Rio de Janeiro: As the world watched the Rio Olympics opening ceremony taking place at Maracana Stadium on Friday night, a man was shot dead about 800 metres away.
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The 75-year-old has been in Rio de Janeiro in the build-up to the opening ceremony to launch an academy in his name.
The colourful event that was at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro was a vibrant celebration of rich history and culture.
But even the joys of the elite sports competition to come and the opening ceremony extravaganza failed to dispel gloom over Brazil’s parlous political and economic situation, with boos and jeers breaking out as interim president Michel Temer declared South America’s first Olympic Games open.
As A-listers and other celebrities swamped the Maracana for the opening ceremony, which celebrated the culture of favelas, slum dwellers looked on less than 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) away at the lights coloring the night sky. They were joined by a first-ever Refugee Olympic Team of 10 athletes, displaced from Syria, South Sudan, Congo and Ethiopia.
Swimming legend Michael Phelps said the honor of being the US flag bearer was something that he could not pass up.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said the refugee team were sending “a message of hope to the millions of refugees around the globe”.
Instead, the honor went to Brazilian marathoner Vanderlei De Lima, who finished third at the 2004 Athens Games despite being attacked by a protester.
When the Parade of Nations was finished, trees sprang up from the planters and rained confetti throughout the stadium.
Day Two of the Rio Games features medal action in swimming, women’s road cycling, men’s fencing, judo and more.
Chants of “Brasil, Brasil, Brasil” reverberated around the stadium just before they emerged from the tunnel and then the crowd erupted as the athletes danced and skipped across stage.
Fireworks explode during the opening ceremony.
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.
More than 10,000 athletes from 207 teams took part, with the biggest cheers reserved for the specially formed refugee team and the joyous Brazilian contingent.
Bach, however, said the Games were a “catalyst for transforming Rio into a modern metropolis that is even more handsome than before”, while Nuzman said he was the “proudest man alive” that his city had got this far. “The energy is unbelievable”, said U.S. tourist Iain Siemen.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I extend my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to our athletes who have displayed such tremendous dedication and commitment”, Trudeau wrote in a statement.
Supermodel Gisele Bundchen shimmered to the tune of “The Girl from Ipanema”.
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The opening ceremony kicked off the 2016 Rio Olympics on August 5, 2016. “With your great talent and human spirit, you are making a great contribution to society”.
