GamesBids' Toyko 2020 Closing Ceremony Live Chat

[Olympian2004]

It has only been a couple of hours and the post-Olympic blues has already kicked in for me. I guess it had its advantages and disadvantages that I was able to watch as many Olympic events as never before, working at home due to the pandemic and having little to do currently at work. These have been already the sixth Olympic Summer Games that I have watched closely, and still I haven't found a way to avoid that blues. Anyone having the same problem?

[Ikarus360]

Must not cry....

[SkiFreak]

Just crawled out of bed again after watching the live coverage of the ceremony. The replay is on again at 4pm Calgary time. Just got off the phone with my parents as they've been watching the games everyday. My parents too think that the IOC should go back to Tokyo and give them a chance, 2032 would've been good, but Brisbane. So, we're in full support of going back after Brisbane and if the Japanese would except it, Tokyo 2036!

[Victorian]

Wasn't the best closing ceremony but loved the Paris handover following the recent trends in sporting events of a live cross or digital video presentation such like Birmingham 2022

Sydney and London's Closing Ceremonies were phenomenal and it would take something extravagant to beat theirs but that shows that Britain and Australian entertainment and conduction of major events are world class. Brisbane 2032 and Birmingham 2022 will be special.

I enjoyed the jazzy Tokyo performances they were good- ode to joy was something I liked too. 

[Olympian2005]

6 hours ago, Olympian2004 said:

It has only been a couple of hours and the post-Olympic blues has already kicked in for me. I guess it had its advantages and disadvantages that I was able to watch as many Olympic events as never before, working at home due to the pandemic and having little to do currently at work. These have been already the sixth Olympic Summer Games that I have watched closely, and still I haven't found a way to avoid that blues. Anyone having the same problem?

Yes me

But these games have made me more determined to reach my goal of participating at LA 2028 so i am going to try and let that defeat my blues.

[Sir Rols]

Okay, watched it now… 

It was okay

[SkiFreak]

Who else noticed Mothra attached itself to the red ring on the speech podium?

[Anthony]

A few thoughts...

I dislike Bach's signature of Fencing 1976 as much as the next guy. However, I'd like to think it's a way to relate to the athletes, like "hey I'm an Olympian too."

In addition to my hatred of projection mapping, I am not a fan of augmented reality at all. The ceremonies are for the athletes and local spectators, not for the viewers at home. All of this made-for-tv stuff is annoying and cheap. Also it was a copy of Dream Rings from Beijing 2008.

The Handover was nice for what it was. Was nothing like Tokyo in 2016 which was the best handover. I'm not sure how I feel about this idea of ceremonies not in stadia and bringing them into the streets. If its not broke, then why fix it?

[Victorian]

3 minutes ago, Anthony said:

A few thoughts...

I'm not sure how I feel about this idea of ceremonies not in stadia and bringing them into the streets. If its not broke, then why fix it?

I think it is to allow more people to feel part of it. I think I read something that Paris' Ceremonies will be in the street. Not sure if that will still be happening though.

[SkiFreak]

Whaaa, CBC just signed off. bring on the post-games blues. 

Now I have to hit the CBC Olympics website over the next couple weeks to catch replays, before those are removed and replaced with Paralympics coverage.

[Anthony]

1 hour ago, Victorian said:

I think it is to allow more people to feel part of it. I think I read something that Paris' Ceremonies will be in the street. Not sure if that will still be happening though.

Yeah. I was watching an NBC interview and they said the same thing. Like I don't mind official after party concerts and things in the streets, but keep the main show in stadium and only in the stadium. LA was looking at doing something similar too with the dual stadium concept. 

[Victorian]

23 minutes ago, Anthony said:

Yeah. I was watching an NBC interview and they said the same thing. Like I don't mind official after party concerts and things in the streets, but keep the main show in stadium and only in the stadium. LA was looking at doing something similar too with the dual stadium concept. 

If more people can attend and watch the Opening Ceremony in person then I am all for it. Keeping the ceremony in the stadium restricts the number in Paris' case to 80,000 whereas there will be many more who could attend (possibly cheaper tickets too) if it was held in the streets.

[Nacholympic]

Streets ceremonies don't have the wow! factor when they're seen on TV.

Take a look on "La Fete du foot" which was the non-official Opening Ceremony for 1998 FIFA World Cup in Paris

It was long, boring, strange and even the giants were creepy!!

