kevzz

My favourite part is the Clair de Lune extinguishing of the flame. In fact it's my favourite moments of the opening and closing ceremonies. It's so well done and brilliant concept and choice of music.

I think it will be refreshing. It will be great giving the Paralympians the first stage and then end with a bigger bang with the Olympics.

Does anyone think in the future Paralympics should come first before the Olympics so give it more exposure and so it does not feel like the tail end of the party?

I do like the electronic Clair de Lune and contrasts of sun and moon.

It’s still one of my fave hangovers in any multi sport ever. Proves you don’t have to have big budget mega production to create a clever and inspiring performance. Made me have hope in British youth and their humour!

If they want to do a live remote handover ceremony, have a look at Birmingham 2022. They did it so brilliantly

That is an embarrassing handover ‘ceremony’. If you can call it that.

Watched some of the beach volleyball, swimming and badminton. It is utterly sad that the venues are empty. Feels so wasted to build all these temporary seating only to not use them. Surely they can allow even just 10%/ 20% capacity with plenty of space between spectators just to give it down atmosphere? Adam Peaty of Team GB already said this morning after his heat that it doesn’t feel like the Olympics.

The overarching feeling I have is a sense of sadness and wasted opportunity. It seems to me the will and spirit is there, but let down with lack of resources and support. The only saving grace is hoping that the next two weeks will offer a sporting spectacle that gives the world something to latch on.

I trust Zhang Yimou will be smart and emotional intelligent enough to give us a poignant and classy ceremony that doesn't look so cheap and basic like Tokyo's, that acknowledges the pandemic and the sufferings of the last two years. He is a film director after all and creating emotional drama is his thing.

Review from the Telegrah, in case anyone can't read cos of paywall https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2021/07/23/tokyo-olympics-opening-ceremony-live-2020-news-2021/ Imagine there’s no Covid. There was no way anyone watching Friday night’s Opening Ceremony at Tokyo 2020 could. Reminders were everywhere on a truly bizarre and ultimately rather poignant evening in Japan’s capital. From the deserted stands in Tokyo’s 60,000 seat National stadium - stands which are sadly destined to remain empty for the next fortnight - to the meagre delegations that attended the athletes’ parade, to the pockets of protesters camped outside the stadium shouting “Cancel the Olympics”. By the time a collection of international popstars delivered a recorded cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous anthem to peace, it was difficult to imagine much beyond the fact that these next two weeks are going to be trying for all concerned. If the job of an opening ceremony is to reflect the spirit of the moment then this one succeeded. It was rather beautiful in its own way. Simple. It did not try to match the power or scale of Beijing 2008, when thousands of drummers banged the Games open with military precision. Or the charm or originality of London 2012 with its Danny Boyle-inspired history of Britain that had the rest of the world bemused and amused in equal measure - not least when Her Majesty was pushed out of a helicopter by James Bond. This ceremony was not a carnival of colour and samba beats like Rio de Janeiro five years ago. It was a reflection of the times we live in. An Olympics dogged by controversy, delayed by 12 months, but still taking place in the grip of a global pandemic, opened with minimal fanfare, certainly by the standards of these mega-events. This must have been the first Olympic opening ceremony where volunteers outnumbered attendees. Just 900 stakeholders and VIPs, and 3500 members of the media were in the stands. Roughly the same as the number of athletes, in fact. With most of them terrified of catching Covid-19 or being identified as ‘close contacts’ of those who do - a fate which has already left six Team GB athletes confined to quarters for an indefinite length of time - not many were prepared to take the risk of leaving the relative safety of the Olympic Village. Just 23 of Britain’s 376-strong delegation showed up, although even with so few attending, the reliably interminable athletes’ parade lasted almost 2hrs. It is a desperately sad state of affairs for a country which hosted such a magnificent Rugby World Cup 20 months ago, and a people who could not have been more welcoming or excited about the prospect of hosting the Greatest Show on Earth. There were moments of hope, of levity; the Argentinean delegation bouncing around excitedly, reminding us that this is the biggest moment of these athletes’ lives as sportspeople and they are right to grab it with both hands. Pita Taufatofua, the Tongan taekwondo practitioner and skier, who marched shirtless five years ago and was back with more baby oil than ever. Britain’s Moe Sbihi, a 6ft8in rower, towering over his fellow flagbearer, 5ft2in sailor Hannah Mills. The blue smurf-like figures doing their pictograms of the different Olympic sports was fun. And the ‘drone globe’ - 1,824 drones flying in unison above the stadium in the shape of the Earth - was inspired. But mostly it was rather sad. Japanese police had erected a perimeter around the stadium to keep spectators away. Thousands turned up anyway, waiting patiently outside without anything to watch. They were interspersed with pockets of protesters. Not many but enough to be heard every time there was a silence in proceedings inside the stadium - such as for the moment of remembrance for loved ones no longer with us. It was a poignant reminder that those who want these Games to take place cannot get in, and those who do not cannot stop it. Nothing can stop this now. The hope is that it does not run out of control and that for the next two weeks the world’s best athletes, from Simone Biles to Adam Peaty to Naomi Osaka - the face of the Games ,who ultimately lit the cauldron at close to midnight local time - will offer moments of genius and wonder and joy and make us forget. Imagine there’s no covid? I wonder if we can. Let the Games commence.

I mentioned earlier that I thought Athens 2004 was actually the perfect pandemic ceremony. It involved much less performers than Tokyo yet achieved a way more powerful and beautiful effect.

Have to say the cauldron design is beautiful. But the lighting itself is so lacklustre. Naomi Osaka seems to uninterested in doing the honour, with her slow walk up the stairs and that half turning to each side at the top. She looks bored. The music choice is bad as well, Bolero, really?? Overall a very disappointing ceremony. Worst ever in my opinion. Japan could have done so much better, and I know they can. Just that they were bogged down by Covid. Feel sorry for them to having to host this.

This shows why the Games should be cancelled in the very first place. It's not fair to the Japanese to host in such situation. IOC has been very selfish and unkind to the Japanese organising committee.

It has been so bad so far that even a great lighting cauldron ceremony would not save it. Which I doubt will be judging by that Mount Fuji like thing on the stage. Think it will be just a simple lighting, hope it won't be worse by having Naomi Osaka doing it.