After one of the roughest-ever rides from vote to games by an Olympic host, the city of beaches, carnival, grinding poverty and sun-kissed wealth lifted the curtain on the games of the 31st Olympiad with a three-hour gala Friday night that celebrated Brazil’s can-do spirit, biodiversity and its indigenous people.
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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. Images of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, swirling in the Earth’s atmosphere were followed by projections of world cities and regions – Amsterdam, Florida, Shanghai, Dubai – being swamped by rising seas.
The Peacock said the overnight rating peaked at 19.0 when the United States entered Maracanã Stadium during the Parade of Nations.
“The heat is melting the icecap”, a voice intoned.
In a video preceding the show, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the games “celebrate the best of humanity” and appealed for an Olympic truce, calling on “all warring parties to lay down their weapons” during the two weeks of sporting achievement.
But wow – there are WAY fewer people watching the Olympics this year than there were four years ago! The spreading health crisis of the mosquito-born Zika virus kept some athletes away.
The main pool was closed to training on Friday as divers checked underwater cameras for Saturday’s opening heats and medal round but some swimmers still had a chuckle. More women watch the games than men, and for the women, they’re less interested in the result and more interested in the journey. Amidst protest outside the stadium, there were positive reactions of national pride.
But with more than a dash of “gambiarra”, the Brazilian art of quick-fixes and making do, Rio is ready.
“The world is very tense and so is Brazil”.
International Olympic Committee resident Thomas Bach spoke after the parade of athletes and said the Rio Games will promote peace.
De Lima endeared himself to the world at the 2004 Games when he didn’t let a race-spoiling interference get him down. Instead of gold, he fell back to take bronze. She tried to flee and was shot in the head.
The athletes were given tree seeds, plus cartridges of soil. When they sprout, they will be planted in a Rio park. But by delaying the Opening Ceremony until 8 p.m. ET and adding commercials and a feature on the USA women’s gymnastics team, NBC padded the telecast of the Opening Ceremony frontloading commercials with 8 ad breaks in the first hour and extending it past the original midnight ET sign off time to 12:27 a.m.
“They motivate us – especially our young people – to be more active in sport, whether it is in our own backyards, in local parks, or in sport venues from coast to coast to coast”.
The spotlight of the night was on the Russian team, which has been whittled down to 271 athletes from an initial 389 following doping allegations.
Iran picked a woman, archer Zahra Nemati, as flag-bearer for its team made up overwhelmingly of men. She was paralyzed in a vehicle accident as a teenager. Audience members were invited to join in and the fun, carefree nature of the entire ceremony was underlined.
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From mutilated bodies washing ashore to concerns over the Zika virus, check out eight problems that Rio faces before the torch is even lit at the Opening Ceremonies.
