DC Games 2014: The Opening Ceremony

By DC Cueva

@DC408dxtr

Today, DCBLOG kicks off our month-long coverage of the world's greatest sporting spectacle. And for someone who's a huge fanatic of the Olympic Games, every even-numbered year I look forward to spending 17 days glued to my TV (and now, my iPad, desktop & iPhone) to the compelling action, drama and spectacle that makes the Olympics one of a kind. More than anything as a sports fan in general since I was a kid, it's the one event in the sports world I look forward the most. And now that I am a blogger, and with collecting all those books, guides and printouts, I'm now able to share that knowledge and perspective of everything Olympics right here. And you can expect plenty of coverage right here on DCBLOG over the course of the next two weeks. And we begin with...the beginning.

Tonight marks the official start of The XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia as the Opening Ceremony takes place at Fisht Olympic Stadium, located right by the Black Sea. With competition in snowboarding, figure skating and freestyle skiing have kicked off yesterday in Russia, the Games themselves will kick into high gear as the country of Russia officially welcomes the world to their doorstep with a ceremony that promises to celebrate the history and the culture of the host country. Just as it was the last time an Olympics was held in a non-English speaking nation when Beijing, China welcomed the world in spectacular fashion six years ago, tonight Russia will introduce themselves to the world, a generation after the breakup of the former Soviet Union.

   Along with the Super Bowl halftime show, the Oscars and other events, the Opening Ceremony has the feel of a spectacular with the pageantry, pomp and circumstance witnessed by a television audience in the billions joining the tens of thousands of spectators and the world's greatest athletes in the Olympic Stadium. And it's this ceremonial aspect, rooted in the Cultural Olympiad that takes place before any Olympics and was prominent in the ancient & later early years of the modern Olympiad, that makes the Olympics stand apart from most other sports events of their magnitude. Though there was an Opening Ceremony at the very first modern Olympics in 1896 in Athens, it's nothing compared to the audacity and creativity of the Opening Ceremonies of today.

When you get to the heart of it, the Opening Ceremony is both a mix of tradition and spectacle. Rule 55 of the Olympic Charter gives the exact specifications of how the exact protocol must be observed at any Opening Ceremony, 11 of these elements in all including: the entry by the head of state, the playing of the national anthem, the Parade of Nations, the symbolic release of pigeons, the opening of the Games by the head of state (including the exact wording of the speech that declares the Games open), the raising of the Olympic flag & playing of the Olympic Anthem; the taking of the Olympic oaths by a chosen athlete, official & coach; the arrival of the Torch Relay and the eventual lighting of the Olympic Flame; and the artistic program.

   First off, there's the entry into the Olympic Stadium by the head of state of the host country, being greeted by the IOC President. Tonight, it will be Russian President Vladimir Putin, who'll be greeted by newly-inaugurated IOC President Thomas Bach, who succeeded Jacques Rogge last fall. Of course, all eyes tonight will be on President Putin as the host nation is facing a whole slew of issues outside the Games, just as it was when Moscow hosted the Summer Games in 1980 which were boycotted by the United States. After the formal introductions, the national anthem will be played or sung, with the host nation's flag being raised. The Russian flag and the Russian anthem will be taking precedent for the first time. And for a country that loves winter sports and looking to erase memories of a poor showing in Vancouver, expect to hear that anthem & see that flag aplenty in Sochi.

Then, it's the artistic program. In essence, it's the pageantry that has the world becoming awe-inspired. Normally, the content of the artistic portion of the Opening Ceremony is kept a close secret until the world gets to see it. Over time, producers of this grand spectacle have managed to find creative and fresh ways to combine the traditional protocol with a right amount of entertainment, references to the culture & history of the host nation & region, technological innovations and the festive atmosphere.

   In Beijing in 2008, it was the imagination, dynamic vision, perfect execution and grandeur of a $300 million mega-production led by director Zhang Yimou and starring a cast of 22,000 that set the bar high for every other Ceremony to follow. Beijing's celebration was described as "spectacular, unforgettable and stirring," as it showcased the history of China in all its grandeur like never before. With an audience of over a billion, it became the most-watched worldwide live event in TV history.

   In Vancouver, the first-ever indoor Opening Ceremony was produced by the same team behind the Sydney ceremony, and producer David Atkins' team provided an unforgettable ceremony of celebrating Canada and the power of sports to the 60,000 at BC Place and a record Canadian audience, even with a somber mood after the death at the luge venue. The Four Host Nations welcomed the athletes and the world to drumming and dancing by representatives of the country's aboriginal people.

