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AS IT HAPPENED: Rio 2016 Olympics Opening Ceremony

Yahoo Sport Australia

(ALL TIMES AEST) 12.50pm And the flame is lit.

Brazilian marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeira de Lima has the honour.

Let the Games begin. Pic: Getty

The Olympic Oath on behalf of all athletes was read by dual gold medal-winning Brazilian sailor Robert Scheidt.

Party-mode was then restored when a performance from iconic drummer Wilson das Beves ignited the path for the drum sections of 12 different samba schools to storm into the arena in costumes and colour befitting thoughts of Rio’s annual Carnival.

It opened the door for the magical moment every Olympic opening ceremony becomes known for – the lighting of the cauldron. A moment reserved for the most highly respected of sporting identities in the past, including Muhammad Ali and Australia’s 400-metre queen Cathy Freeman.

In familiar style, the torch was run in by tennis great Gustavo Kuerten, passed to basketballer Hortencia Marcari and ultimately to marathon runner Vanderlei Coreiro de Lima, who lit the cauldron which then ascended up in front of a chandelier-like contraption, which writhed around at the top of the stadium like a sparkling, giant silver octopus.

Reports Brazilian soccer legend Pele had received a doctor’s clearance to take what was probably his rightful place at the top of the cauldron podium were obviously unfounded.

It felt a bit of a let-down.

The spectacular night then ended with a fearsome fire display and more chanting. It was a strangely sudden finish to a rollicking display. Now, as they say in the classics, let the Games begin.

12:30pm Rio 2016 committee chairman Carlos Nuzman emotionally declared himself “the proudest man alive” as he spoke on behalf of the home city he loves.

He got so excited he screeched, “We believe in the sex … success of the Rio Olympic Games”.

Carlos Nuzman speaks. Pic: Getty

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, an Olympic champion of fencing in 1976, said the Olympic Games had been a catalyst for what generations of Brazilians could only dream about for their nation. He lauded the theme of unity through diversity.

“We are living in a world of crisis, mistrust and uncertainty,” he said. “Here is our Olympic answer.”

The Olympic Laurel, for outstanding contribution to “Olympism” was then awarded to Kenya’s dual running gold medallist Kip Keino. He, too, used his speech to further hopes of better living conditions, especially in his native Africa.

Kites, which are seen being flown by children throughout Rio, were used as symbols for the traditional “Dove of Peace” part of the ceremony, established in a bid to enhance the message of world peace.

Acting Brazilian president Michel Temer then declared the Games officially open as a group of local champions of sport, law and medicine carried in the Olympic flag.

The Olympic anthem was sung by 40 children from The More Project, which provides daily care for 500 troubled Rio youths aged between five and 18.

But in a sign Brazil's political turmoil is still never far from the surface, Mr Temer was roundly booed rather than cheered by large sections of the crowd.

12:00pm One of the biggest cheers of the night was for this weapon, the ripped, oiled-up Tongan flag bearer.

Tongan flag bearer. Pic: Getty

Here's some more of him:
It was also great to see the light blue safari suit-style of dressing was not lost thanks to Montenegro. But with 10,000 athletes in the march, that part of the ceremony turned into nothing short of an epic and the restless crowd seemed more than ready to move on.

They were craving the entrance of Zimbabwe for no other reason than the first letter in that country’s name.

The debut of the first ever Refugee Olympic team was also heralded with rampant applause and cheering.

The dancing and prancing Brazilians then finally entered the stadium last to a deafening response that lifted the atmosphere back up to a frantic level as a sea of green and gold fans shook their everything in glee after being incited into celebration by their athletes on the floor.

Miirrors housing the tubes where athletes deposited their seeds then began moving around the stage to signal the next phase of life and the night. The resulting trees formed the Olympic rings as the anticipation for the Games among those watching was boosted with a vivid sense of reality.

11:30am Italians do it better. The team looking pretty snappy in their Armani gear:
10:58am We love Dasha

10:50am A couple of sporting legends lead out their nations:

10:21am And here is your Opening Ceremony in pictures:

The Aussies having some fun:

10:06am But the party was then shuddered to a sudden halt as messages of global warning and care established a more sombre mode.

The segue seemed a touch weird, just as emotions were peaking. It was maybe a little too try-hard, even though the message was delivered with genuine power through a series of NASA maps.

It was backed up with action, however, as marching athletes led by Greece finally entered the stadium. All of them were provided with a seed to plant in a move that is intended to provide a new forest in the Rio location of Deodoro by 2020.

The nations were wheeled out in alphabetical order in Brazilian language, making Australia’s 103 participating athletes grateful for having a national name starting with “A”, so they could get out early for some rest ahead of their competition during the next fortnight.

Mind you, it also provided a blazing reminder of just how many nations do start with an “A”, with countries such as Aruba, Angola and particularly Argentina enjoying their moment in the spotlight.

The independent group of athletes were treated to one of the most rousing receptions before Australia then entered the building.

Flag-bearer, cycling great Anna Meares sparkled as she waved her way through the commotion.

Anna Meares leads them in. Pic: Getty

Australian Olympic boss John Coates waved back and WA sailor Carrie Smith, who almost died from surgery complications less than two years ago, was given the chance to flash her broad and excited smile on international television as the parade stomped on.

Each country strolled in behind colourful horn-tooting, three-wheeler bicycles complete with potplants and watering cans as the environment theme became inescapable.


