At the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin future French First Lady Carla Bruni played a starring role

At the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin future French First Lady Carla Bruni played a starring role. She appeared in a section of the event which paid tribute to the Italian flag. Bruni, a former model and well-known singer, followed 26 Olympic medallists in white suits and gowns marching in two files into the Stadio Olimpico Bruni wore a sparkling gown by Giorgio Armani, inspired by crystal and ice. She met French President Nicolas Sarkozy the following year and they married in February 2008. 

The Olympic Flame at the Opening Ceremony of the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer was to be skied down the sk ijump before lighting the Cauldron.

The Olympic Flame at the Opening Ceremony of the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer was to be skied down the ski jump at  Lysgårdsbakken before lighting the Cauldron. Originally this task had rested upon Ole Gunnar Fidjestøl, the 1988 Olympic bronze medallist. But after he was injured in a practice jump two days beforehand, his back-up Stein Gruben received the honour. After a jump of around 70 meters Gruben handed the Torch to visually impaired athlete Cathrine Hazel Ingnes, who represented Norway in cycling and cross-country skiing at the Paralympics. She then did a lap of the arena with the Torch before handing it over to  Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, who lit the Olympic Flame.