More recently, Buenos Aires 2018 was a huge scale attendance audience ceremony, but the show, despite it was good, didn't reach the moving moments as Nanjing, for instance, did.

I dont like the idea. I sincerely hope they desist of that idea anda portion of it be on streets. Great videos with live action can bring a great add to the stadium show. As we could see now in the spectacular video of Paris handover.

 

[PikyoK]

3 hours ago, SkiFreak said:

Who else noticed Mothra attached itself to the red ring on the speech podium?

I did. It annoyed me

[Palette86]

[Sir Rols]

2 hours ago, Victorian said:

If more people can attend and watch the Opening Ceremony in person then I am all for it. Keeping the ceremony in the stadium restricts the number in Paris' case to 80,000 whereas there will be many more who could attend (possibly cheaper tickets too) if it was held in the streets.

Yeah, I’m all for it too. I just think stadium ceremonies are getting a bit stale and in the Olympics in particular getting too ponderous with so many long boring formalities. Anything to bring a spark of innovation is worth trying IMO. Parades of barges on the Seine? Rings forming on the Eiffel Tower? I can see lots of potential opportunities, while opening it up to far more people than the Stade de France can hold. Security would be an issue, of course, but I’m sure they wouldn’t go ahead unless they thought they had it watertight. Worth a try, I think.

[JMarkSnow2012]

4 hours ago, Anthony said:

Yeah. I was watching an NBC interview and they said the same thing. Like I don't mind official after party concerts and things in the streets, but keep the main show in stadium and only in the stadium. LA was looking at doing something similar too with the dual stadium concept. 

 

3 hours ago, Victorian said:

If more people can attend and watch the Opening Ceremony in person then I am all for it. Keeping the ceremony in the stadium restricts the number in Paris' case to 80,000 whereas there will be many more who could attend (possibly cheaper tickets too) if it was held in the streets.

Paris has a river as well as streets!

 

[Olympian2005]

1 hour ago, Sir Rols said:

Yeah, I’m all for it too. I just think stadium ceremonies are getting a bit stale and in the Olympics in particular getting too ponderous with so many long boring formalities. Anything to bring a spark of innovation is worth trying IMO. Parades of barges on the Seine? Rings forming on the Eiffel Tower? I can see lots of potential opportunities, while opening it up to far more people than the Stade de France can hold. Security would be an issue, of course, but I’m sure they wouldn’t go ahead unless they thought they had it watertight. Worth a try, I think.

It just depends on how it is done. I am also in favor of opening them up to more people and ideas, but if it is just a confused disjointed mess then that is the worry.

i think that stadium ceremonies can better tell a story due to the space 360 views/seating.

i wouldn't say that stadium ceremonies have become stale, i think it is the creative teams behind them have been uninspiring. Mixing storytelling with artistic and spectacular stunning stadium theatrics has been lacking since Beijing 2008.

[StefanMUC]

7 hours ago, Anthony said:

A few thoughts...

I dislike Bach's signature of Fencing 1976 as much as the next guy. However, I'd like to think it's a way to relate to the athletes, like "hey I'm an Olympian too."

 

His actions are not athlete centered though, so they speak much louder than his many empty words.

[Sir Rols]

1 hour ago, Olympian2005 said:

It just depends on how it is done. I am also in favor of opening them up to more people and ideas, but if it is just a confused disjointed mess then that is the worry.

i think that stadium ceremonies can better tell a story due to the space 360 views/seating.

i wouldn't say that stadium ceremonies have become stale, i think it is the creative teams behind them have been uninspiring. Mixing storytelling with artistic and spectacular stunning stadium theatrics has been lacking since Beijing 2008.

When I say stale, I should say perhaps they’ve become stale to me. I’ve been watching the Games and the ceremonies since the 1970s, and I’ve noticed lately that I approach them with a sense of anticipation, can look at them with an eye to how well they come off, but at the back of my mind I’m now a bit bored with so much of them. The parade of nations has long become tedious to me - it’s an hour’s break for me to go do something else - the speeches, flag raisings, oaths, even the lighting of the cauldron, which I keenly watch out for, tends to drag on for too long and ends in a gimmicky contraption now. The genuine wow bits seem to be less and less.

