Beautiful Picture From SOCHI OLYMPICS Opening Ceremony

So just what kind of spectacle does $51 billion buy? We're about to find out as the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Games kicks off at Fisht Olympic Stadium under Vladimir Putin's watchful eye.

After all the countless words printed about corruption, human rights, stray dogs and missing shower curtains it'll be nice to finally see the world's athletes coming together to celebrate with the official start of competition. Here are seven things you should know about the Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony can't be viewed live over the air in the United States — you'll have to wait until NBC's primetime broadcast to watch all the splendor — but you can follow the proceedings as they happen here with Kevin Kaduk of Yahoo Sports. We'll be featuring the best photos, tweets and observations as the ceremony unfolds so keep refreshing your page for updates.