The opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium was a relatively solemn and drab event, with the stands being mostly empty. However, 205 competing delegations stepped out enthusiastically, waving their flags with fervor.
The event included a piece featuring a performer jogging in the dark on a treadmill. This act portrayed how sportsmen were forced to practice in seclusion during the pandemic.
The opening ceremony of the event also showcased banners that were driven by the speech bubbles and intertitles found in the famous Japanese comic books, offering a Manga feel to the audience.
Naomi Osaka, a Japanese tennis player, lighted the Olympic cauldron. She carried the flame over to the sparkling cauldron that had unfolded at the top of a ramp that represented Mount Fuji. At the 2016 Olympics, a 114-member Indian delegation marched in front of a packed stadium of 78,000 people at Rio’s Maracana stadium, while 81 Indians marched at the 2012 Games. However, now with the pandemic playing a spoilsport, masks and social distance have occupied the front seat, replacing the cheering and ecstatic crowd.
