PYEONGCHANG, Korea — When does Iceland come before Estonia?
In the Korean alphabet, for one. And, this year at least, in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The backbone of the opening ceremony at any Games is the parade of nations, the seemingly endless processional of every delegation into the stadium before the torch is lit. While there are always a diversity of outfits and glimpses of athletic stars, its sheer length can test even the most geographically fascinated fan. Friday night’s parade was scheduled to run for nearly an hour, but as usual it was safer to bet the over.