The impressive slide was overshadowed by off-put fans and officials expecting the worst.
The Olympics, regardless of the year or host city, never suffer from a shortage of unexpected drama, but normally, officials and fans don’t expect to see those elements in the usually subdued opening ceremonies.
However, one Korean spectator decided to change that by inserting himself into the pomp and pageantry in a surprising and scary manner, due in part to the timing of his attention-grabbing stunt.
The joint procession of the North Korea and South Korea athletes was an anticipated defining moment of this year’s opening ceremony, but as the world took notice, the moment was interrupted by a man who eluded Olympics security and slid down an icy ramp, heading directly for the ceremony’s performers. He was quickly detained and ejected by event security, but his daredevil approach had many expecting the worse as two historically adversarial nations marched together in a symbolic display.
No video of the stunt is available, but this image is circulating showing the man in his freefall towards the ceremony:
Photo by Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images.
An impressive slide, no doubt, but here’s to hoping that the remainder of the drama in Pyeongchang takes place during competition.
Share on Facebook