   And in London two years ago, the Opening Ceremony was entitled "Isles of Wonder" and film director Danny Boyle was given the honor of leading the production. Key themes of sports, youth, inspiration and urban transformation were featured, along with even a cameo by the Queen & James Bond. As usual, it featured a nod to the host nation as it celebrated Britain's contributions to the world in innovation and revolution, and the creativity and exuberance of its people.

Next comes the Parade of Nations, as most of the athletes and officials of all the countries competing march into the Stadium. At the Winter Games, the Parade takes place earlier than at the Summer Games. And over time, the increasing number of countries present at the Opening Ceremony is reflective of the growth of the Olympic Movement: in London there were 204 countries, while there was 82 in Vancouver & more tonight in Sochi. And in a time where the world is changing and evolving like never before, there's nothing like seeing people from nations all around the world being on the same floor at the same time.

   It is custom for the delegations to enter by alphabetical order of the host country's official language, and being led by its flag and a board displaying its name, with the exception of who leads and ends the parade. As the originators of the Olympics, Greece is always given the honor of leading every Parade of Athletes; while the host nation is always the last to enter the stadium, and always to the biggest cheers. In this case tonight, Russia will be the last to enter the Olympic Stadium and should provide for one of the biggest moments of the evening.

   Every time he's been in the booth co-hosting the ceremony broadcast (he won't be at the stadium tonight owing to coverage starting last night), NBC's Bob Costas always made sure to remind viewers that for the large majority of the athletes who march in the ceremony and likely wouldn't win a medal, this is their biggest moment in the spotlight. And I might also think how many geography teachers and students stay up to watch the entire parade, it's also where we get to hear about countries we've never heard about getting television exposure.

   Considering the tough times these Games are taking place in, Opening Ceremony protocol calls for a symbolic release of doves, who represent symbols of peace. In earlier times, the release of pigeons took place before the arrival of the Olympic flame, but after several birds were killed sitting on the edge of the cauldron in Seoul in 1988, protocol was modified from using real birds to symbolic ones before the lighting of the flame.

The formal proceedings continue with the president of the host city's Olympic Organizing Committee and the IOC President making their way to a rostrum and giving speeches. In this case tonight, these duties will fall in the hands of Sochi Organizing Committee head Dmitry Chernyshenko and IOC President Thomas Bach, who as we mentioned earlier, is presiding over his first Olympics as President. Bach will then invite the Head of State to proclaim the Games open; tonight the role will be filled by President Putin.

   The duty of declaring the Games officially open is traditionally given to the host country's head of state, and both Royalty and presidents have performed this task, but sometimes it's done by their representatives, albeit a Vice President, a member of the Royal Family or a governor-general. For the latter, GC Michaelle Jean represented Queen Elizabeth II when she opened the Vancouver Games, while the Queen herself officially opened the London Olympiad.

   As the first sitting President to attend a home Opening Ceremony (after Vice Presidents had done the duty at all previous U.S. Olympics), President Reagan was the first President to declare a U.S. Olympics open in 1984 in Los Angeles, followed by President Clinton in Atlanta eight years later. And in 2002 in Salt Lake, a few months after 9/11, President George W. Bush declared the Games open not from the official box, but from the athletes stand at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

After the Games are declared open, the Olympic flag is brought into the stadium. Unfurled horizontally, it takes a full lap around the stadium, passing by the official stand on its way to the flagpole. By custom, the flag is carried by 8-10 people, and the flag bearers are usually of special significance, either a group of former Olympians, typically from the host country, or representing certain aspects of humankind. When the flag reaches the bottom of the flagpole, the Olympic anthem is performed as at the flag is raised to the top of the pole, where it is flown for the entire duration of the Games. That anthem, composed by the Greeks, was first performed at the very first Olympics in 1896 in Athens and was officially adopted by the IOC more than 50 years later.

   Officially unveiled at an IOC Session in 1914 in Paris, the Olympic flag was raised for the first time in six years later in Antwerp. The original flag was designed by the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin and included not only the Olympic symbol but also for a short time the motto, Citius Altius Fortius. The flag as we know it is simply of the five colored Olympic rings on a white background: blue, yellow, black, green and red, and all of them connected one to the other in order. Contrary to popular belief, the five rings themselves represent the five continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas - North and South. And the six colors on the flag, including the white background, were chosen because at least one of those colors are found on the national flag of every nation that's a member of the IOC, which has a larger membership than the United Nations.

Next comes the taking of the Olympic Oaths by a competitor, an official and by a coach. First introduced at the 1920 Antwerp Games, the modern Olympic Oath is similar to that taken at the ancient Olympiads, only that this takes place with the Olympic flag in hand. The Oath is another Pierre de Coubertin creation, and has been modified in recent years to reflect the ever-changing nature of the sports competition. The words are: "In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams." Similar oaths are then taken by a judge or official from the host nation and then by a coach, although it has normally been cut out of NBC's broadcast for time purposes when the Games are held outside North America.

