The greatest show on earth kicked off in Rio’s Maracana stadium after midnight and the Brazilians certainly put on a show.
Here’s our quick recap of literally everything that happened during the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
And as midnight struck, it began!
Here we go! 🇧🇷🎉🇺🇸#OpeningCeremony #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/W0JidBU5vo
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/stroppadel/status/761696754194579456
Boom! @Rio2016 #olympics #openingceremony pic.twitter.com/0pG6h96Hy8
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 5, 2016
A lot of people thought the first dancers on screen looked like a particular kitchen items:
#Rio2016 #OpeningCeremony starts pic.twitter.com/k8v5sGbyNt
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 5, 2016
Are they Dishwasher tablets they're holding up? #OpeningCeremony
— AuditionPianist (@AuditionPianist) August 5, 2016
"Surprising what you can do with a bit of tin foil" – my dad #OpeningCeremony
— Rhys (@_RhysThorne) August 5, 2016
Denise: "so is the olympics sponsored by bacofoil?" #OpeningCeremony
— Dan Ellis (@dgellis0907) August 5, 2016
This Opening Ceremony is brought to you by all the tinfoil #OpeningCeremony
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) August 5, 2016
And they reminded at least one person of Eurovision…
https://twitter.com/ShakenByAStorm/status/761699676529786881
After the national anthem…
Anyway, here's Wonderwall. #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/uVjUgvMeNf
— Cameron (@Cameron_Surname) August 5, 2016
…we got the segment of the ceremony that “represented the beginnings of life itself”.
Giant bugs and microbes, basically:
We are but one minute in, and already science represented. Microbes FTW! #Rio2016 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/Cn7OO0bIfr
— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) August 5, 2016
…which raised an uncomfortable issue:
https://twitter.com/bens_1989/status/761705924490829824
…leading on to the virtual forest:
Already love the #OpeningCeremony! 😍 pic.twitter.com/zDOWG3TBU9
— Grigor. 🐨 (@Scores_WTA) August 5, 2016
This is basically the worst Cirque du Soleil you've ever seen #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/JF2ztVqyrc
— Ryan Bailey (@RyanJayBailey) August 5, 2016
And elastic bands:
https://twitter.com/efellingham/status/761702231292993536
BARE ARSES! WHOO HOOO! #OpeningCeremony
— Rhodri Marsden ⏏️ (@rhodri) August 5, 2016
It was all a bit Avatar-y:
https://twitter.com/toadmeister/status/761701589098852352
This lead on to the arrival of the various people in Brazil through the centuries, starting with the Europeans, and then Africans.
https://twitter.com/dgellis0907/status/761703207475220480
The ceremony didn’t shy away from the role of slavery in Brazil’s past:
watching @NBCOlympics – slavery abolished in Brazil in 1888, last Western country to do so. #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/S0t2WZILxn
— Sarah Betancourt (@sweetadelinevt) August 6, 2016
Or as one person put it:
https://twitter.com/JonathanRWarner/status/761702808877985792
https://twitter.com/GraemeDemianyk/status/761702895033122817
Then we got the emergence of the cities in Brazil, represented by visual trickery – WITCHCRAFT, one might say – in the stadium:
https://twitter.com/behlul_official/status/761705426903760901
It's SO @sergeylazarev! #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/zlzlKAcaTQ
— wiwibloggs (@wiwibloggs) August 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/Rio2016_en/status/761704969691074564
#OpeningCeremony employed the same special effects supervisor as Spiceworld, it seems pic.twitter.com/fPN4uSmREC
— Her.ie (@Herdotie) August 5, 2016
We had the funny little flight segment:
It's time for a tour of Rio with this guy
Sit back and enjoy the viewhttps://t.co/VU4WHfqJNT #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/LK1YHaYfn4
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/frankpallotta/status/761723744599638016
Then we got GISELE walking for bloody ages:
Gisele's just won the Supermodel Competitive Walking 500m #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/NHjoIvTO0P
— Tom Reagan’s Hat (@RufusTSuperfly) August 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/Tweet_Dec/status/761706393950879744
