important ritual of the Olympic games that represent a wide variety of features such as similar qualities and messages that link together local and global issues, as well as cultural similarities at the same scopes. The artistic program of the ceremonies allows the host country to showcase its past,present and future in a comprehensive way. The current protocols, ceremonies typically start with the authorities presentation which includes the entrance of the head of state or representative of the host country and the president of the International Olympic Committee followed by the raising of the country's flag and the performance of the national anthem. The host nation then presents artistic displays of music, singing, dance, and theater representative of its culture, history, and the current Olympic game motto. Since the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, the artistic presentations have continued to grow in scale and complexity. The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, for example, reportedly cost US$100 million, with much of the cost incurring in the artistic portion. Each Opening Ceremony has a theme selected by the host nation and have to be connected with the cultural program of that edition. During all the acts of the ceremonies, the host country's goal is to represent their cultural identity. For example, in the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, the theme was “unity”. On May 12, 2008, only two months before the 2008 games, a devastating earthquake occurred in Sichuan. Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming was chosen to be the host country flagbearer, walking hand-in-hand on entering the stadium with Lin Hao, a nine-year-old boy who saved some of his classmates following the earthquake. Parade of Nations A traditional part of the opening ceremony starts with a "Parade of Nations", during which most participating athletes march into the stadium, delegation-by-delegation. It is not compulsory for athletes to participate in the opening ceremony. Some events of the Games may start on the day before, on the day, or the day after the ceremony; athletes competing in these early events may elect not to participate. Each delegation is led by a sign with the name of their nation or team, and by their flagbearer–typically a notable athlete of the delegation. As an act of gender equality, beginning in 2020 the IOC has allowed teams the option of having both a male and female flagbearer. Since the 1928 Summer Olympics, Greece has traditionally entered first