The opening ceremony of Rio de Janeiro 2016 was held in the Maracanã Stadium, and it was created by Marco Balich (Executive Producer), Abel Gomes (Executive Creative Director) and Andrea Varnier (Chief Executive Officer), as well as the creative directors Andrucha Waddington, Daniela Thomas, and Fernando Meirelles. The opening ceremony took place on 5 August 2016.
The opening ceremony focused on the sustainability of the earth, and the celebration of Brazilian history. This was reflected in the costs of the opening ceremony, with it costing about 6 times less than the opening ceremony of the previous edition. The stadium was used for several matches of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014, including the final, although it was heavily renovated in the two years in between.
Countdown[]
The opening ceremony started with a video showcasing how and where sports are practised in the host city. From tourists (and locals) on the world-famous Copacabana beach to students and workforce travelling to their destinations, sports have become an integral part of everyone's lives. The video was accompanied by Aquele Abraço, a song of freedom and a song against the military dictatorship in Brazil, performed by Luiz Melodia.
This prologue continued with a performance reflecting the Brazilian capabilities to create art, and a new attitude towards the planet. Showing how much is possible with just a limited set of geometric shapes, Brazilians have a talent to create something great out of nothing and to showcase the rich history of the nation, this segment combined the African culture and the Portuguese tile design to determine a part of Brazilian culture. After a countdown, sheets of metallic paper were turned into cushions, which were used as drums. With the powerful drumming batucada, a vortex was created, that spiralled into sustainable peace, combining the peace symbol with a tree. The segment ended with a firework show, spelling out the name of the host city (Rio) several times in the sky.
Entry of the President[]
Due to a difficult relationship between the Brazilian government and the Brazilian people, it was decided that acting president Michel Temer would not be introduced in the stadium. Because of this, only the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach was introduced, after which the Brazilian national anthem was played, with the Brazilian flag being raised by the Rio de Janeiro Environmental Police. The rendition of the national anthem was performed by Paulinho da Viola, who showed the importance of modesty by creating an acoustic version of the song.
Pindorama: The Birth of Life[]
After the introduction of the opening ceremony, the first segment showed the progression of nature throughout history. Ever since the earth was covered by water, which dried up, it allowed forestation to grow. Because of this, animals and aboriginals came to live in the area we now call Brazil, without manipulating nature as much, living in "Ocas", native huts in the Amazon rainforest. After hundreds of years, the Portuguese 'discovered' Brazil, and settled there, robbing the land of resources, and destroying the nature that had been growing there for centuries. After the Europeans came the Africans, who were brought to Brazil to work as slaves, turning the land in working fields (e.g. sugar cane plantations). However, the basis of Brazilian culture doesn't just exist out of European and African cultures. Years later, in the 1900s, immigrants from the Middle East and Asia came to settle in Brazil, bringing commodities and information to the nation.
Metropolis[]
This migration all lead up Brazil as we know it now. Modern cities are created, with buildings constantly being constructed. A Brazilian skyline is shown, with youth freerunning, as a representation of urban civilization, who collaborate to build inventions with something as simple as some boxes. However, the biggest breakthrough in Brazilian development was made by inventor Santos Dumont, who constructed his plane 14 BIS, flying over Maracanã and the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Bossa[]
The modern country of Brazil isn't just a place where immigrants gather to live a new life, but also a place with a progressive culture known all around the world. Represented by model Gisele Bündchen, world's most successful model, and the song "Garota de Ipanema", the second most known song in the world, an image of a sensual land is created, showcasing the Brazilian culture in more ways than one.
Pop[]
Favela Voices[]
Continuing in the area of Ipanema, the focus is shifted on culture, starting with music and dance. This section of the opening ceremony tries to celebrate the creativity and energy of the anonymous creators living in the favelas. Many music genres, such as "passinho", funk and samba, had their origin in the poor neighbourhoods of the cities in Brazil, and are still developed among youth. With performances of many representatives of the different styles and genres, such as Ludmilla, Cristian do Passinho, Lelezinha, and Elza Soares, these different communities learn to live with and against each other, represented by music battles in the favela.
Empowerment[]
But not only the favelas contributed to the Brazilian culture, but also the empowerment of minorities, such as the black community. Using their own versions of Brazilian culture, they were able to slip their own local influences into renowned aspects of Brazilian lifestyles, such as rap, breakdance and capoeira.
Disputes[]
However, with many different cultures and personalities across the world, tensions and disputes are inevitable. Tying these disputes to Brazilian culture and carnival, this section shows how different groups are able to work as competition, while still being able to create something full of energy. This is a development that is not only present in Brazil, but in the entire world, as well.
