Carnival dancers, transsexual tricyclists, a bare-chested Tongan and a supermodel
Opening ceremony in Brazil may not have been as pricey as its predecessors but it oozed glamour
THE producers of Rio 2016’s opening ceremony knew the cut-price production could never match the spectacle of London, the grandeur of Beijing or the humour of Sydney, so they fell back on a sure-fire crowd pleaser: glamour.
Having promised the “coolest” opening ceremony ever, Fernando Meirelles – the film director best known for City
of God – also delivered the most risqué. It featured hip-grinding carnival dancers, transsexual tricyclists, a barechested flag-bearer and the supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
The key themes of the opening ceremony were environmentalism and diversity, but the biggest hit of the night appeared to be Tonga’s flag-bearer, Pita Taufatofua, who wore only a ta’ovala skirt and sandals and appeared to have slathered an entire tub of Vaseline on his muscular torso.
The 32-year-old taekwondo competitor had hinted about a “little surprise” in an Instagram post before the ceremony, saying: “Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.” There was little chance of anyone missing his exhibitionist entrance, with viewers flocking to social media to declare Taufatofua the gold medalwinner for flag-bearing.
Others joked that Tonga’s Olympic uniform was “just massage oil” or said they were searching for flights to visit a country whose national dress appeared to be “a six-pack covered in baby oil”.
Taufatofua has every right to enjoy his moment of fame: in his determination to qualify for Rio, he broke six bones, tore three ligaments, spent three months in a wheelchair and a year-and-a-half on crutches.
He was one of 207 flag-bearers leading out their teams, which ranged from the might of the United States’s 555 athletes to the smallest nation, Tuvalu, whose flag-bearer Etimoni Timuani, a sprinter, is its sole Games competitor.
Andy Murray “nailed it” as he led out Team GB as flag-bearer, according to his predecessor Sir Chris Hoy.
Murray, 29, met the challenge from Sir Chris to carry the Union flag onehanded, with no holster, as he led the British athletes into the Maracanã stadium.
The reigning Olympic tennis champion, who had come close to poking Princess Anne in the eye as he held a flag during a photocall earlier in the week, looked a little unsure of himself at first, spending a lot of time looking up at the top of the flagpole as he got his balance, but quickly got into his stride, waving with his right hand as he carried the flag with his left.
The Wimbledon champion had said before the ceremony that he would use his left hand, as he plays tennis righthanded and did not dare risk any muscle twinges.
Sir Chris Hoy tweeted his approval of his fellow Scot’s performance, saying: The hit of the night was a flag-bearer who wore only a ta’ovala skirt, sandals and possibly a tub of Vaseline “Nailed it Andy Murray.” Heather Watson, a fellow tennis player, seemed to confuse Murray by taking a video selfie on her mobile phone as the athletes waited back stage. He said: “What is that?” as she shouted: “Flag bearer right here!”
One of the biggest cheers of the night came for Team Refugee, the 10-strong contingent competing under the Olympic Flag after fleeing their home countries, while Russia’s team, which narrowly avoided a total ban after being caught in a state-sponsored doping scandal, was jeered into the stadium.
Each country was guided out by a gaudily decorated tricycle with the country’s name on it, five of which were ridden by transsexuals as part of the ceremony’s message of celebrating diversity.
To emphasise the point, Brazil’s team was led out by Leandra – formerly Leandro – Medeiros Cerezo, better known as Lea T, the country’s first transgender model to sign a beauty contract. The 35-year-old, who transitioned from male to female in 2012, had earlier introduced the opening ceremony. Gisele, the model, stole the show as
strutting catwalk-style along the length of the Maracanã stadium as Daniel Jobim played the song, originally written by Tom Jobin, his grandfather.
The parade of athletes took up two hours, but there was still more samba to come as scores of drummers and dancers in feather headdresses recreated the spirit of Rio’s famous carnival.
The climax of the ceremony, the lighting of the Olympic cauldron, had been due to feature Pele, the country’s most famous sportsman, but after he pulled out at the 11th hour because of ill health the organisers had to make a swift change to the final torchbearers.
Gustavo Kuerten, the three-time French Open tennis champion, brought the torch into the stadium at the end of its 12,400-mile journey around the country, passing it on to 1996 basketball silver medallist Hortencia Marcari, who finally handed it to Vanderlei de Lima, the late replacement for Pele.
De Lima, a marathon runner, won bronze in Athens 2004 after being grabbed by an Irish priest while leading four miles from the finish. De Lima was later given the Pierre de Coubertin medal for his sportsmanship in uncomplainingly carrying on with the race.
De Lima ran up a flight of steps to light the cauldron where, it is understood he would have handed the torch to Pele, but in the absence of the former footballer he was given the honour of lighting the cauldron himself.
Mario Andrada, the director of communications for Rio 2016, confirmed that Pele would have lit the cauldron, but pulled out on medical advice.
Outside the stadium, the build-up to the event was marred by ugly scenes as riot police used tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters demonstrating against the cost of the Games.
Hours after the ceremony, a cyclist was shot dead in an apparent mugging in a street where thousands of spectators had poured out of the stadium.
In contrast to the colourful scenes in the stadium, the BBC’s commentary was criticised by some viewers as being somewhat staid.
Some viewers were so frustrated by Hazel Irvine and Andrew Cotter’s “dire” descriptions that they switched over to a commentary-free channel.