Russia's glitzy ceremony to open the Sochi Winter Olympic Games got off to a rocky start Friday when one of the Olympic rings that was supposed to appear failed to emerge.

Just four of the five rings could be seen after one of the five giant snowflakes suspended above the stadium that were supposed to morph into rings failed to do so, an AFP correspondent said.

As a result there were four Olympic rings and a snowflake in the top right side where the fifth ring should have been.

Russia is under huge pressure to organize a glitch-free Games, the biggest event it has hosted since the fall of the Soviet Union.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)