Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony: Emperor Naruhito Declares Games Open
India led by Mary Kom & Manpreet Singh walked in at 21st place in the parade in the Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony
Mary Kom and Manpreet Singh will be the flag bearers for India at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.
Image: Team India
The 32nd Summer Games Open in Tokyo
After IOC President Thomas Bach's speech, the Summer Games were declared open by Japan's Emperor Naruhito at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
The Olympic flag was brought in after that with Japanese badminton star Kento Momota being one of the athletes bringing it into the stadium. The Olympic flag is then taken by health workers, who have worked tirelessly to find the COVID-19 pandemic and the army men before it's hoisted next to Japan's flag.
As the flag was hoisted, the stadium with close to 10,500 people belted out the Olympic anthem at full tilt along with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.
Thomas Bach Speaks
"Welcome to Tokyo 2020. Today is a moment of hope, let us cherish this moment, finally we are all here. Athletes from 205 are living under the same roof in the Olympic Village.
"There were unprecedented challenges. First reconstructing after earthquake and then the pandemic, which is why is respect is even more huge. Our gratitude to doctors and volunteers for doing all they did. For the volunteers, you are the best ambassadors for Japan.
"For my athletes, you had to face unprecedented challenges on your journey to the Olympics. There was great uncertainty, you didn't know when you could train, see your coach, or when you will have your teammates, you didn't know if the competition will be held at all. You never gave up and today, you are making your Olympic dream come true. You are true Olympic athletes! You inspire us to fight like you and for you to make this moment possible.”
"Dear refugee athletes, with your talent and human spirit, you are demonstrating what enrichment refugees are. You ran from home because of hunger or just being different. We welcome you with open arms, welcome to our Olympic community. Here, we are all equal and respect the same rules. This experience makes all of us humble because we feel we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We are part of an event that unites the world. We are always stronger together. This is why we are grateful to your athletes for showing all of that in your new Olympic oath. We can only go faster, higher and stronger in solidarity. This feeling of togetherness is the light at the end of the tunnel. The pandemic forced us to keep distance and stay away even from our loved ones. The separation makes the tunnel so dark but today, wherever you may be, we are united in sharing this moment together. The Olympic flame makes this light shine brighter for all of us. I invite the Emperor of Japan to declare the Games open," Thomas Bach said after the glittering opening ceremony.
Faster, Stronger Higher and Together!
The fantastic ceremony in Tokyo which was muted in terms of the celebrations given the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of fans, marks the start of yet another glorious spectacle in the world of sport. For the next 17 days, all eyes will be on the Land of the Rising Sun!
The march past was completed after the 204th contingent to walk out was France, the hosts of the next Olympics in Paris in 2024. The last was hosts Japan. The loudest roar was reserved for them.
Unlike previous times, the nations will walk out for the parade in the order of the Japanese alphabet - a move that was approved to help push the country's culture. In 1964, Tokyo became the first Asian city to host the Olympic Games.
Interestingly, in the Olympic Games in 1964 when the games were also held in Tokyo, they were moved to October to avoid the dangerous summer heat.
At the Opening Ceremony
There were close to 10,400 attendees. There were about 6,000 in terms of team delegations and about 900 Games stakeholders and guests of honor. The Media present would total close to 3,500, as per reports.
Five Japanese athletes read the Olympic oath, before the Olympic flag is raised next to the Japanese flag.
USA - The Best of the Lot!
USA have sent 613 athletes and will be the hosts of the 2028 Olympic Games and walked in third last in the parade. They are the most successful nation in the history of the Olympic Games.
France And Japan Round Things Off
The next hosts of the Olympic Games are France in Paris in 2024 and walked in second last before Japan, the hosts. Japan is the last contingent to arrive in the glittering National Stadium. The hosts are fielding more than 500 athletes
India Come in At 21st
After Argentina and Italy's massive contingents and Iran, India's biggest ever contingent walked in for their 25th appearance at the Summer Olympic Games with Mary Kom and Manpreet Singh leading the way.
