Olympics rings malfunction at Sochi 2014 opening ceremony

Just the four Olympic rings for Sochi then

The Olympic Rings as presented by Sochi 2014 (Twitter)

While many were expecting a bit of a dog-eared Winter Olympics in Sochi given the widely-reported problems during the preparation stages, few could have predicted that it would have been the Olympics rings themselves, hoisted high in the stadium during the opening ceremony, that would be the thing to malfunction.

Five snowflakes were supposed to transform into five interlocking rings during the event, but number five (the red one) appeared to get stuck, serving as an unintentional slight to the nations it is generally considered to represent (Japan and China).

Photos of four fifths of the Olympics symbol soon spread on social media, overshadowing a performance from Russian duo Tatu.

The opening ceremony serves to kick off just over two weeks of winter sport, with tomorrow's first full day set to bring ice hockey, snowboarding, speed skating, cross-country and more.

Media attention has been firmly off the slopes and the ice rinks so far though, thanks to a debate raging about Russia's anti-gay laws, the games going over-budget, reports of unfinished press hotels and Sochi's mass cull of stray dogs.