Olympic Opening Ceremony 2016: Most Exciting Features of Traditional Event
This year’s Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will be a monumental event for a variety of reasons. It’s the first time a South American nation has hosted the festivities, two beloved sports (golf and rugby) are returning to the Games after long layoffs and there will still be all the traditional athletic marvels that we love to watch every four years.
That’s all the more reason to tune into the opening ceremony, which begins Friday at 7 p.m. ET at Maracana Stadium. Unfortunately, the United States won’t see the presentation until 8 p.m. ET, which is when NBC begins its broadcast, per the Washington Post’s Cindy Boren.
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With the event rapidly approaching, let’s focus on a few aspects of the ceremony you should be most excited for, even though the entire event is truly must-see television.
Parade of Nations
One of the most memorable traditions of every opening ceremony is the parade of nations. Every country has its contingent enter to music, with one athlete from each nation leading the group by holding the country’s flag. This year, the parade will begin with Greece, end with Brazil and proceed with the rest of the nations alphabetically in Portuguese.
The moment is obviously special for athletes who have put in countless hours to achieve a major accomplishment, but it’s also fun for viewers.
If you’re a big fan of the Olympics, many of the countries should have at least one recognizable person from the group to spot, if not many more. Even if you hardly recognize any faces from countries outside of the United States, it’s powerful to watch athletes as the reality of their Olympic dream sets in.
The United States has yet to choose its flag-bearer. In past opening ceremonies, the person has rarely been one of the most visible athletes on the country’s Olympic roster, but we’ll see who represents the nation this time around.
Ralph Lauren designed the United States team’s outfits for this year’s ceremony, and has also made special garb for the yet-to-be-named flag-bearer that features electroluminescent panels that will light up certain features of the uniform, the company announced on TeamUSA.org.
Lighting the Cauldron and Releasing the Doves
These are technically two different traditional events, but they’re connected in that both are meant to capture different spirits of the Olympics. The lighting of the cauldron after a monthslong torch relay symbolizes the burning competition at the event, while the releasing of the doves represents the spirit of world peace that is still so important in spite of the fierce competition.
The act of someone running up to a cauldron and lighting it with a torch isn’t that special by itself, but knowing the torch has traveled thousands of miles through numerous different hands is always cool.
The doves released into the stadium aren’t real anymore, which is understandable considering the fire hazard. But it’s always fascinating to see how the host country decides to represent doves in the ceremonial presentation. The symbolic aspect of the ritual is always a good opportunity for internal reflection and a cool moment of global harmony at the venue.
Artistic Program
While most of the ceremony is traditional and includes the same list of events every Olympic year, the hosting nation always prepares a unique presentation. The planning team for Rio has a lot to follow up Friday, considering London's elaborate performance in 2012. The explosive presentation featured several of Great Britain’s best entertainers and a variety of technological marvels.
If early rumors about the performance are true, it should be entertaining, but maybe a little bit uncomfortable at times. The Daily Mail’s Matt Roper reported that 3,000 invited guests watched a rehearsal of the performance at the Maracana, and he also received some details on what will be included in the show.
According to Roper, the spectacle will be a “brutally honest reflection on life in Rio de Janeiro.” Dramatizations in the performance will highlight the city’s high poverty and crime rates, including a scene where Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen is mugged by an actor.
We will see how powerful the performance ends up being, but there’s no doubt that high-quality artists have put a whole lot of planning into it. Roper also said workers have invested an estimated 400,000 man hours on the presentation, which will include 12,000 different costumes, 2,000 light guns and 3,000 kilograms of fireworks.
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