Hello everyone! Welcome back as always, and thanks for checking in! Can you believe July is almost here and July 26th marks the start of the Summer Olympics in Paris, France? For that reason, I thought I would go over the Olympic rings and some of the most memorable Olympic opening ceremonies over the years.
The ring logo was created in 1913 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator and historian as well as co-founder of the International Olympic Committee. The image he designed is the one we still use today, depicting interlocking rings consisting of blue, yellow, black, green, and red from left to right. These rings symbolize the five continents that participate in the Olympics: Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Because of World War I, the first usage of the logo at the games was delayed until 1920.
It wasn’t until the 1964 Olympics held in Japan that the Opening Ceremony was seen in real time worldwide. This was the first year the ceremony was broadcast live instead of prerecording thanks to satellites. It was also a momentous occasion because this was the first time an Asian country hosted the games. The 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles, California was also a noteworthy point in the Games’ history, marking the start of a lifelong anthem. The iconic score “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” composed by John Williams was introduced during the ceremony and has been adopted in the years since. The theme was a tribute to American music, but the most memorable moment included Bill Suitor flying into the arena via jetpack.
Salt Lake City, Utah 2002 was also a very noteworthy ceremony, but for very different reasons. Taking place five months after September 11th, the atmosphere took on a somber yet still patriotic tone. Members of the Ute, Goshute, Shoshone, Paiute and Navajo peoples performed a unity dance followed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing the National Anthem while the flag recovered from the Challenger Disaster was raised. Ten years later the tone returned to one of celebration. The 2012’s Olympic Games held in London, England was more upbeat and flashier with performances by Paul McCartney and Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean). What really set this apart from previous years was “Queen Elizabeth II” parachuting in from a helicopter. Even though was just an actor, the performance left a large impact on the viewers seeing the Queen of England doing such a stunt!
Another favorite was Japan’s 2020 grand opening with their innovative pictogram performance part animation and part live performance. It involved an actor in costume copying poses in the sports icons with different camera angles to mimic the scenes. I can honestly say that this performance was one my personal favorites and I give pictogram guy props for doing what he did! I can’t wait to see what France does during this year’s opening ceremonies; I encourage you all to tune in and watch! Of course, I will be rooting for our athletes to come out on top during the games, too!