Followed by “the voice of the favelas”:
Anyone else getting @GetterGJJaani #Eurovision 2011 vibes from the colours and visuals? #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/wi2EvtkCQb
— wiwibloggs (@wiwibloggs) August 5, 2016
Want to feel old? This is Jedward now. #openingceremony pic.twitter.com/k5A2yIPdFD
— メロンソーダ (@kphht) August 5, 2016
It all certainly looks stunning:
Here are some photos from the #OpeningCeremony so far. pic.twitter.com/V2ohuf2K6Y
— Frank Costa (@feistyfrank) August 5, 2016
What followed was a segment comprising lots of different types of Brazilian dance:
I'm pretty confused by what's going on, but it looks like everyone's having a lot of fun #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/tWjiQC3vWm
— Stephen Eisenhammer ✏️ (@SEisenhammer) August 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/Hotdesigner/status/761708556534083585
These people are having so much more fun than you or I will ever have. #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/AcYIkyElE9
— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) August 5, 2016
No one does a dance party like Brazil. #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/bV6OrsvbNx
— Vulture (@vulture) August 6, 2016
At least the BBC subtitles are accurate #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/FEUdEcX5C4
— TechnicallyRon (On all the platforms) (@TechnicallyRon) August 5, 2016
The main stage eventually cleared and we got some serious/drab stuff about climate change and global warming, narrated by Judi Dench:
THIS IS ACTUALLY JUDI DENCH FOR SOME REASON. NO REALLY. #OpeningCeremony
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) August 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/DaftLimmy/status/761710844422066180
We've basically gone from "overhearing a party being held two doors down" to sitting in on a GCSE Biology lesson #OpeningCeremony
— Mike McCahill (@mike_mccahill) August 5, 2016
This #OpeningCeremony is hot.
Literally.
The Earth is very warm, you guys. pic.twitter.com/i31AazMITQ
— BuzzFeed Canada (@BuzzFeedCanada) August 5, 2016
Then it was time for the athletes:
https://twitter.com/Rio2016_en/status/761711319657619458
SO many athletes:
207 teams are represented at #Rio2016
Who will have the wackiest outfits?https://t.co/VU4WHfqJNT #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/zQBXYlt6At
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/callumfosberry/status/761711292226871296
Brazilian Boris Bikes are ace #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/oBhWxcXn06
— General Boles (@GeneralBoles) August 5, 2016
Leila, Liina & Luik are marathon runners of Estonia the 1st Triplets ever to compete in any Games.#OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/jmIACJvTxN
— Akram Dal (@AKiiDaL) August 6, 2016
Andy Murray led Team GB out into the stadium:
Andy Murray leads in #TeamGB ! #OpeningCeremony https://t.co/jRRQ5RD86G pic.twitter.com/PmQaPTc10Y
— Telegraph Sport (@TelegraphSport) August 6, 2016
One-handed like a boss #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/YPXvja2iHD
— General Boles (@GeneralBoles) August 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/MarumGo/status/761724373418074112
Looking dapper, Rafa!
And here's a happy @RafaelNadal, carrying the flag for Spain in the #OpeningCeremony. https://t.co/Qqf19MLntY pic.twitter.com/Dynhy7fqfD
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) August 6, 2016
But, y’know what, as much as we take the piss and moan about how long the ceremony is, a massive global event like this is an incredible thing to behold:
https://twitter.com/MJRgrs/status/761699012923777024
https://twitter.com/ambettano/status/761719065845067776
So much to like about this #OpeningCeremony. Storytelling. Dance. Honesty. Know it was on a budget, but that only makes it more attractive.
— Tom Farrey (@TomFarrey) August 6, 2016
And at least we get to watch the thing without a delay and annoying ad breaks, unlike the poor Americans:
Rest of the world seeing #OpeningCeremony live and commercial-free. Thank goodness we live in the land of the free.
— Tony Ortega (@TonyOrtega94) August 6, 2016
And after all that, we can look forward to Japan’s staging of the Games in 2020:
Tokyo's #OpeningCeremony is going to be amazing pic.twitter.com/sJNNJ0oRir
— General Boles (@GeneralBoles) August 6, 2016
