JAKARTA - At the opening ceremony of the Olympics shrouded in the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokyo 2020 organizers paid tribute to health workers as athletes around the world paraded into nearly empty stadiums hiding smiles behind their masks.
As reported by Antara, Saturday, July 24, usually a star-studded performance full of celebrities, the Olympics opening ceremony this time lost its luxury as fewer than 1,000 people attended the ceremony inside the stadium which was guided by strict social distancing rules and carried banners asking spectators not to attend. sound around the venue.
Organizers also as usual sent messages of peace as global pop stars sang John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Imagine, while drones formed the Olympic emblem in the sky over Tokyo National Stadium turning into a globe.
"Given the difficult world situation due to the coronavirus pandemic, I would like to express my respect and gratitude to the health workers and all those who are working hard every day to overcome this difficulty," said Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee Chair Seiko Hashimoto.
The ceremony approached its climax after a mix of traditional kabuki theater decorated with elaborate costumes and jazz piano improvisation on a stage shaped like Mount Fuji with an Olympic fire cauldron.
Most countries are represented by athletes who are taking part in the Olympics for the first time during the athlete's defile, but not everyone follows the protocol. Teams from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Pakistani flag bearers paraded without masks in a 180-degree turn with existing health protocols and so did most of the other athletes at the opening ceremony.
Regardless, the opening ceremony marked the unification of the world, with hundreds of millions of spectators around the world witnessing the start of the biggest event in the world of sport.
Members of the Canadian delegation wore rainbow patches of the LGBT community symbol on their jackets. US first lady Jill Biden applauded the American contingent as French President Emmanuel Macron did to the French contingent.
The Olympic promise made by athletes at the end of the athlete's file has been renewed for the Tokyo Olympics where athletes pledged a commitment to inclusiveness, equality, and non-discrimination for the first time at the Olympics.
The opening ceremony also featured fireworks in indigo and white, the colors of Tokyo 2020's emblem, and embraced Japanese tradition represented by the giant wooden Olympic rings associated with the 1964 Olympics which Tokyo also hosted.
A much smaller number of athletes lined up in a contingent defense, most of which arrived just before the Games started and would leave soon after to avoid infection with the coronavirus.
The delegates did their best to liven up the atmosphere. Ugandans dressed in bright traditional costumes danced while the Argentine delegation jumped as they entered.
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Delaying for a year, organizers were forced to take the new step of holding the Olympics without spectators due to the new coronavirus which has escalated again and claimed human lives around the world.
The opening summarizes Japan's journey to the Olympics and the challenges the world has faced since the Japanese capital was chosen to host the 2020 Olympics in 2013.
The opening video shows how the coronavirus has stirred a storm during 2020 where the lockdown forced the Tokyo Olympics to be postponed in an unprecedented way, just four months before the event was supposed to open. This situation created a fast-paced preparation period with athletes in isolation.
A moment of silence was held "for all family and friends who have passed away," especially because of the coronavirus, and was aimed at the Israeli athletes who were massacred at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, both wearing masks, cheered on the athletes after bowing to each other before sitting down while keeping their distance.
"Today is a moment of hope. Yes it is very different than we all imagined. But in the end, we are all here together," Bach said in his opening speech.
"You fought. You endured. You never gave up. Today you made your Olympic dream come true," he said.
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Unlike his grandfather, who opened the 1964 Olympics with the Japanese word for "congratulations", Naruhito opted for a more neutral Japanese word which means closer to "commemorate".
The ceremony was marked by the absence of major figures such as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who contributed to making Tokyo host the Olympics. Major sponsors have also stepped away highlighting the widespread opposition to the Games from Japanese citizens who have been exhausted by COVID-19.
Hundreds of people protested around the venue chanting "Stop the Olympics".
Only a third of Japan's population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, sparking fears the Olympics will become a "super-spreader" or an event that accelerates the transmission of the coronavirus.
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