The Unified Korea delegation during the opening ceremony. (SEAN M. HAFFEY/AFP/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- The Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Games took place Friday morning, with South Korea's president officially declaring the games opened.
The ceremony, which began at 6 a.m. Eastern Time and will air at 8 p.m. on NBC, lasted about 2 1/2 hours.
As the ceremony started, the lights dimmed, the crowds cheered, and fireworks exploded overhead. Then came the parade of athletes from around the world, each waving their countries' flags.
Team USA was led by flagbearer Erin Hamlin.
US flagbearer Erin Hamlin leads the delegation during the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. (SEAN M. HAFFEY/AFP/Getty Images)
There was an extraordinary show of Olympic unity between the two Koreas--during the ceremony, athletes from North and South Korea together had a unified flag unrolled, a white background with the Korean peninsula in blue.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach addressed the athletes, who marched together as the last group to enter the stadium.
"You will inspire us all to live in peace and harmony," Bach said.