July 23, (THEWILL) – A beaming and proud Naomi Osaka carried out her responsibility of lighting the Olympic cauldron at Tokyo 2020 as the Opening Ceremony and with that standard action, marked the official start of the summer Games in her native Japan.
For long periods leading to the July 23, it appeared one of the several hiccups the organisers encountered was capable of creating enough uncertainty to interfere with the hosting of the already postponed Games.
Above all else, the still raging coronavirus pandemic presented the most unyielding threat. Japan’s notoriously slow COVID-19 vaccine rollout combined with lax health and safety precautions by some businesses resulted in fresh concerns about rising infection rates especially in Tokyo.
That is why the opening ceremony took place in the midst of an abiding state of emergency pronounced by the Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in a renewed effort to arrest the upwards trend of new infections in the host city where about 11,000 athletes have converged for their events at the Games.
Yet, Friday’s ceremony signified that the XXXII Olympiad, Japan’s fourth overall, was finally underway and had defied the odds of the pandemic, the hesitant majority of the Japanese population and some of the medical corps who opposed the idea.
It may not have been the glorious spectacle that Japan had in mind when they won the bid for the 2020 event and though a notable proportion of athletes were absent, there were still thousands that showed up at the National Stadium, to be introduced to the world as the Olympians from their countries.
In beautiful white outfits that were bedecked with green flavours, the Nigerian contingent waved their flags whilst acknowledging cheers from the sparsely filled national stadium. They are led by the country’s flagbearer, wrestling athlete Odunayo Adekuoroye, who was ably assisted by tennis icon, Aruna Quadri.
In like manner, each nation present had two flag bearers as they made their way around the designated route with the organisers sticking to their decision to limit the ceremony to only a few invited guests and no spectators present inside the stadium.
The couple of notable guests who were present with the officials of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), included VIPs like America’s First Lady Jill Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and the Emperor or Japan, Naruhito.
In the beautiful opening ceremony before the athletes paraded through the route country by country, coordinated fireworks unveiled the Olympic rings in eye-catching style. That dazzling display continued with a stunning drone show above the stadium immediately after the parade.
Speeches by Hashimoto Seiko, President of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, and IOC president Thomas Bach followed a John Legend rendering of his record “Imagine.”
Then, Naruhito, the Japanese Emperor, declared the Games open.
At the raising of the Olympic flag, the Olympic anthem was played before it was time for the lighting of the cauldron. It has always been a huge honour to be given the responsibility of lighting the torch as historical greats like Muhammad Ali, who famously lit the cauldron at Atlanta 1996, and Cathy Freeman did in Sydney 2000.
It was Osaka’s honour this time and she accepted the flame from those selected to pass it around the stadium before scaling the stairs to sign off a memorable ceremony with the revered lighting of the cauldron.
She then held the flame aloft briefly before descending.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