The Indian contingent 127 athletes off which 56 are women - the highest female representation. At the ceremony, 19 athletes and 6 officials took part for India.
The six officials who are part of the marchpast in the opening ceremony for India will be Chef de Mission Birender Prasad Baishya, Deputy Chef de Mission Dr Prem Verma, Team doctor Dr Arun Basil Mathew, manager of table tennis team MP Singh, boxing coach Muhammad Ali Qamar, and gymnastics coach Lakhan Sharma.
No Usain Bolt!
The Jamaican contingent walked in with Yohan Blake as one of the flagbearer missing the usually unmissable Usain Bolt.
China have sent a contingent of more than 400 people and will be looking to bag as many medals as possible. They’re one of the powerhouses of Olympic sports.
Kuwait Make a Comeback
Kuwait made a return to the Olympic fold after being suspended in 2015 for political interference that was said to undermine the autonomy of the Olympic movement. Their athletes had enrolled as independent athletes in the interim and IOC had stopped funding.
Brazil, the hosts for 2016, sent more than 300 athletes but had only 2 athletes and 2 officials at the opening ceremony.
Poland with 212 athletes will be looking to better their performances from the Rio Games in 2016. They followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Italy and Iran Before India
Italy's big contingent comes out with the flag, they will be competing in 20 sports and they have an almost equal representation of men and women.
Iran's contingent came with a male and a female athlete bearing the flag - they have only one female athlete participating.
Great Britain Gets 1st Muslim Flagbearer
Mohamed Sbihi of Great Britain became the first Muslim flagbearer for them at the Olympic Games.
One of the highlights of the parade was Hend Zaza is the youngest flagbearer as the 12-year-old table tennis player jointly carries the flag for Syria with Ahmad Saber Hamcho.
Etimoni Tiumani isn't the lone athlete this time from his country – Tuvalu like was the case in RIo. Just two but creditable as their population is only around 12,000 people.
Professor Muhammad Yunus Awarded
The founder of the Grameen Bank and a Nobel Peace Prize winner for his project, Yunus was awarded the Olympic Laurel award. He has been helping not only the underprivileged by pioneering micro-credit loans but also has worked with the International Olympic Committee on a business program for athletes.
Greece Start March Past
The first ever hosts of the Olympic Games, Greece started off the march past with the Refugee Team following them in at second. Third came were Iceland.
While Thomas Bach waved to the contingents, most of the celebratory gestures were muted. Ireland, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan, who have only 1 female athlete followed the leaders after that.
The entire Irish contingent turned to Emperor Naruhito and bowed deeply. They're the only contingent to have followed a custom etched in Japanese society, of bowing towards an elder as a symbol of respect.
2020 Tokyo Olympics Officially Begins
The Tokyo Olympics, delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the world, has finally been declared open in the National Stadium in Japan's capital city.
The opening ceremony kicked off with a delightful light and sound performance after which the Japan Emperor Naruhito and IOC President Thomas Bach, all of whom stood for the national anthem of Japan as the flag was brought in after the musical performance. The Japanese national anthem was sung by Shirō Sagisu before there was a minute's silence observed for those who died due to the pandemic.
That was followed up by another fantastic performance that celebrated teamwork and human spirit, in the form of another musical performance which included tap dancing as well.
The Indian contingent will be led by Boxing legend Mary Kom and Hockey captain Manpreet Singh, who are the flag bearers for the opening ceremony at the National Stadium in Tokyo. Along with the 19 athletes, there will be 6 officials who will be part of the opening ceremony march past. India will walk in at 21st after Iran, based on the Japanese alphabet.
At Tokyo, India will be represented by their largest ever contingent of 127 athletes at the Summer Olympics which also includes the highest female representation of 56 athletes.
Unlike previous times, the nations will walk out for the parade in the order of the Japanese alphabet - a move that was approved to help push the country's culture. In 1964, Tokyo became the first Asian city to host the Olympic Games.
