The Games of the XXXI Olympiad were declared open in spectacular fashion on 5 August, as host city Rio de Janeiro welcomed the world to what promises to be an incredible two weeks in the latest chapter of the Olympic story. Her ouster less than four months out from the games for alleged budget violations was one of the many complications that roiled Brazil’s Olympic preparations and impacted the opening ceremony itself.
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Each athlete will be asked to plant seeds that will eventually grow into trees and be planted in Rio in a few years. In one of the world’s most unequal societies, the spectacle celebrated the culture of the favelas, the slums that hang vertiginously above the renowned beaches of Rio and ring the Maracana.
The “save the planet” theme carried over to the Olympic cauldron, a small, low-emission fire to symbolically reduce warming caused by fossil fuel and greenhouse gases.
A panoramic depiction of Brazil’s history, including its slave trade past, followed before a unique homage to Alberto Santos-Dumont, who is, in Brazil, credited with inventing the first aeroplane and taking the first flight instead of the Wright Brothers, as a light plane flew inside the stadium before taking off into the night sky across a celebrating city. It was a largely nostalgic look at Brazilian history and what life looked like in the country before the Europeans settled – again pulled off elegantly and without the complicated and ambitious routines we’ve seen in previous opening ceremonies.
A former Brazilian marathon runner, Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, lit the cauldron to mark the beginning of the Games, after the football legend, Pele, pulled out due to poor health.
It then rose in the air, stopping in front of an undulating sun sculpture by artist Anthony Howe.
“We want to show the world that we won’t stand for this totally illegitimate president”, said sociologist Luiz Mazzei, who arrived with his wife wearing “Temer Out” shirts.
But with more than a dash of “gambiarra”, the Brazilian art of quick-fixes and making do, Rio de Janeiro is ready.
Some performers used metallic sheets as props.
But there’s no doubt they would have been equally spellbound when supermodel Gisele Bundchen cat-walked her way into the world’s heart. As Bundchen glided the length of the stadium – much longer than the average catwalk – she left a trail on the stage forming the outline of famous buildings in Rio.
The tone changed as the focus switched to the environment and the problems posed by melting ice caps and rising sea levels. “A flower has sprouted in the street”.
The 555-member U.S. delegation marched in wearing red-white-and-blue Polo Ralph Lauren and was led by flag bearer Michael Phelps, the swim star and victor of 22 Olympic medals, 18 of them gold.
The crowd, including Secretary of State John Kerry, gave a rousing cheer. Also participating for the first time is the 10-member Refugee Olympic Team comprising refugees from Syria, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Congo. Only Brazil’s team, which marched last, drew a louder roar from the crowd than the refugees. The Opening Ceremony took place in Brazil’s iconic Macaraña stadium.
“This is the moment of the “maravilhosa cidade” (marvellous city)”, said International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.
The organisers pinned the ceremony to a vaguely eco narrative to tell the story of Brazil, depicting the origins of life, the growth of the rain forest and the populating of this part of South America by a succession of alien peoples from Europe, Africa and Asia. “Opening the Olympic experience to new regions of the world”.
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Bach concluded his remarks by presenting the Olympic Laurel to Kipchoge Keino, a two-time gold medalist from Kenya who went on to open an orphanage in his homeland.