9:50am Tradition plays a huge part in the Olympics. This is one of the best:


9:45am While the ancient Olympic Games date back 3000 years, South America’s first hosting of the event has been building since Rio de Janeiro was selected in 2007.

A mighty $22.6 billion was spent to have the host city ready … or at least as ready as it will ever be.

Muggings, lootings, daylight robberies, political unrest and horribly polluted water were forgotten for a while as Brazil’s richly diverse culture based on music and characteristic celebration took centre stage.

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen strides into the stadium to huge applause. Pic: Getty

The first “pillar” took an expected global audience of up to five billion viewers back to the start of life via artistic direction emulating an early rainforest.

Organisers had said they did not want to look too far into the past, wanting to embrace a happier future, but they still did in spectacular scenes emulating the arrival of Europeans, Africans, Arabs and those from the Orient on Brazilian shores.

Still, the power of the music inside the venue was as thought-provoking as it was show-stopping.

Watching the phase of Brazil’s living lifestyle being built in the stadium was like looking at a flat mess of colour and cracks, while on the screen it showed the country’s iconic housing structures through nearly 100 buildings, all virtually on top of each other.

The optical illusion of the scene was spectacularly unsettling and there was a promise of surprises to come from inside each of the buildings.

Then, maybe even more predictable than the wave came the classic Girl From Ipanema song as megastar model Giselle Bundchen strutted across the floorin a shimmering dress to where Daniel Jobim was singing and playing the piano.

The voice of Brazil’s favelas then rocked the show, driven by singing from veteran samba songstress Elza Soares.

It played out with a garish and pop-rock sort of stage floor an old Aussie band like Pseudo Echo would have thrived on. This was carioca funk at its finest.

The show’s creative directors went to great lengths earlier in the week that peace and harmony would be a key plank of the show.

“Stop fighting … here is to diversity”, Case yelled as she returned to the show-proper before popular singer-composer Jorge Ben Jor sent the stadium into raptures of dance and song with the swinging sound which has made him famous.

A crowded dancefloor scene partied below as the music tore punters out of their seats into an eclectic mix of dance styles.

9:20am Our Aussie flag bearer Anna Meares prepares for the honour of leading out our team.

9:15am A celebration of love and peace in response to recent world unrest and violence was tonight Brazil’s way of exploding the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games football’s famous Maracana Stadium.

The colour of the Opening Ceremony begins. Pic: Getty

Based on "three pillars" of environment, diversity and joy, this was a ceremony touted as one being able to defy a much smaller financial budget than its predecessors of recent years.

A crazy crowd scream was silenced by the event’s opening and winding tune, “Aquele Abraco” by Gilberto Gil, a song seen as a symbol of the struggle against military dictatorship in Brazil.

A futuristic opening segment which would have made Star Wars choreographers swoon then celebrated the ability of Brazilian people’s penchant for making something great out of nothing, the nation’s long tradition in geometric art and the search for a new peace.

The stadium in all its glory. Pic: Getty

The scene was complemented by 250 sheets of metallic paper and a cast of 1000 performers.

Emotions ran high as Paulinho da Viola played an acoustic guitar and sang the Brazilian national anthem backed by a small string orchestra, all sitting on a seashell-like mini-stage as the national flag was raised.

9:00am: Here we are, the stadium is full and the show is underway.

The 50,000 strong crowd had been whipped into a frenzy by lead-up crowd inspirer, Brazilian actress and allegedly the nation’s “queen of diversity” Regina Case, by the time the start time came.

She asked different sections of the crowd were asked to make specific sounds to create the atmosphere of a rainforest.

The uber-predictable Brazilian wave, sport’s iconic crowd tribute, rolled around the venue relentlessly seven minutes before the opening.

The Brazilian patriotism in one block of the crowd made the “Fanatics” who yelled and screamed through 20 years worth of Lleyton Hewitt matches at the Australian Open look like attendees at a local croquet club on a Sunday morning.

Continuous chanting worthy of a top-class soccer match filled the air as the countdown ticked under four minutes. Then, it was Games on.

8:00am: Super-charged adrenaline is already building in Brazil in the countdown to the start to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games opening ceremony.

The nearly hour-long bus ride from Olympic Park out to the Maracana Stadium was a rollicking affair that offered a contrasting insight into the real Brazil away from the snazzy, polished up headquarters for the Games.

Slum-like living conditions wallpapered the view outside the bus window, which was thankfully closed off to what was otherwise likely to be a smell to end all noses considering the state of the littered waterways below.

On arrival, not even Australian Olympic legends were spared the long early queues with five-time Olympian and 2000 Sydney flag-bearer Andrew Gaze forced to join others shuffling slowly towards the entrance in the building madness.

LIVE STREAM: Rio 2016 Olympics Opening Ceremony

More armed soldiers swarmed the venue both inside and out, while locals waved Brazilian flags and danced in the windows upstairs in the high-rise blocks across the road.

Closer to the gate, the noise from last-minute rehearsals from some of the 200 professional dancers, 12 different samba schools and 500 musicians began to fill the air.

Inside, nervous performers roamed the concrete ring that housed the venue, not unlike Gold Coast’s AFL home, Metricon Stadium.

Inside, the speckled seats gave a similar impression that the place was full before people had barely come in, similar to the Gabba home ground of the Suns’ Queensland counterparts, Brisbane.

Funky tunes and inspirational sports videos on several big screens were alternated as the beginning of the event drew closer.