The celebratory atmosphere followed fresh protests, when about 3,000 people waving signs saying “No to the Olympics!” gathered outside a luxury hotel where many athletes are staying.
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But with more than a dash of “gambiarra”, the Brazilian art of quick-fixes and making do, Rio is ready.
“Brazil welcomes the world with open arms”, Carlos Nuzman, President of the Rio 2016 Committee, told the crowd.
The glitter and glamour of Rio’s stunning Olympics opening ceremony gave way Saturday to bitter competition for the first medals of the Games dogged by a doom-laden buildup.
Officially renamed Mario Filho Stadium in 1966, in tribute to the late Brazilian journalist, Maracana has a long and illustrious history of hosting unforgettable moments in sports.
Greece, the historical and spiritual home of the games, led the march by athletes into the stadium.
Not even Brazil’s soccer team in their first match at the Games attracted a capacity crowd and on Sunday the women’s sevens tournament was played in front of at best half-filled 15,000-seater Deodoro stadium while only a few thousand spectators watched the women’s cycling road race.
Brazil’s athletes, who entered last, got the loudest applause of all, before the Olympic rings were revealed – green rings made up of trees, rather than the traditional multi-coloured rings. When they sprout, they will be planted in a Rio park.
The event will start at 9:45 a.m. with a subdivision that includes 41-year-old Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan, who will be competing in her seventh Olympics, a record for a gymnast.
Viewers took to social media to complain about NBC’s heavy ad load during the ceremony, especially early on, and the network’s decision to air and stream the ceremony on a one-hour delay.
While it escaped a blanket ban, Russian Federation is paying the price in the shape of a smaller team, whittled down from 389 athletes to around 270. Flag of Azerbaijan carried by boxer Teymur Mammadov.
With much lesser use of high-tech than the one displayed in Beijing (2008) and London (2012), Rio depended more of its own talents and Brazils Carnival party.
Legendary Brazilian marathoner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima lit the Olympic cauldron.
The budget for the Olympics opening ceremony, closing ceremony and those for the Paralympics was cut to $55.9 million according to Creative director Fernando Meirelles.
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Prices for the Rio tickets range between $10 and about $1,150 for the Opening Ceremony. The team, comprised of 10 athletes, includes five from South Sudan, two from Syria, two from the Democratic Republic of Congo and one from Ethiopia.
