Olympics Opening Ceremony 2016: Schedule, Performers and Flag-Bearers
The iconic Maracana Stadium will play host to the 2016 Olympic Games opening ceremony on Friday, August 5, in Rio de Janeiro.
The 31st edition of the Games will be the first to take place on South American soil, with the launch celebration set to include hundreds of dancers, performers, artists and volunteers over the course of three hours.
Traditional welcoming speeches, the lighting of the Olympic cauldron and a parade of thousands of athletes in their national gear will all occur during the event.
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Per MailOnline's Matt Roper, the ceremony will explore the history of Brazil—the good and the bad—and is not expected to be a typical chronological browse through the country's existence. Director Leonardo Caetano will guide the audience through serious issues affecting the country, including poverty, the high number of road accidents and theft.
On this subject, Roper reports Brazilian-born international supermodel Gisele Bundchen will be "robbed" as part of the production, with a chase ensuing around the 78,000 capacity arena.
Per the BBC (h/t Roper), the director Caetano said of the opening ceremony:
"It will be a reinterpretation of Brazil. We will have a moment in which we will show... the Brazilian way of receiving people. The second is the 'Garden'. Brazil live on the largest green reserve in the world and this is an important issue for us.
The third is about creativity, the Brazilians' ability to do more with less.
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A rehearsal of the presentation took place on Friday evening, with onlookers and invited guests asked not to share details of the event on social media. However, pictures have now appeared online.
Travel photographer TJ Ryan, among others, posted photographs from inside the stadium:
Per Caroline Graham of the Mail on Sunday, the ceremony has been tipped as being "the sexiest" ever, with Brazil prepared to explore untraveled areas in the buildup to the global sporting competition.
Per Roper, music, dance and 3D projections will trace the history of Brazil during the show, using a cast of 300 professional dancers and 5,000 volunteers to demonstrate the country's contributions and conquests.
While the event is expected to celebrate Brazilian culture and heritage, there will also be British representation during the worldwide event—likely to be watched by 1 billion people, per Graham—with the spectacle to feature actor Judi Dench.
Famous for her role as M in the James Bond series, Dench will read a poem alongside Fernanda Montenegro, a film and television star in Brazil, according to Roper. The poem's subject is thought to incorporate and assess global problems.
Musically, home favourites Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and pop star Anitta have been booked to perform, per Judy Cantor-Navas of Billboard. Meanwhile, American singer and global star Katy Perry has unveiled the Olympics' anthem titled Rise, per Billboard's Lars Brandle.
Football legend Pele has been invited to light the Olympic pyre to begin the new edition, as reported by Reuters' Maria Pia Palermo. The 75-year-old former Santos forward is loved throughout Brazil for leading his country to three World Cup triumphs, the first at just 17 years old in Sweden in 1958.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has been nominated as flag-bearer for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, getting the nod over Sir Bradley Wiggins and Nicola Adams, who were also in contention for the prestigious role, as reported by the Guardian.
Team USA confirmed they were prepared for the opening ceremony, posing in their dashing new attire:
Michael Phelps will lead them out as flag-bearer, as confirmed on the official Team USA website. The 22-time medal-winning swimmer and most decorated Olympian of all time said he was "humbled" and "proud" to represent his country.
Australia's flag-bearer will be cyclist Anna Meares, per Fox Sports. The four-time Olympian beat fellow veteran Jamie Dwyer and 2012 gold-medallist walker Jared Tallent for the position.
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