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best opening & closing ceremony of possible 2020 hosts


emre

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Even if Doha or Baku would be able to spend 200 millions USD for this ceremony... i'm sure the most emotional, the most telling story, will be the one from Rome 2020 with highlight of the italian & roman history, their ability to mix opera, art, fashion, .....

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oh emre, I still have a cold and it's just too much energy to try to imagine what 6 cities can present.

But at the end of the day, one hopes that any host city/country will always try to showcase the best of their culture, and do it in a unique, inventive, INNOVATIVE and FUN way! And telling it in a narrative, makes the ceremony even more compelling. For me, that's what they should always strive for.

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Hey SwissO I have to disagree on Rome. at this point in time it's all about the exotic. Torino had there chance to put on an awe inspiring Opening Ceremony and I for one was disappointed in the lack of cohesian in the performance. Random race car here Versace dress there, randome denitian baroque dance everywhere. Yes they have some great elements of history but story telling was not the strong point. Having said that I do think Athens changed the game with adding some kind of cohesive element to the opening ceremony to which both Beijing and Vancouver stock with, obviously Torino couldn't do that seeing they had already began to plan their opening ceremony but I definitely think if we are looking for a strong story that tells of the history of the culture my bet is on Doha simply because they've done it before with the Asian games and the Arab games. I have face in Istanbul as well but i just know from what i've seen that Doha knows how to put on a show.

Having said that Cities with something to prove tend to go all out on opening ceremonies. London is the one exception I can put to this rule because had the done it any other time i would say this would be a pretty standard affair but them going directly after beijing has forced them to up the creativity because they will forever be compared to Beijing. Can you see the headlines now "LONDON FAILS TO TOP BEIJING" even though they say they aren't trying to top it. you and I both know they are.

As for 2020 who ever it is, is going to have to make it extremely exciting because coming off of Beijing and what I believe to be a very British Pomp and Circumstance ceremony this year not to mention the Festive atmosphere of Rio in 2016, 2020 is just going to have to be grand in all levels.

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Hey SwissO I have to disagree on Rome. at this point in time it's all about the exotic. Torino had there chance to put on an awe inspiring Opening Ceremony and I for one was disappointed in the lack of cohesian in the performance. Random race car here Versace dress there, randome denitian baroque dance everywhere. Yes they have some great elements of history but story telling was not the strong point. Having said that I do think Athens changed the game with adding some kind of cohesive element to the opening ceremony to which both Beijing and Vancouver stock with, obviously Torino couldn't do that seeing they had already began to plan their opening ceremony but I definitely think if we are looking for a strong story that tells of the history of the culture my bet is on Doha simply because they've done it before with the Asian games and the Arab games. I have face in Istanbul as well but i just know from what i've seen that Doha knows how to put on a show.

Torino doesn't really stir the mind like Rome does as a capital of a former empire. And not to downplay any of Italy's winter traditions, but to the rest of the world (and probably even to Italians), Italy is more perceived as a summer country. I have to admit that even when I look at Memorabilia's signature photo, I grow reminiscent of a Rome Summer Games.

And regarding Doha, they wouldn't be able to top Rome, Madrid, Istanbul or Tokyo in telling the history of their culture, for very obvious reasons.

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And regarding Doha, they wouldn't be able to top Rome, Madrid, Istanbul or Tokyo in telling the history of their culture, for very obvious reasons.

Hmmm. I thought they did pretty good in their Asiad with their tributes to "Arabian Nights" with flying carpets etc. One of the best ceremonies I've seen.

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Hmmm. I thought they did pretty good in their Asiad with their tributes to "Arabian Nights" with flying carpets etc. One of the best ceremonies I've seen.

I'll have to check that out. But isn't Arabian Nights-type stuff more pan-Arabic than Qatari? Maybe it says something that Qatar has to resort to showcasing a wider Arabic culture than something that is uniquely their own...

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I'll have to check that out. But isn't Arabian Nights-type stuff more pan-Arabic than Qatari? Maybe it says something that Qatar has to resort to showcasing a wider Arabic culture than something that is uniquely their own...

I don't see anything wrong with that. Wider-Arabic culture IS Qatari culture - of course they're going to highlight that. It'd be like slamming Atlanta for highlighting wider-Southern culture, rather than specifically Georgia culture. Or Russia for showcasing Moscow in its Sochi handover, instead of keeping it strictly Caucasus culture.

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I don't see anything wrong with that. Wider-Arabic culture IS Qatari culture - of course they're going to highlight that. It'd be like slamming Atlanta for highlighting wider-Southern culture, rather than specifically Georgia culture. Or Russia for showcasing Moscow in its Sochi handover, instead of keeping it strictly Caucasus culture.

Depends where you draw the line. Atlanta and southern culture is both American, and same for Russia. I don't see Rio showcasing a wider South American culture, but then again they have their own beautiful culture to show off anyway. (And if Danny has any say, he be damned if Argentina gets any tv time :P )

Though I suppose just because showcasing a wider multinational isn't the norm, doesn't mean it can't be done. And in Qatar's case, the crux of all their bids (both World Cup and Olympics) have been that they're representing the entire Arab world, so I guess they really have no choice but to go that route. Mike Lee probably already knows this.

Still, given the choice between an Italian/Japanese/Spanish/Turkish ceremonies or a region-type multinational cememonies, I'll prefer the former.

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Im sure all would produce an equally good style of ceremonies, and for a number of them, we would certainly be exposed to a new culture in ceremonies (at least in a highly televised ceremony) for the first time.

In terms of production there now seems to be a group of people who travel the world putting all these ideas to life, so I can't see any ceremony having inferior production values to another.

I guess it's really just the stories that they have to tell.

