The opening ceremony in the city’s famous Maracana football stadium retraced the history of Brazil, from the arrival of Portuguese colonists through to the introduction of African slaves and the immigration of Arab and Japanese communities.
Advertisement
Eyewitnesses said early Saturday that blood poured from the body onto the road as medics tended to the man next to an ambulance.
Before the entry of a few thousand of the 11,000 athletes that will be competing in the Games, the playful rhythms of the ceremony gave way to a sober message about climate change and rampant deforestation of the Amazon.
Samba drums and dancing ushered in the games, with Brazil in a mood to throw a great party in the next 17 days, overlooking months of negative news and troubles which at times threatened to derail the biggest games show on the Earth. The Refugee Olympic Athletes’ team arrives for the opening ceremony.
But in a reminder of Brazil’s parlous political and economic situation, boos and jeers greeted interim president Michel Temer before he declared South America’s first Olympic Games open.
The reasons for this were referenced in the main speeches of the night by the chairman of the Rio 2016 organising committee Carlos Nuzman and IOC president Bach.
The four-hour show culminated with the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron by former marathon runner Vanderlei de Lima, an embodiment of sportsmanship since he was denied a gold medal when he was attacked two miles from the finish line by a spectator.
Brazil’s Gisele strutted into the arena to the iconic “Girl From Ipanema” before Greece, home of the ancient Olympics, led out the colourful athletes’ parade.
The athletes were given tree seeds, plus cartridges of soil. That said, they covered the history of the country, from rainforest to the sprouting of civilization in several swift, brilliant production moves.
Michael Phelps led the U.S. Olympic team into the stadium, all 554 members of which were sporting much ballyhooed uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren.
The floor of the stadium was the focal point of the whole ceremony with various intricate images being projected onto the floor from the ocean and butterflies, to rising cities and finally, the Olympic Rings.
It may have taken NBC five hours (no, really) to get to it, but Rio’s display for the Olympic flame almost made that wait worthwhile.
Iran picked a woman, archer Zahra Nemati, as flag-bearer for its team made up overwhelmingly of men.
A lot of work was put into the opening ceremony last night, and surprisingly, the budget did not stretch anywhere near as large as the one for London 2012, or even the 2008 games in Beijing. “During the last two years I regretted several times and nearly quit one or two times because the budget kept going down, down, down”, said Fernando Meirelles, show director. The Opening Ceremony is always the start of something special.
Advertisement
Brought to life in vibrant green and blue, the kickoff to the Summer Games paid tribute to the rainforests of Brazil.