Tropical Nation[]
Differences can create such a hostile environment that sometimes people need someone to bring the people back together. Looking for the similarities between the people and to celebrate the differences between them, all the spectators are encouraged to follow this.
After the Party[]
After the segments about the history of Brazil and the effect of culture in the world, it was time to look at the consequences on the planet itself. Potential consequences of natural disasters with human contribution such as drought, carbon dioxide emission, global warming, melting ice caps, and a rising sea level are displayed, with arid landscapes and drowning cities as a result.
A Simple Idea That Helps a Lot[]
With the severe consequences on the planet ahead of us, it is important that we start building an ecosystem, for example by planting a new forest to compensate for the problems of the planet. This would delay global warming, and could also regulate rainfall, protect biodiversity, and restore land. With the combination of reforestation and the Brazilian rainforest, it is important to restore nature where it is possible.
Parade of Athletes[]
The longest segment of the opening ceremony was the parade of the participating athletes into the stadium. These were conducted in alphabetical order according to the Portuguese alphabet, with the only exceptions being Greece (which entered first), the Refugee Olympic Team (which entered second-to-last), and Brazil (which entered last). Each athlete carried a seedling to plant a Brazilian tree, in order to contribute to reforestation. These 11,000 seeds with 207 different species of trees were planted as a new forest in Deodoro. Each team was led by a Brazilian volunteer on a bike with a tropical display. These Brazilian volunteers included five transsexuals to display tolerance.
Olympic Rings[]
After the athletes have arrived in the stadium, the mirrors in which the athletes had put their seedlings were moved to form the Olympic rings, this time not represented by the five colors as in the Olympic flag, but instead showing the beginnings of a green forest. The segment ended with a firework display.
Speeches[]
The next formal segment of the opening ceremony showed the president of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee and former volleyball player Carlos Nuzman and the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach perform speeches to look forward to the eventful weeks, as the first time the Olympic Games were held in South America. During the speech of Thomas Bach, he had the honor to award the first-ever Olympic Laurel to Kipchoge Keino, two-time Olympic champion at Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972, for his contribution to the Olympic vision, ideals, and values in the form of his charitable organization. He was joined by doves of peace in the form of white kites, which were flown from Brazil to Kenya, and given to children who had never played with them before. After writing messages of peace on them, some kites were returned to Brazil so that they could join Keino as a symbol of peace for the world. This segment ended with the official opening of the Olympic Games by the acting president of Brazil Michel Temer, closing off with a firework show.
Olympic Flag[]
As the Olympic Games were officially opened, the tradition of the entrance of the Olympic Flag was also continued. The flag was carried into the stadium by Brazilian athletes and Brazilian citizens with extraordinary achievements:
- Emanuel Rego (beach volleyball)
- Rosa Celia Pimentel (founder of the Prí-Criança hospital)
- Sandra Pires (beach volleyball)
- Torben Grael (sailing)
- Joaquim Cruz (athletics)
- Marta Vieira da Silva (football)
- Ellen Gracie (first woman in the Supreme Court)
- Oscar Schmidt (basketball)
With the hoisting of the Olympic flag, the Olympic anthem was sung by a choir of 40 children from the More Project, a non-profit organization serving local communities to take care of poorer children, so that they can have sports, music, arts, education, food, and good health.
Olympic Oaths[]
As per tradition, an athlete, a judge, and a coach from the host nation take the Olympic oath to promise a fair edition of the Olympic Games, in accordance with the Olympic ideals. To take the oath for Rio de Janeiro 2016, athlete Robert Scheidt (sailing) was selected, together with judge Martinho Nobre (athletics) and coach Adriana Santos (basketball).
Apotheosis[]
Awaiting the Olympic flame, a party was created within the stadium, celebrating samba in many different ways possible. Allowing the athletes to celebrate the music with the Brazilian people, the twelve schools of samba were displayed, showcasing the diversity of the musical genre.
The Hybrid Cauldron[]
- See also: Rio de Janeiro 2016/Torch
The torch was carried into the stadium by tennis legend Gustavo Kuerten, who had participated at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. Going in a straight line through the stadium, he relayed the Olympic torch to Hortencia Marcari, who won a silver medal in basketball at Atlanta 1996. Finally, the torch was carried to Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, the only Brazilian winner of the Pierre de Coubertin medal after being robbed of a medal-winning position during the men's marathon at Athens 2004 after being ambushed by a spectator. As the final torchbearer, he lit the Olympic cauldron, which would be smaller and would produce a lower amount of emission than normal. To frame it, a symbolic sun was created as a source of energy that the planet should use for more nature-friendly energy.