted again today, in what appears to be another a thinly veiled jibe at Team USA who have already faced criticism over the lack of diversity in their 2018 Winter team.
‘It has been such an honor to have represented the greatest, most diverse country in the world at the last five Winter Games during the same month as #blackhistorymonth #goTeamUSA.
‘Watch ‘Origins of Black History Month’.’
The US is not the most diverse country in the world. In fact, it doesn’t even break the top 20, according to Pew Research.
The athlete’s mother Cherie Davis, a controversial figure renowned for her fierce, relentless defense of her son if she believes he is in any way under attack, claimed she wasn’t aware of the furor about the choice of flagbearer until yesterday.
Davis was not among the dozens of American athletes that marched into the stadium for the ceremony on Friday
Gold medal winner Lindsey Vonn, an alpine skier, enters the stadium with her arms raised high for the Opening Ceremony
The two-time Olympic gold winner then posed for a selfie with other athletes during the ceremony
When asked about her son’s angry tweet, she said: ‘I know something about a coin toss, he told me last night.
‘I don’t know anything else. Is that all?’
Davis, a long track speed skater, is set to compete in the men’s 500m, 1,000m and 1,500m. His first event will be the 1,500m on Tuesday.
Hamlin, 31, the first American to medal in luge singles and a winner of 23 World Cup medal, has already announced this will be her last Olympics as she is retiring immediately after these games. Her first event in the women’s luge on Saturday.
In a statement, she said she was ‘honored and excited’ to be named flag-bearer adding ‘this is something totally different’.
‘It’s something that is because of that hard work. People acknowledge that and respect that. It’s a big privilege to represent Team USA.’
The US team has three openly gay athletes competing this year; freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, figure skater Adam Rippon and speed skater Brittany Bowe (who shared a photo of herself at the opening ceremony with the rest of the team)
History in the making: Gus Kenworthy, 26, posted photos of himself and figure skater Adam Rippon, 28, at the Opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics (pair above on Friday)
Mike Pence’s attempted to involve himself in the historic moment and tweeted at Rippon: ‘I want you to know we are FOR YOU. Don’t let fake news distract you. I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get ’em!’
Kenworthy posted a picture of him hugging Rippon at the games with the caption: ‘Eat your heart out, Pence’
Loud and proud: Both Kenworthy and Rippon posted about how happy they were to be in South Korea on Friday (above)
The American team has 11 Asian American athletes and 10 black athletes members, a ratio that is far lower than the number of minority athletes the team sends to the Summer Games.
However, the team does have three openly gay athletes competing this year; freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, figure skater Adam Rippon and speed skater Brittany Bowe.
They made history at the Opening Ceremony as the first openly gay athlete marched with Team USA for the first time in the history of the Winter Games.
And it was not just one out-and-proud American who entered the newly constructed stadium in South Korea for the kick-off to the 16-day affair, but three: freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, figure skater Adam Rippon and speed skater Brittany Bowe.
Kenworthy, 26, posted photos of himself and Rippon, 28, sharing a friendly kiss on the cheek at the Opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The pair has been lauded by Hillary Clinton and Tyler Oakley.
However, Mike Pence’s attempts to involve himself in the historic moment didn’t go well when he tweeted at Rippon: ‘I want you to know we are FOR YOU. Don’t let fake news distract you. I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get ’em!’
Pence was responding to an interview Rippon gave last month, blasting the White House for tapping Pence to lead the official US delegation.
‘You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy?’ Rippon asked USA Today.
Today, Kenworthy posted a picture of him hugging Rippon at the games, saying he ‘so proud to be representing the LGBTQ community’, along with a nod to the conservative Republican.
‘Eat your heart out, Pence. #TeamUSA #TeamUSGay,’ he wrote, adding, in another post, ‘We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it!’
The Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Pyeongchang kicked off with a bang on Friday as both North and South joined together to put on a display of peace and unity
The spectacular display featured thousands of fireworks and a dazzling light display, along with mesmerizing and frequently bizarre performances by dancers and five child actors depicting a quest for peace
Fireworks light up the night sky around the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium as the opening ceremony enters full swing
Projections were also cast on to the ice to tell the second section of the story, entitled Land of Peace, which sees unity and order brought to a chaotic universe
North Korea’s Hwang Chung Gum and South Korea’s Won Yun-jong both hold the union flag as they lead out both South and North Korean athletes during the parade of nations
Alongside the huge puppets were spectacular light displays and thousands of dancers wearing traditional Korean costumes
The children were accompanied on their quest by the White Tiger, one of the four guardian gods and protectors of peace
The ceremony started with five children setting off on a quest to find peace, which has become the theme of the games
Over the past six years, the U.S. Olympic Committee has made concerted efforts to promote diversity among its team members.
