We knew going in that this year's Olympic Opening Ceremony would be different than any we've ever seen before. The Tokyo organizers were left with a seemingly impossible task--celebrating the start of the Olympics, a moment that the athletes and host country have waited years for, while also respecting the fact that these Olympics are taking place during a global pandemic that's still far from over. It was a difficult balancing act. And they pulled it off.
It wasn't the overblown spectacle we saw in Beijing, or even the more restrained but still extravagant celebrations in London and Rio. They knew that wouldn't be appropriate. But it also couldn't be too somber. We've all been through so much over the past year and a half. It's impossible to ignore, but we don't need to be constantly reminded of it either. This was, after all, still a celebration!
As it turns out, they tackled the elephant in the room head on right away. The ceremony began with a bunch of athletes "training" by themselves...in much the same way the Olympians had to after all of last year's lockdowns and closures forced them to improvise. They knew the feeling all too well, and it was the organizers' way of saluting their resilience.
They had to keep it simple, and simple most definitely worked. And they found the most beautiful way to acknowledge the reality of the past 18 months. It was so much more than just having a moment of silence for all those we've lost (and the beautiful surprise touch of including the 11 Israeli Olympians killed at the 1972 Munich Games...the first time they've ever been so recognized). They had front-line health care workers carry both the Olympic flag and Olympic flame, a fitting "thank you" from the entire world.
Their choice for the final torch bearer was a sign of the times, too. Naomi Osaka has become known as much more than a tennis player. She was one of the most unspoken athletes during last summer's racial reckoning, using her platform as a professional athlete to advocate for change. Then, with her French Open media boycott, bringing attention to the mental health side of being a pro athlete. She has her detractors. She has her supporters. But her selection is most definitely indicative of her role in changing the sports landscape.
Osaka's choice was a surprise, too. Not because it wasn't a good one, but because active Olympians simply aren't picked for the honor very often. The last time was 21 years ago in Sydney, when Cathy Freeman capped that incredible Opening Ceremony, then went on to win gold 10 days later. I can't remember any other instance of it being a current athlete. So the choice of Osaka is significant for that reason alone.
And, even though the cultural presentation had to be significantly scaled back, they were still able to put on a show that highlighted their heritage. There were no sumo wrestlers (who played a big part in the Nagano Opening Ceremony for some reason), but there was a kabuki dancer, who blessed the stage, trying to rid it of a "curse." Hopefully it worked!
I also loved the nod to the first Tokyo Olympics in 1964. They raised wooden Olympic rings, which were made from the trees planted by competitors in those 1964 Games. A simple, yet beautiful direct link between Tokyo's first Olympics and its second 57 years later.
That wasn't the only nod to 1964, either. Those Olympics were the first to make use of sport pictograms, which have become such an integral part of every Games since. Japan's obviously very proud of this contribution, and it led to my favorite part of the ceremony. It was so cool, creative and unique to see the three "pictogram men" acting out all 50 of the icons that'll be used at these Games. I absolutely loved it!
This being Japan, modern technology was on full display, as well. And how could you not be in awe of that spectacular drone show? They had drones in PyeongChang, but it was nothing like this! A total of 1800 drones creating the Tokyo Olympic logo, only to have it transform into a giant globe. Even though fans can't attend, these Olympics are still bringing the world together.
Another way they brought the world together was that incredible performance of "Imagine" across all five continents. They did something similar with "Ode to Joy" when Nagano hosted in 1998, but this was different. "Imagine" has become sort of a staple over the past few Olympic Opening Ceremonies, and you can see why just by looking at and thinking about the lyrics. "And the world will be as one" has never rung more true!
The Parade of Nations obviously had to be scaled back, too. So many athletes wanted to be there but couldn't because of COVID protocols, and those who were had to wear masks. But, as they said during the NBC broadcast, even though they were wearing masks, you could still "see" their smiles. That was so true! And it was all the proof you needed that cancelling these Olympics entirely would've been the absolute cruelest solution possible for these athletes.
A new wrinkle for this year's Parade of Nations was the flexibility (aka., not-so-subtle suggestion) to have co-flag bearers, one male and one female. I was lukewarm about this when they first announced it, and I was curious to see how it would work. Most teams took this option, and they went about it different ways. Some carried it together, some passed it back and forth. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of creativity the different countries used, and it actually didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would.
Frankly, Teams USA bothered me more! For the second straight Summer Olympics, the flag bearers weren't actually at the front of the delegation! In Rio, you could barely see Michael Phelps because he was surrounded by everyone else, and it was the same thing here. At least this time, Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez had white jackets while everybody else had blue! Seriously, what's so hard about letting the people who've been voted to lead the delegation actually get to, you know, lead it? Even with a team as big as the U.S., is it really that difficult to have the flag bearers go, then everybody else 30 seconds later? You know, the way EVERY OTHER COUNTRY did?
Even though there weren't any fans, there were still dignitaries and media members there, so they weren't walking into a completely empty stadium. But the absence of the fans was definitely felt during the Parade of Nations. Just imagine the roar that would've erupted when Japan entered!
Obviously, none of this was the plan. They had to pivot tremendously from the Opening Ceremony they originally envisioned. But, you know what? The Opening Ceremony that they actually did put on was absolutely perfect!
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