New Delhi: The official inauguration of the Tokyo Olympics, the grand tournament of the Games, took place on Friday. The Olympic Opening Ceremony was organized at the newly built National Stadium in Tokyo, in which veteran players from all countries landed with the flag of their respective countries. The Indian team landed at number 21 in the marchpast. The responsibility of the flag bearer of India was taken over by the legendary boxer Mary Kom and the captain of the men’s hockey team Manpreet Singh.
Amidst the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world for more than a year, the 32nd Olympic Games have begun with a colorful opening ceremony after a year-long wait. Along with this, all the apprehensions that were being raised regarding the organization of this Khel Mahakumbh also came to an end. However, the opening ceremony was organized without an audience. Only prominent personalities, some guests, and officials were allowed to sit in the stadium. Finally, Emperor Naruhito of Japan officially announced the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games
The ‘strength’ of all the countries was also seen in the opening ceremony and their veteran players and medal contenders landed with the flag of their respective countries. The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, being held without spectators, also saw a tide of emotion and its theme of ‘United by Emotions’ also suited the program. When the night had fallen in Tokyo, the Olympic Stadium here was glowing, due to which the threat of new hope was being heard all over the world.
Emperor Naruhito of Japan announced the start of the Games in the presence of International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, Organizing Committee chief Seiko Hashimoto, several other celebrities, and players from 205 countries. A month before this, he had expressed concern about the spread of coronavirus during the Olympics. “I announce the start of the Tokyo Games, celebrating the 32nd Olympic Games of the modern era,” he said.
Tokyo is hosting the Olympics for the second time. It had previously successfully hosted the Olympics in 1964, but the opening ceremony initially remembered the day it had hosted in 2013. This was followed by 20 seconds of blue and white fireworks to display the symbol of Tokyo-2020, which is considered auspicious in Japanese culture.
Emperor Naruhito of Japan arrived at the stadium with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach. The decision not to allow spectators to attend the opening ceremony was taken several weeks ago. To see this, only 1000 celebrities were present in the stadium, including America’s first lady Jill Biden. The highlight of the event was certainly the players who had been preparing for the past year amid the pandemic and apprehensions.