In 2012, a committee was formed to improve diversity and Jason Thompson was hired as director of diversity and inclusion.
Hamlin did not address the controversy but told USA Today: ‘Winning a medal is the effort you put in and the time and the work and sacrifice to succeed and achieve something. That’s all on me. That’s something I’ve done.
‘I think they’re going to be really glad that they made that decision.
‘They’re really pumped. I’m sure my brothers will be. We’ve grown up watching the Olympics and we’re always like, ‘Who’s going to be carrying the flag?’ And to actually be that person is insane.’
Hamlin’s teammates were thrilled by the news, both because of what it will mean for her and what it means for the niche sport of luge.
‘I was so happy for her,’ U.S. doubles Olympian Jayson Terdiman said.
‘It’s one of the coolest things. I tell you what, I can’t wait. I couldn’t wait before, but now I can’t wait even more. Not just does Erin get to hold that flag, but USA Luge gets to hold that flag. It’s so cool. It’s a great honor for our small sport.’
Hamlin led the American team at the grand opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympic in Pyeongchang which kicked off on Friday with a spectacular display featuring child performers, huge puppets, dazzling light displays and thousands of dancers in a celebration of Korean unity.
Inside the area, 30,000 people, including a 200-strong North Korean cheerleading squad, watched the display in -3C temperatures and were encouraged to bang drums given to them in an extreme weather kit to keep warm.
Hundreds of drummers filled the center of the Olympic stadium as the first section of the ceremony comes to a close
The drummers were part of the mesmerizing display that finished as the parade of nations began
Eight former South Korean Olympians entered the stadium with their flag which was raised before the national anthem
Erin Hamlin, four-time Olympic luger, led out the United States during the parade of nations having won the honor from speed skater Shani Davis with a controversial coin toss
A man in a USA jacket watches on as flag bearer Erin Hamlin and teammates entered the stadium during the Opening Ceremony
Members of Team USA walk during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium
Team GB was led into the stadium by Lizzy Yarnold who won gold at the women’s skeleton during the 2014 Olympics
Snowboarder Scotty James, who became Australia’s youngest Olympian in 50 years when he secured at the 2010 games aged just 15, led out his national team
Russian Olympians entered the stadium under the Olympic flag. The country is officially banned from competing after a state-sponsored doping ring was uncovered but individual athletes who can prove they are clean are permitted to attend
The Bermudan Olympic team drew gasps from the audience – and praise from other athletes – as they marched into the stadium in shorts
Tonga’s Pita Taufatofau, who became an internet celebrity after he led his country out at the Summer Olympics in Rio in 2016 while shirtless and oiled up, was just as oiled and shirtless for this display
As the teams paraded around the stadium their national flags were displayed in the center of the stage, while lights behind each seat lit up with the national colors.
The ceremony was also watched by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam, who had earlier shaken hands in a historic meeting.
Sitting alongside them in the world leader’s box was Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, and Vice President Mike Pence – sitting just one row apart.
Four Korean singers then took to the stage to perform ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon, who was then backed by a film showing street musicians around the world singing the song. The show, directed by Korean actor Song Seung-whan, uses the South Korean flag – the Taegeukgi – and the traditional janggo drum to represent the harmony of yin and yang.
South Korea’s Royal Marching Band and the Traditional Guard of Honour – both in national dress, wowed the crowd.
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in proclaimed the Pyeongchang Olympic Games as a ‘path to peace’ as he opened the Games in a spectacular ceremony. He added that sport had the power to bring ‘reconciliation between East and West’.
He said: ‘I would like to welcome everyone who has joined us here in at Pyeongchang for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. The Seoul 1988 Summer Games paved the way for reconciliation between East and West by breaking down the wall of the Cold War.
‘Thirty years after hosting the Summer Games, the Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games has commenced with a hope for peace from everyone around the world. It was with an ardent desire that the people of Korea aspired to host the Olympic Winter Games, as the dream and future of Korea, the only divided nation in the world, mirrors the Olympic spirit in its pursuit of peace.
The rival regimes of North and South Korea have put aside decades of enmity to celebrate winter sports in the spirit of ‘peace and friendship’.
The two Korean states remain in a state of war despite the 1953 ceasefire that split the nation into the communist north and the capitalist south. But today athletes from each country entered the stadium together under one flag and are fielding a joint women’s hockey team.
