The Opening Ceremony of the 1980 Summer Olympics was the official opening ceremony held in the afternoon at 16:00 Moscow Time (UTC+3) on 19 July 1980 in the Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium. It was attended by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Leonid Brezhnev, and IOC President Lord Killanin. The 1980 opening ceremonies started a trend which changed the format of the ceremonies. Prior to 1980, Olympic opening ceremonies were truly "ceremonial", consisting of just the parade of nations and rituals associated with the official opening of the Games. The USSR wanted to put on a spectacle to impress the rest of the world, so an artistic performance was included after the ceremonial parts were finished. Since then, subsequent opening ceremonies have expanded on the artistic program, and it is now seen as the main event at the opening ceremonies. Sequence of events Countdown of Kremlin Clock chimes at 16:00 Moscow Time. Fanfare by the Herald Trumpeters: "Moscow Fanfare" by Soviet musician and composer A. Golovin. Introduction of the Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev. Playing of the national anthem of the Soviet Union. The card stunt displays the coat of arms of the USSR. Chariots: Parade of Greek chariots in the stadium, followed by red flags with the emblem of the Moscow Olympics on them. The song "Stadium of my Dreams" (, ) was heard. Parade of nations. Greece enters first, the Soviet Union, as a host nation, last, per tradition. Other delegations enter in Cyrillic alphabetical order Welcoming remarks by the chairman of the Moscow Olympic Organizing Committee "OCOG-80", Ignati Novikov. Speech by the President of the International Olympic Committee, Lord Killanin, his final Olympic Opening Ceremony speech. Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev announced the opening of the Olympic Games. Handover of the Olympic flag by Stéphane Préfontaine and Sandra Henderson (1976 Montreal Olympic Games Torch Bearers) representing the Mayor of Montreal, Jean Drapeau. Although Drapeau wished to attend, the boycott was supported by the Canadian government which made it impossible for him to accept the invitation. The flag was received by IOC President Killanin, who passed it to the First Secretary of the Moscow gorkom of the CPSU, Viktor Grishin. Entry of the Olympic Flag. The flag was carried by eight Masters of Sports of the USSR accompanied by 22 others. The flag was raised to the Olympic Anthem, sung in