Which country's team always leads the olympic opening procession?
Each country's delegation is led by a sign with the name of their country and by their nation's flag. Traditionally, since the 1928 Summer Olympics Greece always enters first and leads the parade due to the historical status as the progenitor of the Olympics, and the host nation enters last. All other participating teams enter after Greece and before the host nation, in alphabetical order according to a language selected by the organizing committee for those games, which is usually the dominant language in the area of the host city. Announcers announce each country's name in English, French and the dominant language of the area of the host city, if neither English nor French is the dominant language. Beginning with the 2020 Summer Olympics, the succeeding hosts of the respective Olympic Games (Summer or Winter) will march immediately before the current host in descending order. Therefore, in 2020 (for example), host Japan will follow the United States and France respectively as the final three nations to march. Also, the Refugee Olympic Team will now follow Greece as the second team to enter.
Which country's team always leads the Olympic opening Parade of Nations--unless they are hosting the games?
Greece
Olympic Games ceremony
In the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the Greek flag led the parade, while the Greek team entered last, as the host nation; Saint Lucia (Αγία Λουκία in Greek) then entered first. In the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, both Spanish and Catalan were official languages of the games, but due to the political sensitivity surrounding the use of Catalan, the nations entered in French alphabetical order. Due to Japanese pronunciation issues, all four games taking place in Japan, including the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics, had the nations enter in English alphabetical order instead of Japanese characters. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, teams were ordered by the number of strokes in the Chinese translation of the team name; this is expected to happen again in the 2022 Winter Olympics. In the 2010 Winter Olympics, teams entered in English alphabetical order, although the languages of the Olympics are also the languages of the host country, Canada, because English is the more dominant of the two in Vancouver and in the host province of British Columbia. In the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 2014 Winter Olympics, the countries entered in the Cyrillic alphabetical order, which is the Russian language's official script, while in the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 2018 Winter Olympics, the countries entered in the Hangul alphabetical order, which is Korean language's official script.
When Greece, the country's team that otherwise always leads the Olympic Parade of Nations, hosted the modern games in 2004, what country's team entered first instead?
Saint Lucia
Olympic Games ceremony
Olympic Games ceremony
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic%20Games%20ceremony
Traditionally, since the 1928 Summer Olympics Greece always enters first and leads the parade due to the historical status as the progenitor of the Olympics, and the host nation enters last.
Olympic Games ceremony
The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; Latin: Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. They were held in honor of Zeus, and the Greeks gave them a mythological origin. The first Olympic Games are traditionally dated to 776 BC.
The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; Latin: Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. They were held in honor of Zeus, and the Greeks gave them a mythological origin. The first Olympic Games are traditionally dated to 776 BC.
In honor of the game's origin, Greece always leads the opening Parade of Nations in the Olympic opening ceremony. However, if they are hosting the games, they will enter last, as the host. Instead of Greece, the first country to enter will be the first in the Greek alphabet. For example, Saint Lucia (Αγία Λουκία in Greek) entered first in the 2004 games held in Greece.