Nothing funnier - Putin pokes fun at Sochi 2014 Closing Ceremony: reprise the failed 5th snowflake Olympic Ring

One of the Olympic rings failed to open during the opening ceremony at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

Sochi 2014's organisers made a joke at their own expense during the closing ceremony with the fifth Olympic ring "failing" to unfurl.

"Remember when planking was like the cool thing to do in 2011? Well, Australian aerial skier David Morris is singlehandedly trying to bring it back in extreme fashion."

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The flame has officially gone out in the 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, after 17 days of events with participation from 2,856 athletes, 88 NOCs, plus independent participants.

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.

Under the Olympic Charter, heads of state speak only one sentence declaring the games open. All leaders have kept to the script - "except for one who violated the charter in Salt Lake City in 2002.", said International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said during a news conference.

The Salt Lake Games were held less than five months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush prefaced his declaration with a few non-scripted patriotic words: "On behalf of a proud, determined and grateful nation, I declare open the games of Salt Lake City, celebrating the Winter Games."

Said Bach: "All the other heads of state respected the charter and I'm absolutely sure the charter will be respected tonight." Putin stayed true to the text, saying in Russian: "I declare open the 22nd Olympic Winter Games in Sochi."

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Photo courtesy AP, REUTERS / Pawel Kopczynski, thebiglead.com, Reuters / Shamil Zhumatov. AFP Photo / Jonathan Nackstrand, Reuters / Eric Gaillard, and Yahoo Sports