Then, of course, comes the biggest moment of the entire ceremony and the one with the greatest curiosity among the people of the host nation: the arrival of the Olympic Torch, the final leg of the torch relay and the lighting of the Olympic Flame.

   In Ancient Greece, fire was considered a divine element and fires were kept burning constantly in front of their principal temples, and so it was in the home of the ancient Olympic Games, Olympia. A permanent flame burned at the altar of the goddess Hestia, Zeus and Hera, for which it's at the ladder where the Olympic flame is lit today. And as it was back then, a parabolic mirror facing the rays of the sun always begins the flame's journey to the host city (we'll be talking more about the torch relay coming up during the next two weeks).

   Although a symbolic flame was used as early as 1928 in Amsterdam, the flame's history dates to 1936, where a suggestion by the Berlin Organizing Committtee, and inspired by the ancient Games, saw the flame being lit in Olympia and transported to Germany for the first Olympic torch relay. So began a Olympic tradition, where the flame is carried from Olympia to Athens, and then on its way to the relay of the host nation, and climaxing with its arrival in its final destination. And that, of course, is at the Olympic Stadium, in the Games' host city, as the last piece of Olympic protocol, and culminating with the most-dramatic moment of any Opening Ceremony: the lighting of the Olympic flame to herald the beginning of the Games.

   As is tradition, the final group of torch bearers will take a full relay lap around the stadium before the torch is handed to the very last torchbearer(s), who will light the Olympic cauldron, and for which it will be remain lit for the duration of the Games and is extinguished only at the Closing Ceremony on the final Sunday of the fortnight. It's innovation and symbolism that play important roles in choosing who will be immortalized as the one(s) who lit the Olympic cauldron to begin an Olympics.

   Often it has become a way for the host nation to recognize their proud Olympic or sporting past. In the case of the three U.S. Games held in my lifetime, in 1984 in Los Angeles the daughter of the late Jesse Owens handed the flame off to 1960 decathlon gold medalist and LA native Rafer Johnson. In 2002, the flame was left in the hands of Mike Eruzione and the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" hockey team. And the most spine-tingling was 1996, when swimmer Janet Evans handed the flame to 1960 boxing gold medalist Muhammed Ali, and spurred our emotions. And in Vancouver, there was the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, who was among those who lit the flame in BC Place and then lit the outside cauldron by Vancouver Harbour.

   And then there's a creative way of lighting or delivering the flame. In 1992, archer Antonio Rebello and his flaming arrow started the Games in Barcelona. Two years later in Lillehammer, a ski jumper helped deliver the flame down the ramp into the stadium. In Sydney, Cathy Freeman lit a cauldron embedded around water symbolizing Australia being the only continent surrounded by water, and later delivered the Games' signature moment winning 400m gold. And in 2008, Li Ning, who won men's all-around gold in LA, had the most dramatic flame-lighting of all: circling the top rim of the Bird's Nest stadium with images of the worldwide torch relay before lighting the flame in spectacular fashion.

In much the same manner that we've been spoiled in having some of the most exciting Super Bowls (and other big sports events) in recent years, we've been fortunate to have had a number of great Opening Ceremonies and memorable moments from a whole generation of Olympics. From the grandeur of Beijing to dramatic flame lightings and beyond, tonight what does Sochi have in store for us? We'll find out when the voice of Emmy & Golden Globe-winning actor Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones fame and the seven-minute opening montage heralds in the Opening Ceremony of The XXII Olympic Winter Games, coming up at 7:30pm ET/PT on NBC. As always, I'll be watching.

With DCBLOG's Games 2014 coverage now beginning, expect plenty of posts over the next two weeks covering the Olympics, various aspects of the sports and events from Olympic world, taking the SocialPulse of key events and so much more as the action unfolds from Russia. And Twitter @DC408dxtr will offer live tweeting (PT viewers only) of television coverage and, when time permits, live streaming coverage. In addition, we will continue covering Real World: Ex-Plosion and Are You The One? during and following the Games, including SocialPulse diaries, interview alerts and an upcoming RW post offering a fan's view of the After Shows that took place following episodes 3 & 5.

   And be sure to join me for live tweeting of the Opening Ceremony starting at 7:30pm PT. For now, until we blog again during the weekend, stay warm and enjoy the Opening Ceremony. See you then.

- DC

Bibliography:

Resource Documents - Factsheets, http://www.olympic.org/reference-documents-factsheets.