The glitter and glamor of Rio’s stunning Olympics opening ceremony yesterday gave way to bitter competition for the first medals of the Games dogged by a doom-laden buildup.
The first medal of the Games was to be picked up in shooting yesterday, but hopes and dreams will also be fulfilled — or shattered — for cyclists, fencers, weightlifters, judoka, swimmers and archers as the first Olympic titles are determined.
Hours earlier, the Olympics were declared open at Rio’s fabled Maracana Stadium late on Friday with Brazilian marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeiro lighting the cauldron following an exuberant display of Brazil’s cultural heritage, capped by breathtaking pyrotechnics — and a burst of high-octane samba.
Photo: AFP
The ceremony lifts the curtain on a more than two-week sporting festival featuring superstars like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt.
All eyes will be on US swimming star Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, when he returns to the pool in the first week.
Track and field will see Jamaica’s Bolt aim to defend his 100m, 200m and 4x100m crowns by clinching all three for the third straight Games.
Photo: AFP
Gymnastics could unearth a new heroine in teenage star US Simone Biles, while rugby and golf return to the Olympic program after gaps of 92 years and 112 years respectively.
However, even the joys of the elite sports competition to come and the opening ceremony extravaganza failed to dispel gloom over Brazil’s parlous political and economic situation, with boos and jeers breaking out as Interim Brazilian President Michel Temer declared South America’s first Olympic Games open.
Temer took over when impeachment proceedings started against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, whose supporters accuse him of plotting against the suspended leader.
Photo: AFP
The jeering ended only when it was drowned out by a loud barrage of fireworks.
The opening ceremony followed fresh protests, when about 3,000 people waving signs saying: “No to the Olympics!” gathered outside a luxury hotel where many athletes are staying.
Brazil has spent more than US$10 billion on new infrastructure and preparations for the Games at a time of economic crisis, angering many Brazilians.
Despite the resentful undercurrent, and the protests against the Games just hours earlier, spirits were high among the athletes, performers, fans and officials at the 78,000-capacity Maracana.
“The Olympic dream is now a wonderful reality. The best place in the world is here and now,” organizing committee chief Carlos Nuzman said, to rapturous applause.
Brazilian singer Paulinho da Viola sang the national anthem to set off the show of laser lights and elaborate dances highlighting Brazil’s history and rise as an emerging power.
Brazil’s Gisele Bundchen strutted across the arena to the iconic Girl From Ipanema before Greece, home of the ancient Olympics, led out the colorful athletes’ parade.
More than 10,000 athletes from 207 teams took part, with the biggest cheers reserved for the specially formed refugee team and the joyous Brazilian contingent.
Iran’s flag bearer was Zahra Nemati, their first ever female flag-carrier who will compete in archery, despite being paralyzed in both legs.
The Russian delegation, battling allegations of state-backed doping, received only lukewarm applause when they entered the stadium.
Each athlete was presented with a seed and a cartridge of soil to enable them to plant a native tree of Brazil, which will ultimately form an “Athletes Forest” made up of 207 different species — one for each delegation.
Indigenous tribes and dueling dance groups were among the highlights of a show low on technology, but high on invention.
The evening’s overwhelming theme was environmental protection.
An early opening sequence depicted the birth of life, culminating in the sprouting of a green entanglement of leaves from the stadium floor depicting the Amazon rainforest.
Indigenous Brazilians then performed dances before creating huge ocas, or traditional huts, in the center of the stage.
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Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
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