Tokyo 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony Was Full of Emotions

Tokyo 2020 Olympics hosted an incredible opening ceremony on Friday, July 23. Athletes came together to celebrate this special event and to acknowledge the anguish of the current pandemic situation. 

With an empty stadium, the 2020 Summer Olympics had a unique opening.

God I’m such a sucker for the olympics I’m watching the opening ceremony and tearing up at the parade of nations and seeing all the athletes so excited and proud

— baylee (@notyourbay) July 25, 2021

With all the COVID-19 protocols in place, a stadium that could accommodate 68,000 at past ceremonies had fewer than 1,000 people in the stands. As a result, countries could have a maximum of 20 athletes representing them for the night. In addition, around 5,700 participants were expected to march in the parade ceremony. This number is a small fraction of the athletes that would generally appear at an Olympic opening ceremony.

The best part of the Olympics is the opening ceremony

— Raphael (@LeahparFE) July 26, 2021

The countries could choose a limited number of athletes to send to the opening. Each country was allowed two flag bearers, one male athlete, and one female athlete to represent their home nation. Brazil announced before the ceremony that participating in the parade was too risky for its athletes. The U.S. flag bearers were basketball star Sue Bird and Olympic baseball player Eddy Alvarez.

About 5,700 participants were expected to march in the parade. Many athletes wore their traditional clothes to showcase their culture and home country’s fashion.

Four of our Pacific Islands teams made the best dressed lists for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday night.

Tuvalu and Vanuatu made both lists with Cook Islands making @TheCut Top 10 list as well & Tonga making @people Magazines Best Dressed list with them. pic.twitter.com/8gZH6Ssh0Y

— The Coconet (@TheCoconetTV) July 26, 2021

The opening ceremony featured a moment of silence to pay tribute to the victims of COVID-19. Then, the health care workers were honored, and a dance with a lights routine acknowledged the isolation faced during the pandemic.

The first images of the ceremony were short videos of the athletes practicing alone at their homes during the pandemic. Later, a countdown showed athletes coming together and competing, while fireworks exploded above the stadium to give a sense of unity.

Crying watching the Olympics opening ceremony and just thinking about this past year

— Sarah Husein (@sarah__husein) July 25, 2021

Naomi Osaka, the tennis star, had the honor of lighting the Olympic torch. She is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion. Osaka ranked No. 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association and is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles.

Naomi Osaka at the #OpeningCeremony is making me E M O T I O N A L O M G pic.twitter.com/qXhRrfIpck

— Adam Rippon (@AdamRippon) July 24, 2021

Indeed, the ceremony praised Japanese culture. The sound of video game theme music played while athletes entered the stadium, along with placards with the names of each country in manga-style designs while announcing the country.

The decoration also honored Japan’s culture. The main stage symbolized the volcano Mount Fuji, and the Olympic rings were made out of wood, using yosegi-haiku, a traditional Japanese style of craftsmanship.

It’s cool how the opening ceremony for the olympics had jrpg music when the athletes entered.

— Edgar Landin (@EdgarLandin9) July 26, 2021

the olympics opening ceremony got me in tears fr

— b i z @ ☁️🌈✈🌈☁️ (@bopizop) July 26, 2021

The ceremony ended by emphasizing global unity. First, a display of drones rose over the stadium in the games’ emblem shape. Then, the drones morphed into the form of a globe as a symbol of global unity. Meanwhile, singers worldwide sang “Imagine” by John Lennon, each representing a continent.

1800 drones above the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan form a globe at the Tokyo2020 Olympics opening ceremony pic.twitter.com/ZLw2i7Q9gT

— Science is Amazing (@AMAZlNGSClENCE) July 24, 2021

Watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday. As one would expect, very Japanese and beautifully crafted. The finale with the lighting of the torch was superb. So very Shinto. pic.twitter.com/8uXjOGvIxG

— Chandran Nair (@Cnomics) July 26, 2021

Outside the stadium, a displeased Japanese crowd gathered to protest against holding the Olympics. Their concern is their citizens’ safety, as it involves gathering all countries in one place.

Overall, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony was a success, and many incredible athletes from all countries were recognized and celebrated. For more updates, follow the official Olympics account.