North Korea has sent a total of 22 athletes over the border to compete in five sports, including figure skating, skiing, and speed skating.
In line with President Moon’s ‘peace Olympics’ ambitions, there is reportedly a ‘good chance’ that Ms. Kim will invite President Moon to Pyongyang during a lunch on Saturday, CNN reports.
A member of North Korea’s cheerleader squad waves at the camera from inside the Pyeongchang Olympic stadium
North Korea is using the games to stage a charm offensive following a record-breaking number of missile tests last year. Pictured are members of the North Korean cheerleading squad take their seats ahead of the opening ceremony
The dramatic display was watched by US Vice President Mike Pence and North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, who sat as far apart as possible in the world leader’s box
Taekwondo is an ancient Korean martial art and was used to reinforce the spirit of togetherness that has become the emphasis of the games
A joint taekwondo team served as the warm-up act before the main opening ceremony, breaking wooden planks with kicks
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, speaks next to Lee Hee-beom (top), President & CEO of PyeongChang Organizing Committee
The ceremony closed as four Korean pop stars sang a rendition of John Lenon’s Imagine amid a sea of swaying lights
Performers with light-up boxes featured as part of the ceremony in an incredible visual display
The boxes were used to create a halo around the edge of the stage as columns of lights were lowered from a central rig
As the box lights were extinguished the columns were illuminated, creating a spectacular effect
The last member of the Kim family to set foot in Seoul was Yo Jong’s grandfather Kim Il Sung, the North’s founder after his forces invaded in 1950 and the capital fell. Three years later the conflict ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula divided by the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, and the two sides technically in a state of war.
Many analysts suggest Yo Jong may be carrying a personal message from her brother to his dovish South Korean counterpart Moon.
Tensions have been high on the peninsula since last year when the North staged its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and test-fired multiple long-range missiles, some of them capable of reaching the US mainland.
Kim and Moon also clinked glasses at a world leader’s reception where the North Korean delegate was sat at the top table
North and South Korea are still officially at war, and while leaders have been keen to paint the games as a chance for unity, protesters gathered in Pyeongchang felt otherwise
Protesters ripped images of Kim Jong Un and shouted anti-North Korean slogans ahead of the opening ceremony
Not everyone shared the spirit of unity, however, and protesters angry at Moon’s seeming appeasement of the North clashed with security outside the main stadium
Leader Kim and US President Donald Trump exchanged threats of war and personal insults, sparking global alarm and fears of another conflict on the peninsula. But Kim abruptly announced a plan to send athletes and high-level delegates to the Pyeongchang Winter Games in his new year speech, setting in motion a flurry of cross-border talks and activities.
The announcement – following months of cajoling by Seoul – is seen as a bid to defuse tensions and try to seek a loosening of the sanctions against it.
Hundreds of athletes, cheerleaders, and artists have already arrived in the South and the North’s state orchestra gave one of two planned concerts in the South on Thursday night to a packed audience.
But the latest rapprochement has met a backlash in the South with many accusing Seoul of making too many concessions to the wayward neighbor that even pushed ahead with a military parade on Thursday in Pyongyang in a showcase of its military might.
Anti-North Korea protesters held demonstrations outside the stadium, tearing up photos of Kim Jong-un and shouting anti-North Korean slogans.
Conservative activists also accused Pyongyang of ‘hijacking’ the South’s Winter Olympics and have held angry protests by burning the images of the leader Kim or the North’s national flag near venues where North Koreans made public appearances.
Pence, who leads the US delegation to the Olympics, renewed a call for ‘maximum pressure’ on the North to force it to abandon its nuclear weapon during a meeting with Moon Thursday.
But he did not rule out a meeting with the North’s delegates during the Games, saying there ‘may be a possibility for any kind of an encounter with North Koreans,’ whether informal or formal.
Pence also sought to concentrate minds by inviting the father of Otto Warmbier, the American student who died a week after he was released from a North Korean jail in a coma last year, to the opening ceremony as his guest.
Despite a thawing in international relations the event is set to be the coldest Olympic Games on record with day-break temperatures of below minus 20 Celsius at the mountain locations – and a bitter wind sending the chill-factor through the frozen floor.
Organisers have laid on special extreme weather kits – including heat pads, a warm seat cushion, bobble hat and raincoat – but the Korean winter will still seep through.
The crowd fears they will shiver amid flurries of snow swirling around the open-air stadium, as the athletes from the 102 nations, who will compete for medals in 15 different sports, fill the arena.
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