Topline
Naomi Osaka was revealed as the final torchbearer as she carried the Olympic flame up the final few steps to light up the Japan National Stadium’s cauldron on Friday evening, as Tokyo welcomed the 2020 games with a muted opening ceremony with Japanese Emperor Naruhito, U.S. first lady Jill Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and other dignitaries in attendance.
Key Facts
The four-time Grand Slam winner—one of the event’s marquee superstars—carried the torch towards the cauldron that was designed to resemble Mount Fuji.
The identity of the final torchbearer, as per tradition, was kept a secret until the last minute.
The opening ceremony was the first major public appearance Osaka made since she decided to take a two-month mental health break after pulling out of the French Open.
The decision to pick the popular tennis superstar as the final torchbearer is being seen by many as an attempt by the organizers to move away from a string of controversies and gaffes that have overshadowed the lead-up to the games.
Tokyo’s Covid-19 state of emergency meant that no fans were in attendance at the opening ceremony and the stands were occupied only by a small group of domestic and foreign dignitaries.
Key Background
Osaka’s appearance was a big win for the opening ceremony that has been rocked by scandals and controversies. On Thursday, the games’ organizing committee dismissed Kentaro Kobayashi, the director of the opening ceremony, after an old video of him making anti-semitic remarks and jokes about the Holocaust emerged online. Earlier in the week, composer Keigo Oyamada stepped down from the opening ceremony after an old interview of him admitting to bullying his classmates with disabilities resurfaced. In March, Hiroshi Sasaki, the creative director of the opening ceremony, resigned after reports emerged of him making insensitive remarks about, Naomi Watanabe, a popular plus-sized female entertainer. Yoshiro Mori, the former head of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee was also forced to resign after making several sexist remarks in a meeting. The 23-year-old Osaka—one of the best tennis players in the world—offers a stark contrast to these controversial figures. With a Haitian father and a Japanese mother, she is seen to represent a more modern and diverse Japanese society. The tennis superstar has publicly voiced support for racial and gender equality on and off the court, while also opening up about mental health. In 2019, Osaka made the decision to give up her U.S. citizenship to represent Japan in the Olympics.
Tangent
The opening ceremony was a largely muted affair with a sprinkling of made-for-TV special moments. The parade of nations saw participants from 205 countries and the Olympics Refugee Team march out to songs from influential Japanese video games like Sonic The Hedgehog, Final Fantasy, and Chrono Trigger. After the parade, more than 1,800 drones filled the sky over the stadium in the shape of a globe, lit up first to resemble the Tokyo 2020 logo and then Planet Earth. This was followed by a rendition of the song ‘Imagine’ by a group of artists around the world including Keith Urban and John Legend.
Surprising Fact
The order of the parade of nations followed the Japanese alphabet which meant that Ireland, which is spelt with an ‘A’, entered very early while Australia, which is spelt with an ‘O’, was the 38th nation to enter the stadium.