Torino was a little bit of a letdown, but I can see where they were kind of trying to come from. I guess in alot of ways they saw the qualities of winter sport (sleek, speed, dynamic etc etc) as the basis for much of Italian culture and design, it was a good fit - just perhaps not executed as well as it could have been.

I would be quite keen to see a Rome opening ceremony. But perhaps this is coming from an era where we seem to have had saturation Doha stadium theatre, in 2020, no doubt there will be fresh ideas.

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noahs arch, troja, byzantium ottoman seljuk and other civilizations legends, saint claus, aesop, the amazons, the sufis, the turkis cuisine, tulips, rakı, coffee, folk dances...

ıstanbul has many tings to show

but tokyo could be interesting too anime manga :) hentai heheh

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Definitly Istnabul or Doha, think Doha or Istanbul would highlight the muslim and arab countries, not feeling the bid from madrid or rome dont think theres would be all that flash

Spain gave us one of the best Opening Ceremony in Barcelona

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Definitly Istnabul or Doha, think Doha or Istanbul would highlight the muslim and arab countries, not feeling the bid from madrid or rome dont think theres would be all that flash, baku's you never know could be a surprise, tokyo possibly but beijing still in peoples heads

Is that fair on Japan. It's a different culture from Beijing, and 12 years is a fair amount of time, the same time different between Barcelona and Greece.

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Much of it depends on who they hire.

Almost all of these cities could pull off memorable ceremonies. I'm not as sure about Baku, simply because I'm not as familiar with the history and culture.

You can't compare Rome to Torino. Rome makes history. Torino makes Fiats.

And I don't see the attack on Tokyo as fair. Japanese culture is so varied - from the sublimely reverent to the garishly irreverent.

But that said...I'd be very interested in seeing what Turkey could produce. Historic. Exotic. Colourful. Would be quite a show.

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I don't see Rio showcasing a wider South American culture, but then again they have their own beautiful culture to show off anyway. (And if Danny has any say, he be damned if Argentina gets any tv time :P )

Ain't that the fricken truth! :lol:

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Rio will definitely showcase a south American segment, purely on the fact that their entire campaign was based on "The first time on South American soil" so I expect it.

I feel as though we are in a new era of Opening Ceremonies. If you really look at the opening ceremonies of the 80's (Moscoy 80, LA 84, Seoul 88) you will see some significant similarities. I like to call these the Marching band days. Where it was a bunch of marching band like formations and some flag twirling. Basically something you would see at a high school or college halftime show. Then we got into the 90's (Barcelona 92, Atlanta 96 and I'll add Sydney 2000) and we got into the large scale production era where they realized lighting the cauldron at night had more of an impact than doing it during the day. Costumes were bigger, the floor was not a field but a set. It's about the show and showcasing different elements of the country. Then we got into the Storytelling age. Sydney kind of started it with their continuous tale with the little girl but for the most part it was just one great segment after the next but Athens 2004 really took it to that next level, weaving a story with its large pool of water and the iconic head bursting into different pieces and being used for other elements of the story. Beijing again took this storytelling even further with their branding. The whole paper scroll thing was with us from the day the torch was lit in Olympia and they just did an amazing job keeping the motif relevant throughout their ceremonies.

From what I have read London is hoping to be compared to Sydney. So I am assuming we will see a more segmented show unlike that of Athens and Beijing. I have to admit I have high hopes for London. These people know how to do Pop and Circumstance better than anyone else they've had centuries to perfect the art of ceremony but they are also known to throw that out the window in order to be considered hip. If I were them I would make it so royally regal in nature bringing out the horses the uniforms the Britishness that we enjoyed during the Royal wedding and hopefully for the jubilee. But alas I think we are going to get something along the lines of their handover ceremony, something i did not enjoy at all. But I am ready for it anyway

For 2020 I feel as though the Olympic Opening Ceremony has become an iconic moment onto itself and can no longer be that segmented. We want a build, we want to be taken on a journey, we want to grow with the production and I believe that's why both Athens and Beijing's Cauldron Lighting was just so spectacular. It was a crescendo of sorts. I expect Doha to be the only one to attempt to Top Beijing on wow factor, spending billions of dollars on technological oohs and ahhs, but I do caution Wow factor is not the only trait to have and also not always a good trait of an opening ceremony. I think Istanbul, like Rio and Athens, would have a lot to draw from historically and culturally to provide a truly signature opening ceremony. My fears with Tokyo is that they tend to go for the subdued and in an era where we have seen a man fly around the stadium and 1000's of gallons of water be used to represent the ocean and then empty itself in 2 minutes, that Tokyo will need to break free from subtlety and embrace it's more energetic modern approach. That doesn't mean forget about the past but like China they need to find a way to showcase it in a more high octane way. Nagano can't happen again. My expectations for a Roman opening ceremony will be extremely high. This is the city that invented the grand spectacle. They are lucky I am not throwing the horrendous Turin Ceremony in their face but it does make me shudder when I think about Italy trying again. Yes I think their Torch lighting was incredible in Turin but the ceremony as a production was bad but Rome has the history and sense of pageantry needed to put on something great. Madrid I think of all the 6 I am most indifferent about Madrid, Baku appeals to my senses of the new and exotic but Madrid and Spanish culture I know well. The reason I hesitate is that the beauty of Spanish culture is really appreciated in more intimate settings so I will need convincing on that end.

Anyway with this bunch we have to ask ourselves do we want something new or do we want to see old hands try it again in the new era of the opening ceremony?

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lol i was dreaming about an egg hatched by the torches fire, and inside of it a simurg ( legendary bird similar to phoenix represents wisdom and nation and sacred for turks too living under the heavens tree) borns and fly to the edge of the roof of stadium and there from its beak, it spread fire trough the sky with open wings...

why not? I'm saying the officials consider this one :) lol

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