yoshi

Oh dear, what's the big problem there? Oil run out and nothing to replace it (often the oil rich places try to go for tourism but obviously that's been out for the last 18 months even) or a big price fall (don't prices usually go in cycles though)? Seems odd to think of Calgary as anything other than a boom town, hopefully things will get better

That'd be a very good deal for all involved - offer a more favourable financial arrangement to help seal the support if need be. If it's a plausible option and a soon-ish summer games in Tokyo isn't, then it's time to use that new bidding process and get it done. Even saves the Americans their Salt Lake City/LA problem.

Wow - if that level of interest and support continues (and especially if Japan keeps doing well in the medals), then never mind Sapporo 2030, might there be a look at Tokyo 2036? If the Japanese feel they want to do it again, only to get the chance to do it properly, with spectators and all the attached pomp as it should be? They've got all the venues, it wouldn't be anything like as expensive as this one. If that desire is there, I'm sure the IOC would look favourably upon the chance to lock in a reliable country, and be seen to look grateful to Japan. Would free up a hesitant Germany for 2040, or Italy or even London. I know it'd be an unusually short gap and two timezones the same but these are unprecedented times so I'm sure people would understand... obviously it'd depend on Sapporo, they surely wouldn't get both.

(I do wonder if the closing ceremony has a different, stable creative team so may well be better - especially if they decided to go all out on the memorial at the opening so they don't need to do that again. Higher hopes for the Paras too, especially if infections go down enough to allow spectators, the Paralympic opening ceremony outshining the Olympic one isn't too unusual lately - maybe because there's less protocol?)

That's an interesting thing you raise Anthony - we've seen FIFA essentially have their own house style of ceremonies, to the extent that even the Russians couldn't make anything good out of it - are the IOC doing the same? Since Tommy took over fully, are we effectively seeing ceremonies produced by the IOC to show off and celebrate the IOC that just happen to be in the host city, rather than produced by the host city to show themselves off that just happen to celebrate the Olympics too?

Hopefully the recent tradition of Paralympic ceremonies outdoing Olympic ones holds again - I have some hope for those and the Olympic closing too - now they've got the memorial done, maybe things will get better. Have they had the same creative personnel problems with the other shows?

Oh, shame I can't edit - off they go at 4:01 on iPlayer so probably dead on time.

Did it actually run to time? Looking like the BBC is heading off air around the right time - if anything it sounds like Clare's trying to fill!

Well that's that...where was the drone cube pictured in the instagram spoilers? Closing rehearsals?

Ooh, powerful flame! Not sure what the point was of letting Bolero finish before lighting the thing - are we gonna see the waterfront cauldron?

Naomi! Great to see her looking well First tennis player to light?

A Paralympian in the Olympic relay, nice touch - first since Barcelona?

Bolero?! Is this the Japanese Summer Olympics or a British Winter one? A nod to France maybe like the Brazilians in Buckingham Palace or the Japanese immigration to Brazil?

Is that Freddie Mercury? So, where and what is the cauldron?

I learned something too - I always thought Munich invented the pictogram.