[ad_1]
The honor went to Naomi Osaka to light the flame, the beacon of hope that the Olympics strive to be.
It marked the official opening of Tokyo 2020, a year later than expected, and in the midst of a global pandemic.
Perhaps as expected, Friday’s opening ceremony was not of the usual kind. No carnival like Rio, no parachute monarchs like London, but a darker tone, a sobering reminder that these are Games taking place in a world still facing its most difficult challenge.
“Today is a moment of hope,” said Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“Yes, it is very different from what we all imagined. But let us cherish this moment because at the end of the day we are all here together.”
These Games are going to be different, tarnished by the masks, the positive tests and the lack of fans. But it’s still the Olympics; still the greatest show on Earth, ever faster, higher, stronger and now together.
Empty seats, protesters, drones … and Susan Boyle
The opening ceremony had been the subject of numerous scandals before it even started on Friday, its director was fired on the eve of the Games for historic jokes about the Holocaust, days after the resignation of its composer after he appeared to have bullied disabled classmates at school.
The ceremony itself was modest, a reminder of everything the world has been through but offered hope for what is to come.
But the lack of crowds was glaring as socially distant and masked athletes – though some did not attend – waved from the empty stands, no roar accompanying their march into the stadium.
A delegation of 22 Team GB members was among them, led respectively by flag bearers Moe Sbihi and Hannah Mills from rowing and sailing.
Some applause rang out from a few inside. Only the media and some 900 dignitaries watched in the 68,000-seat room, including the First Lady of the United States, Dr Jill Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The preparation for these Games has been long, and it is not an event that everyone welcomes with open arms. Outside the stadium, as the hours passed before the ceremony began, hundreds of locals gathered, bubbling with excitement and pride and desperate to join us.
But as day turned to night, the mood deteriorated, with protesters raising their voices with “stop the Olympics” chants heard by the few people seated in the stadium.
Inside, where everything was cozy but intimate, a nod to the resilience of the world and its solidarity in the fight against a global threat.
The ceremony also paid tribute to the universality of sport, its power to unite people of different cultures and origins and to instill a sense of hope, even in the most troubling moments.
“Here is a vision for the future, a vision that embodies ‘unity in diversity’, a vision of peace and mutual respect,” said Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto.
“It is the power of sport and the expression of the core values of the Olympic movement. It is its essence.”
At the heart of the stadium stood the Olympic cauldron, a representation of the sun atop Mount Fuji. It then opened like a flower, embodying “vitality and hope”.
Previously, the Japanese flag had entered carried by athletes, but also by health workers, after which a minute of silence was observed to remember the missing.
The Olympic rings were then formed, made from the wood of trees grown from seeds brought in by athletes in 1964 – the last time the Games came to Tokyo.
After the parade of athletes – always so long – the performances continued. Some 1,824 drones formed a rotating globe above the stadium, before musicians such as John Legend and Keith Urban delivered a moving rendition of “Imagine” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
A somewhat surprising inclusion came after the speeches and the raising of the Olympic flag – Susan Boyle. Yes, you read that right.
The Scottish singer did not make the trip to Tokyo, but her performance of “Wings To Fly” – a song released in 1971 by a Japanese folk group – accompanied the symbolic release of doves.
No live doves, fear, but rather projections and special effects recognizing the “peaceful intent” of the Games.
A smart display of sports pictograms followed, but the final act was reserved for four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, a representation of the new Japan, a person bringing change to her homeland.
The 23-year-old received the torch from 14 other people, a group made up of athletes past and present, including a summer and winter Paralympic gold medalist, medics, nurses and students.
She climbed “Mount Fuji”, lighting the flame, before fireworks adorned the Tokyo night sky.
And therefore to sport. While some are already underway, the first medals will be awarded on Saturday, with four Britons taking on the men’s road cycle race and shooter Seonaid McIntosh competing in the women’s 10m air rifle.
Swimmer Adam Peaty, rower Helen Glover and the men’s artistic gymnastics team are among those also starting their campaigns.
And with that, there are only four words left to say.
Let the games begin.
Source link
