Fringes take first at opening ceremony

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The U.S. Olympic team sported fringed gloves at this year’s opening ceremony.

Timothy Stolp, Staff Writer

The opening ceremonies of the Olympics are a time for unity and celebration of

recent global achievements. Yet, at this year’s PyeongChang opening, the American team’s winter gloves took center stage.

Thank the Internet for its inability to remain chill about the unique style choices that the U.S. Winter Olympics team wore. As per usual, the large group of athletes hailing from the U.S. entered the arena sporting Ralph Lauren-designed uniforms. In previous years, Ralph Lauren has come under fire for outsourcing the manufacturing of the team’s outfits to other countries, a huge no-no in fashion at the Olympics. However, this time, it was their peculiarly large gloves that prompted a massive response online.

Comparison is the Internet’s strongsuit and Twitter counted itself in on this one. Many users on the platform set pictures of the team’s fringe gloves and uniform side by side with pictures of a shockling resemblant photo of Lloyd Christmas from the classic “Dumb and Dumber” movie. Others thought they might be better suited for welders or used as oven mitts. Still more continue to discuss online the inherently bizarre choice of the gloves at the games.

A few honorable mentions of viral Winter Olympics moments include:

  1. Tonga man:

Pita Tautofua, the oiled-up flag bearer for the nation of Tonga shocked worldwide viewers with another stunning entrance, wearing nothing but a traditional Tonga mat in 32 degree weather. He also made history as the nation’s first athlete to compete at both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

  1. North & South come together:

The two Korean countries split between North and South have had a tense relationship for years now. However, at the opening ceremony, athletes from the two nations ran the Olympic torch up the stairs to its final position for the rest of the games. The simple action is a giant step towards diplomacy and maybe, unity.

  1. The drones:

During the ceremony, the use of Intel Shooting Star drones lit up the night sky with the emblem of the Olympic rings, as well as the figure of a snowboarder and other athletes. The spectacle of lights comes from the gamechanging use of precise drone and light work.

While the golden fringes take home the gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, it would appear the games have only just begun.