Sochi Olympics 2014: Viewers See Empty Seats During Russian National Anthem

Those who were watching the opening ceremony for the Sochi Games on Friday saw plenty of empty seats during the singing of the Russian national anthem.

The photos below show the empty seats that television viewers saw. The multi-colored seats, reminiscent of those at the Superdome in New Orleans, made the empty areas that were reserved for the athletes look a lot more full than they were, but close-up shots of the areas during the singing of the Russian national anthem did not make for the best optics during the singing of the national anthem. 

Watching the Russians sing their national anthem in the opening ceremony with an empty wall of seats behind them. Rough.

— Melissa Kwan (@DonkeyKwan) February 8, 2014

Note: This article has been updated.