The Indian contingent will be led by Boxing legend Mary Kom and Hockey captain Manpreet Singh, who are the flag bearers for the opening ceremony at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
While Manika Batra and Sharath Kamal were the ones to pull out of the ceremony because they open their campaign on Saturday in the mixed doubles event in Table Tennis, it was Ankita Raina who was added to the marching mix.
Along with the 19 athletes, there will be 6 officials who will be part of the opening ceremony march past. India will walk in at 21st after Iran, based on the Japanese alphabet.
There will be no fans at the stadium and only a 1,000 dignitaries will be present at the 68,000-seat Olympic Stadium for the traditional extravaganza, usually a time of celebration for the host nation. Japan's Emperor Naruhito will be chief guest among the VIPs, along with a many others including US First Lady Jill Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The six officials who are part of the marchpast in the opening ceremony for India will be Chef de Mission Birender Prasad Baishya, Deputy Chef de Mission Dr Prem Verma, Team doctor Dr Arun Basil Mathew, manager of table tennis team MP Singh, boxing coach Muhammad Ali Qamar, and gymnastics coach Lakhan Sharma.
At Tokyo, India will be represented by their largest ever contingent of 127 athletes at the Summer Olympics which also includes the highest female representation of 56 athletes.
India is competing for 85 medals in Tokyo this time and while just having qualified in itself is a massive achievement for athletes like Bhavani Devi, who became the first Indian fencer to qualify for an Olympics or Fouaad Mirza, the first Indian equestrian to qualify in 20 years, Nethra Kumanan, the first Indian female sailor to qualify for the Games, or Sajjan Prakash, the first Indian swimmer to ever automatically qualify for an Olympics.
Day 1 Events
Ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, India began their campaign at the Games with the Archery event.
The men's and women's ranking rounds were held on the morning of the opening ceremony.
India's Deepika Kumari shot 663/720 and finished 9th in her ranking event, while the men's team finished 9th overall as well. The troika of Pravin, Atanu and Tarundeep end up 9th in the 12-team field, only above Great Britain, Australia and France.
While Pravin ranked 31, Atanu Das ranked 35 and Tarundeep Rai at 37 with scores of 656, 653 and 652 respectively.
The Archery Federation have decided to field Deepika with Olympic debutant Pravin in the mixed team event as they had the best scores. However, a change in line-up can be made up until the last hour before the event.
Day 2 Line-up for India
The day after the opening ceremony, Saturday, will see a whole host of Indian athletes taking part in their events.
Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, and Saurabh Chaudhary, Abhishek Verma, Elavenil Valarivan along with the mixed team Archery event will all take place in the first half. Any of the aforementioned athletes could be the first to win India’s first medal at the Tokyo Games.
Later on in the evening, both the Indian hockey teams will be in action with men playing New Zealand and the women coming up against Netherlands. Also taking to the court will be ace shuttler PV Sindhu, who won a Silver in Rio 2016. In tennis, Ankita Raina and Sania Mirza are set to play their first round doubles game too They will clash with the Ukrainian pair of Lyudmyla Kichenok and Nadiia Kichenok in the first round. This is Sania Mirza’s fourth Olympic Games and will become the first female athlete from India to achieve this feat. In the men's draw, India only have Sumit Nagal in the singles, who will play in the first half at 730am IST.
Hours before the opening ceremony, India's athletics contingent left from New Delhi and will join the rest of the bunch in the Games village in Tokyo.
2 Athletes Only from Brazil
Meanwhile, Brazil, a country hit extremely hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, has decided only two athletes will attend the opening ceremony - flag bearers Bruno Rezende and Ketleyn Quadros.
Besides Rezende, a decorated volleyball player, and Quadros, a judoka, chef de mission Marcos La Porta and another team official will be the only two non-athletes marching after the Brazilian Olympic committee decided on Friday to have bare minimum contingent members during the opening ceremony owing to the "pandemic scenario".
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