2016 Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony: Team USA Makes Entrance
(AP) – For about five hours Friday night, Rio de Janeiro danced. No country needed it more.
The 2016 Summer Olympics, troubled by this city’s budget crisis and plagued by the Zika virus, officially pushed the “start” button with an opening ceremony that featured plenty of good music as well as colorful tricycles that led each nation’s delegation into Maracana Stadium.
These Games are expected to emerge billions of dollars in the red by the time they conclude in two weeks, thanks to alleged corruption and the crash of oil prices that tanked the nation’s economy. But give Brazil and Rio credit. They put on a fun and upbeat show that managed to hit a whole lot of right notes.
The creative force behind the ceremonies, Brazilian film director Fernando Meirelles, admitted that his goal was to produce a show that would be “a drug for depression” for his countrymen.
“When 40 percent of the homes in Brazil have no sanitation,” Meirelles said before the ceremony, “you can’t really be spending a billion reals (about $333 million) for a show. In the end, I feel good that I am not spending money that Brazil hasn’t got. You can do something with heart, with concept, without spending.”
Meirelles had to work with a bottom line that was one-twelfth of London’s ceremony four years ago. The solution, it seems was to throw the limited budget at a projection system that turned the stadium floor into an ocean, then a geometric puzzle, then a samba spectacular with hundreds of performers.
“Brazilians welcome the world with open arms,” said Carlos Nuzman, president of the Rio 2016 Committee. “I am the proudest man alive. I’m proud of my city, my country.”
And what of the USA team? Wearing blue blazers and white pants, the American athletes came equipped with the most smartphones (taking pictures) and the most Golden State Warriors (Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green brought up the rear of the delegation with the rest of the men’s basketball team).
Just as promised, star swimmer Michael Phelps was the USA flag bearer, though in an unprecedented move he was permitted to leave the stadium early rather than stand around for a few hours and possibly tire out his legs for races this weekend.
