The day got underway with a bus journey to the Main Press Center for a press conference on one of the more contentious issues surrounding the PyeongChang Olympics. The secretary-general for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued a brief statement on the appeal of 32 Russian athletes against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its refusal to invite them to the Winter Olympics over anti-doping transgressions. The CAS panel found that the IOC did not act indiscriminately and were within their rights to deny an invitation to the athletes who had recently been cleared by the CAS.

These decisions came in the wake of the IOC banning Russia from competing at the Games, but allowing athletes from the country to compete under the Olympic flag as Olympic Athletes from Russia, if they were able to pass special criteria to prove they were clean. 169 Russians were able to do so.

The next step was to put together a story, and with no Russian Olympic Committee officials ready to make a statement, some Russian journalists were found to comment on the issue and express their opinions on how the team and country are dealing with it.

After that it was time for a more light-hearted story on some of the new high-technology gadgets on display at the Games. These included super-sensitive identification scanners at the entrances that allow people to enter without swiping their passes, a self-guiding robot butler that rolls around providing water and a robot maid that vacuums the carpets.

At 3:30 p.m., we were at our AP location in Gangneung to broadcast our first live "Sports Scene" segment from the host country of the Olympics. The live spot is on the roof of a five-story building overlooking the Gangneung Ice Arena. My first show with our experienced Olympics host from Australia, Tracey Holmes, went well without any problems and we will continue to broadcast live from the same location for the duration of the Games.

Shortly after we were in a car to head to PyeongChang for the opening ceremony that was to begin at 8 p.m. Our driver let us off near venue where organizers had arranged for shuttle buses to take us the rest of the way. Tracey and I then did a livestream for the CGTN website as thousands of spectators flocked to the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. 

Despite the cold weather that felt like minus 15 degrees Celsius with the wind chill, everybody was in a jubilant mood with people from around the world coming together for the opening of the Games. Due to limited access, we only had two tickets for our team of six, and Tracey was very kind to give me hers. 

As expected, the opening ceremony was a brilliant display of culture, dancing, and music before the delegations of each country entered the stadium highlighted by the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the DPRK marching together under a unified Korea flag – a blue image of the Korean Peninsula on a white background. 

After speeches from ROK President Moon Jae-in and IOC President Thomas Bach, the Olympic cauldron was lit by retired ROK figure skating star Kim Yu-na and the 2018 Winter Games were officially underway.

Following the ceremony, it was time for another live stream as the happy, but cold, spectators left the Olympic stadium. Strangers from different countries were coming together for pictures, and although most did not share a common language, they were united by the spirit of the Games and expressed hope that this gesture could lead to peace. Many people said their favorite part was the elaborate fireworks, while all were clearly moved by the show of unity from the ROK and DPRK delegations.