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Uproar over controversial detail in Olympics opening ceremony

Team Kyrgyzstan (pictured left) not wearing masks during the opening ceremony.
Team Kyrgyzstan (pictured left) copped criticism after the majority of the athletes opted to march maskless in the opening ceremony. (Getty Images)

The Olympics Opening Ceremony finally kicked off amid a string of controversies surrounding Covid-19, but a number of nations stood out during the celebration for the wrong reasons.

The majority of Olympic teams paraded with masks on during the Opening Ceremony, which saw Patty Mills carrying the Aussie flag jointly with swimmer Cate Campbell donning the protective gear.

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But, in stark contrast, the majority of Kyrgyzstan's team marched maskless into Tokyo's Olympic Stadium at the opening ceremony, despite the Covid-19 protocols on place.

Just one of the central Asian country's athletes covered his face, with the other members of the small delegation, including its two flag bearers, waving and smiling as they walked in.

A short while later the Tajikistan team marched in similarly maskless, while Pakistan's two flag bearers also chose not to cover their faces, unlike the vast majority of the other participants at the ceremony.

The brazen decision, broadcasted to the world, drew heavy criticism in a time when the world was meant to be coming together to celebrate.

The Olympic Committee hasn't officially responded to the outrage.

Korean broadcast slammed over 'inappropriate' imagery

Meanwhile, the South Korean broadcast caused uproar.

MBC was forced to apologise for using “totally inappropriate” graphics during Friday night's opening ceremony.

The broadcast displayed an image of Chernobyl when Ukraine was introduced, while Haitian athletes were accompanied by a caption that said: “The political situation is fogged by the assassination of the president.”

An image of a pizza accompanied the Italian athletes, while El Salvador received a photo of Bitcoin.

MBC later apologised after widespread backlash.

"In today’s Opening Ceremony broadcast, inappropriate photos were used when introducing countries like Ukraine and Haiti," they said.

"Also, inappropriate photos and subtitles were used for other countries. We apologise to the viewers of Ukraine and other countries."

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