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Flakeout! Russia pokes fun at itself, stops Olympic ring from opening 

In a nod to the #SochiProblem heard ‘round the world, Russia gave a knowing wink to the audience in the form of a very shy snowflake during the Closing Ceremony.It was a reference to a glitch in the extravagant Opening Ceremony, when a display involving five snowflakes, which were meant to expand into five Olympic rings, failed to work correctly and only four opened. That stubborn snowflake prom
Performers form the Olympic rings during the Closing Ceremony for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, but not without a little joke first.
Performers form the Olympic rings during the Closing Ceremony for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, but not without a little joke first.PAWEL KOPCZYNSKI / Today

In a nod to the #SochiProblem heard ‘round the world, Russia gave a knowing wink to the audience in the form of a very shy snowflake during the Closing Ceremony.

It was a reference to a glitch in the extravagant Opening Ceremony, when a display involving five snowflakes, which were meant to expand into five Olympic rings, failed to work correctly and only four opened. That stubborn snowflake prompted jokes across the Twitterverse and beyond, as well as more than one meme.

With that snafu in mind, organizers of the Closing Ceremony gave that fifth snowflake one final moment in the spotlight. 

But not without a bit of humor first. The snowflake appeared to look as if it failed and then fixed itself, with the help of performers who opened it up to a complete and perfect ring.

And just like that, another meme was born.

Russia+pokes+fun+at+Olympic+ring+malfunction+in+#ClosingCeremony.+Nice.+http://t.co/CXvd78sGNI+pic.twitter.com/Jd50DRD6RQ

—+Mashable+(@mashable)+February+23,+2014+


Sochi in Pictures: Closing Ceremony

Slideshow  17 photos

Sochi in Pictures: Closing Ceremony

Russia wraps up the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics with dazzling performances and a handoff to South Korea for the 2018 Winter Games.