Putin and leaders from China, Japan and about 40 other countries clapped as athletes emerged from beneath the stage up a ramp for the traditional parade, and a giant satellite image of each nation taken from space was projected onto the floor.
The ceremony got off to a shaky start when one of the five Olympic rings failed to open, meaning the symbol could not be illuminated with fireworks as planned.
Image: Vladimir Putin
Photograph: David Goldman - Pool/Getty Images