By Kyla Brewer
TV Media
There’s something almost magical about the Olympic Games. No matter what’s going on in the world, nations put aside their differences to celebrate excellence in sport, and nothing showcases that solidarity like the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games.
The fun kicks off in Rio de Janeiro when athletes participate in the Parade of Nations before the official lighting of the Olympic cauldron during the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics, airing Friday, Aug. 5, on NBC. Traditionally, the Opening Ceremony boasts a number of stunning performances as the host city welcomes the world, and Rio is sure to pull out all the stops as the first South American city to host the Summer Olympic Games.
“The Olympic Opening Ceremony is always a singular can’t-miss event, and this year, because it’s in Rio, you know it’s going to be a party like no other,” said NBC executive Jim Bell.
Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira and Savannah Guthrie co-host NBC’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony from the legendary Maracanã Stadium, site of the 2007 Pan American Games. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the ceremony includes formal elements such as speeches, flag raising and the Parade of Nations, in which the athletes march into the stadium proudly wearing their nation’s colors.
For the first time ever, this year’s Parade of Nations features 10 athletes who don’t represent any specific country, as they compete for the Refugee Olympic Team (ROT). These refugees shine a spotlight on the current global refugee crisis by carrying the Olympic flag into the stadium immediately before host nation Brazil during the Opening Ceremony.
As in past Olympics, Rio’s Opening Ceremony showcases the host nation’s culture in an artistic spectacle designed to wow millions, if not billions, of spectators in Rio and around the world. Acclaimed filmmakers Fernando Meirelles (“City of God,” 2002), Andrucha Waddington (“Me You Them,” 2000) and Daniela Thomas (“Foreign Land,” 1995) have been tapped as creative directors of the ceremony, which features thousands of performers in a celebration of Brazil, which is known as a place of unbridled revelry thanks to such festivals as the annual Carnival.
Previous host countries of the Summer Olympics have gone all out with lavish ceremonies involving high-tech lighting, moving stages, pyrotechnics and more, but Meirelles and his team had a much smaller budget to produce Rio’s Opening Ceremony. In fact, Rio had just 10 percent of the budget London spent on the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games. Undaunted, Meirelles has actually been supportive of the decision. “I would be ashamed to waste what London spent in a country where we need sanitation, where education needs money,” he told reporters in September.
What the spectacle might lack in high-budget effects, it is expected to make up for in creativity. The rhythms of the country’s various musical styles serve as the soundscape for a look at Brazilian culture that includes dancers and indigenous artists, in addition to thousands of amateur volunteer performers. In November of last year, hip-hop dancers, skateboarders and roller skaters auditioned in the hopes of adding a taste of urban street culture to Rio’s Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Renowned choreographer Deborah Colker has taken on the challenge of managing the more than 6,000 dancers involved in the production. Rehearsals began at the end of May, but details have been fairly guarded by all involved. Colker has said that they have been working on a segment about the colonization of Brazil.
While everyone is filled with anticipation for the Opening Ceremony, the Closing Ceremony is often a bittersweet affair as friends new and old bid farewell following intense competitions, victories and heartbreak. NBC brings viewers full coverage of that event as well, which is set to air Sunday, Aug. 21.
As with the Opening Ceremony, the Closing Ceremony is subject to the rules of the Olympic Charter and will include official closing speeches, the hoisting of flags, another Parade of Nations and the extinguishing of the Olympic flame. Maracanã Stadium once again serves as the venue, which will also feature the official handover to Tokyo, Japan, where the next Summer Olympics will take place in 2020.
While the Opening Ceremony is all about coming together, the Closing Ceremony is about honoring the special memories and moments of the Olympic Games for the competitors, coaches, supporters and countries.
NBC brings viewers the magic and excitement of the Games as athletes— sometimes from rival countries or countries with long-standing conflicts— come together in sport at Rio’s Opening Ceremonies on Friday, Aug. 5. On the flip side, the Closing Ceremony, which airs Sunday, Aug. 21, relives the most memorable moments of the games. Don’t miss either spectacle, or a moment in between, as the world’s best athletes converge at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
