Image source, Getty Images

Vanessa Mae has strolled out into the Fisht Olympic Stadium, but she has done so without the violin which has made her famous.

Instead, the 35-year-old Singapore-born British citizen is dressed in the colours of Thailand and is going by the name of Vanessa Vanakorn as she prepares to make her Olympic debut in the slalom events.

With a ranking of 3,166 in the world and barely hitting the criteria required to ski for her father's homeland at the Games, Vanakorn/Mae has already achieved her dream by just being in Sochi. Anything else will be a bonus.

American Lauryn Williams is bidding to become only the second person to win an Olympic gold medal in both winter and summer sports when she competes in the women's bobsleigh.

The 30-year-old, won gold at London 2012 in the women's 4x100 relay in athletics and also took silver in women's 100m at Athens 2004.

American Edward Eagan is the only person to have achieved the feat, having taken gold in boxing at the Antwerp 1920 Games before taking victory in the bobsleigh at Lake Placid 1932.

Image source, Chris Mazdzer

Here come the United States of America, who have sent the largest ever Winter Olympic team. All 230 of them are donning some impressive knitwear, with the colours of their national flag.

Slovenia has several well-known ski resorts, including Maribor, so you won't be surprised to hear that seven medals have come on snow.

The European nation have sent 67 athletes, dressed in green, blue and white, to Sochi with alpine skier Tina Maze the leading hope to get the country's first Winter Olympic gold.

South Korea will be taking a keen interest in Russia over the next 17 days as they will be the hosts of the next Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in 2018.

They've sent a 71-strong team with Yuna Kim their one to watch as she looks to retain her title in the ladies' figure skating.

Here come Norway, the most successful nation in Winter Olympic history. The 118-strong team are dressed in white jackets with light blue trousers. If you look hard enough, you'll see veteran biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen who needs one more medal to equal Bjorn Daehlie's all-time record of 12.

Image source, AP

Have you seen this man? Well he's not hard to miss. His name is Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe, a Mexican skier who is the son of German minor royals.

The prince, who founded the one-man Mexican Ski Federation in 1981, has toned his outfit down for the opening ceremony, but he isn't planning on holding back when he gets into racing mode.

The German will take to the slopes wearing his flamboyant Marachi (a form of Mexican folk music) speed suit in what will be his sixth - yes sixth - Olympic Games.

Von Hohenlohe, Mexico's only representative in Sochi, is realistic enough to admit he has no medal hopes in the slalom, but he'll make history just by making the start line as the second oldest Winter Olympic in history, aged 55.

The Sochi 2014 Games took a hit in the build-up when Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn - arguably the most famous winter sports athlete in the world - pulled out injured.

However, there are still plenty of global athletes who are expected to star in Russia, including American slalom specialist Mikaela Shiffrin, 19, and snowboarder Shaun White, nicknamed the Flying Tomato. We'll see them and the rest of the American team shortly.

You can read more about them all here.

Image source, Chemmy Alcott

British skier Chemmy Alcott:, external "Wow what an amazing experience and honour to be walking out on opening ceremony as part of this amazing Team GB!"

"That's probably the brightest outfit we'll see tonight," says BBC commentator Robin Cousins. The Olympic champion is referring to the Lithuanian team, who are giving the German team a run for their money with a remarkably brave two-tone bright green kit.

Beijing is bidding to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in conjunction with Zhangjiakou, a city 200km north west of the capital. The nation have sent a 66-strong team.

I suspect the Chinese public will have a keen eye on the short track skating, as seven of the country's nine Winter Olympic golds have come in event.

Star performer Wang Meng is absent so the Chinese will be looking to Fan Kexin to bring home gold.

Canada have sent a huge 221-strong team to Sochi - their largest ever. The North American country won 14 golds in Vancouver, a record number for any nation at a Winter Olympics. Can the Russians follow suit?

The Cayman Islands made their Winter Olympic debut in Vancouver when Dow Travers competed in the men's alpine skiing. He must have enjoyed it as the 26-year-old is back in Sochi.

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport in Sochi

"The Great Britain team are popular with the crowd as they are introduced and wind their way around the stadium, Jon Eley flying the flag proudly on what would have been his late grandad's birthday. The DJ pumping out the dance music is having a great time!"

Image source, AP

Last November, the International Olympic Committee gave Dominica, an island nation in the Caribbean Sea, a call and asked if they had anyone who could become the nation's first Olympians at Sochi 2014.

Surprisingly, they said yes because as luck would have it, they had just given citizenship to a couple who were part-time competitive skiers as a "thank you" for their work establishing children's hospitals.

And so began a frantic two months as Gary Di Silvestri, 46, from New York and his Italian-born wife Angelica, 48 battled to secure the qualifying standard in time. They did it - and so will complete in the 10km and 15km cross-country individual races respectively in Sochi.

"It will be historic," said Dominica Olympic committee secretary general Thomas Dorsett. "Our tourism department will make a field day of that."

Here come the two-strong Dominica team, who have quite a story...

IOC president Thomas Bach stands up to applaud the German team, dressed in their unique rainbow-coloured team kit. It reminds me of Mr Motivator.

Image source, Team GB

And here comes the British team, donning navy blue Russian-style hats. The 56-strong team will be hoping to achieve their medal target of between three and seven medals. One to watch? Lizzy Yarnold - she is the world number one in skeleton, an event where Britain have never failed to win a medal.

The Bermuda team traditionally parade in Bermuda shorts for the opening ceremony of the summer Olympics - and despite the cold, they've upheld the tradition in Sochi. Good work.

Winter sports aren't what come to mind when most people think of Belgium, but the Ardennes mountains in the country's south-east boast more than 800km of ski trails. The nation has sent a seven-strong team to Sochi, as they look to build on their total of five Winter Olympic medals.