As with the Summer Games every 4 years, this year’s Beijing Games are – as we can see in the photos above and below – spearheaded by the Greek contingent of Winter Olympians in pride of place as the founding nation of the Olympics.

Wonderfully, the host nation even had 40 Chinese schoolchildren singing the Olympic Anthem in Greek at this opening ceremony.

Both events are further reminders of the singular importance of Greece in its relationship to all things Olympic.