Forget the mass choreography, the large props and the cornucopia of dancer, actors and lights related to an Olympic Games opening ceremony. Tokyo’s grand opening on Friday (July 23) will have none of that splendour or grandiosity. Instead it will be a scaled down affair, a ‘sobering’ efficiency, Marco Balich, longtime opening ceremonies govt producer, and now a senior advisor to the Tokyo ceremonies govt producer, informed information company Reuters in an interview.
“It will be a much more sobering ceremony. Nevertheless with beautiful Japanese aesthetics. Very Japanese but also in sync with the sentiment of today, the reality,” Balich, who was in cost of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, stated. “We have to do our best to complete this unique and hopefully the only one of its kind Olympics.”
Rising COVID-19 circumstances in Tokyo have forged a big shadow over an occasion that, having already been postponed final 12 months due to the pandemic, will now happen with out spectators.
Japan this month determined that members would compete in empty venues to minimise well being dangers. So far there have been 67 circumstances of COVID-19 infections in Japan amongst these accredited for the Games since July 1, when many athletes and officers began arriving.
This has additionally affected the opening ceremony, with not all athletes current on the groups’ parade as many fly in simply earlier than their competitions and depart shortly after to keep away from contacts as a lot as attainable.
Instead of greater than 10,000 athletes marching right into a capacity-crowd stadium as normal, the workforce parade will be smaller, in a largely empty Tokyo Olympic stadium bar a couple of hundred officers, and with tight social distancing guidelines. “There will be several hundred marshals to guide the athletes for the parade. The opening ceremony in a way is going to be unique and focus only on the athletes,” Balich stated.
“That (pandemic) of course has consequences. Mass choreography is not happening obviously, because of COVID-19,” he stated. “The number in Rio was 12,600 athletes and officials at the parade. I fear there will be fewer this time. That already gives a serious distance between the athletes in the stadium,” stated Balich, who additionally produced the ceremony for Turin’s 2006 winter Olympics amongst others.
“The Japanese team have to fight between how to promote their aesthetic and combine the fears and concerns associated with the Olympic Games and the infections and the disease.”
There is widespread concern among the many public over the security of holding the worldwide sporting spectacle amid the pandemic and plenty of Japanese worry the Olympics may flip right into a super-spreader occasion. “I think the great achievement of the creative team of this ceremony is that they have managed to accept the empty seats as a fact and still retain a focus on the athletes,” Balich stated.
“It will be very meaningful, far from the grandiosity of previous ceremonies. The moment is now. It is a beautiful effort. A very truthful, honest ceremony, nothing fake. Not smoke and mirrors. It will be about real stuff happening in today,” he stated.
When will Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony happen?
The opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics will happen on Friday (July 23).
What time will Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony happen?
The opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics will begin at 8pm native time or 430pm IST.
Where can we watch opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics in India?
The opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics will be telecast reside on Sony TEN 1 and Sony TEN 2 with English commentary whereas Sony TEN 3 will have Hindi commentary. One can livestream the opening ceremony on Sonyliv.com web site and app.
(with Reuters inputs)