But I concede that’s probably more a bit of over-familiarity and weariness on my part. I realise how important they are to a new generation finding the games and becoming transfixed by them. I can remember that it was precisely things like the parade of nations that excited me in youth, to see the flags and athletes of all those nations. That watching the flame be lit had an almost mystical aura. Familiarity may mean I’ve lost the youthful wonder I first found in them, but I realise deep down they are probably inspiring a new generation of youth.

Yes, I’d love to see innovation in the ceremonies, and I tend to be a bit iconoclastic, but I accept that may be a bit of selfishness on my part.

[Anthony]

4 hours ago, StefanMUC said:

His actions are not athlete centered though, so they speak much louder than his many empty words.

Agreed. But that doesn't mean that it can't be the reason why he requires it in his intros.

7 hours ago, Sir Rols said:

Yeah, I’m all for it too. I just think stadium ceremonies are getting a bit stale and in the Olympics in particular getting too ponderous with so many long boring formalities. Anything to bring a spark of innovation is worth trying IMO. Parades of barges on the Seine? Rings forming on the Eiffel Tower? I can see lots of potential opportunities, while opening it up to far more people than the Stade de France can hold. Security would be an issue, of course, but I’m sure they wouldn’t go ahead unless they thought they had it watertight. Worth a try, I think.

Blame the creatives, not the venue lol. While yes taking it into the streets would be innovative, it creates for disjointed storytelling and a logistical nightmare. If you're not using props, kinetics, and a good production designer, then it's going to feel stale and one note. Look at the feel behind Athens and London... transforming the stadium into another world is how you create those memorable moments. The more we see the white ovals and boring stages, the more we will feel it's stale.

[BigVic]

Buenos Aires YOG 2018 had their Ceremony on the streets with 200,000 people attending. I liked that concept in which Brisbane could try in 2032 rather than 50,000 at The Gabba. 

[Sir Rols]

6 hours ago, Anthony said:

Agreed. But that doesn't mean that it can't be the reason why he requires it in his intros.

Blame the creatives, not the venue lol. While yes taking it into the streets would be innovative, it creates for disjointed storytelling and a logistical nightmare. If you're not using props, kinetics, and a good production designer, then it's going to feel stale and one note. Look at the feel behind Athens and London... transforming the stadium into another world is how you create those memorable moments. The more we see the white ovals and boring stages, the more we will feel it's stale.

It’s not the creatives. They’re the only bits of interest I’ve had in ceremonies lately, and they seem to be getting less and less of the pie. I just blame my weariness with all the formalities and obligatory set pieces. I will just say that the creative sections were starting to get to a point of diminishing returns of one-upmanship and bombastity. And while I approve of the dialling back a bit since Rio, I acknowledge it’s meant a little loss in sheer spectacle and can see why it’s not pleasing to   the hard core ceremony fans.

For me it’s been the closing ceremonies that have been more enjoyable - less rigid, more joyous, creative and fun. For a long time now they’ve really been outshining the openings.

6 hours ago, BigVic said:

Buenos Aires YOG 2018 had their Ceremony on the streets with 200,000 people attending. I liked that concept in which Brisbane could try in 2032 rather than 50,000 at The Gabba. 

I agree, but it seems the mere thought is upsetting to the ceremony die-hards. 

[baron-pierreIV]

7 hours ago, Anthony said:

Agreed. But that doesn't mean that it can't be the reason why he requires it in his intros.

He may NOT require it; but the IOC feels it does,  For Oly groupies like us here, we know who's who in the Olympic circles.

For the casual viewer who just tunes in come Olympic Games-time and don't lknow who he is -- it ANSWERS the question should you (a non-Oly groupie) just tune in and ask:  who is this guy?  How did he get to head the IOC?  Then the intro answers those questions and puts a new follower or fan of the movement into the right frame of mind.  Also, if there were a live audience, it is very helpful for first-timers. 

You do have a remote; you can always mute that part.

[yoshi]

I love the idea of having the opening ceremony of 2024 in the middle of Paris. Heck, if your setting is Paris, why wouldn't you?! That whole area with the esplanade leading from right under the tower, the bridge, then that big square where the handover was looks like such an amazing venue, and the whole idea of transforming the ceremony into a street or river parade feels so perfectly French somehow. It'll scream THIS IS PARIS far more than anything they could do inside the Stade de France.