That was the message behind a vibrant
Opening Ceremony that heralded the start of the Rio 2016 Olympics.
From
supermodel Gisele Bundchen's tribute to the "Girl from Ipanema" to the
promise of an athletes' forest to be planted after the Games, Brazil's
big night saluted the country's past and pointed towards a greener
future.
A day of protests against
the hosting of the Games gave way to a night of pageantry at the
Maracana Stadium, albeit on a budget one-tenth the size of the
equivalent in London four years ago.
"These
first-ever Olympic Games in South America will go from Brazil to the
entire world," International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach
told the crowd.
"With the Olympic
Games as a catalyst, you have achieved in just seven years what
generations before you could only dream of. You have transformed the
city of Rio de Janeiro into a modern metropolis and made it even more
beautiful.
"Our admiration for you is even greater
because you managed this at a very difficult time in Brazilian history.
We have always believed in you."
During his speech, Bach also paid tribute to the refugee team which will compete in Rio under the Olympic flag.
"We
are living in a world where selfishness is gaining ground, where
certain people claim to be superior to others," he said of the Olympians
representing displaced people across the world. "Here is our Olympic
answer."
President of the
organizing committee Carlos Nuzman delivered an impassioned tribute to
Rio and urged Brazilians to embrace the Games.
"Our
dream is for the Olympic city to be transformed by the Games," he said.
"This marvelous city is the perfect city. Let's live our dream together
and stay together when circumstances challenge us.
"In the name of all Brazilians, I welcome the world. Rio is ready to make history."
Brazil's
interim president Michel Temer spoke briefly to the crowd to officially
open the Olympics, but he was greeted by boos from a section of the
crowd, reflecting the dissatisfaction of the Brazilian people with the
government.
The lighting of the
Olympic cauldron followed, with the honor going to Vanderlei Cordeiro de
Lima, a former runner who led the marathon at the 2004 Games until he
was attacked by a spectator. He eventually finished third.
Former
tennis star Gustavo Kuerten brought the flame into the stadium and
passed it on to ex-basketballer Hortencia Marcari, then De Lima took
center stage.
While the opening sequence of the
ceremony included a nod to "Gambiarra" -- the Brazilian talent for
making something great out of almost nothing -- public anger Friday
focused on the level of spending on the Games.
Against
this backdrop, the ceremony's director Fernando Meirelles -- whose most
famous work is the 2002 film "City of God" -- was keen to spread a
message of conservation.
And
despite describing the final rehearsal as a "disaster," Meirelles and
Games organizers will be relieved that festivities went off without a
hitch.
As if to reinforce the green ethos of the ceremony, it came to a close with a floral recreation of the Olympic rings.
Prior
to the 11,000-plus athletes parading into the stadium, it was revealed
each of them would plant a seed that would form a forest at Radical Park
in Deodoro, containing a different species for each of the 207
competing nations.
Gisele
threatened to steal the show when she strutted across the arena floor,
with the world's highest-earning supermodel admitting it was "the
longest catwalk I'll ever walk" in an Instagram post prior to the
ceremony.
"I am humbled and honored
to be part of this historic moment for my country," she added. "I
believe that the unity is the key to creating a world filled with
kindness, gratitude, peace, and love."
The show is the work of 35,000
professionals and roughly 12,000 volunteers. It featured 12 samba
schools and required 5,500 costumes.
Brazil's
flag bearer was modern pentathlete Yane Marques, who led the home team
into the Maracana to a rapturous welcome, with the hosts bringing the
parade of nations to a close.
The Russian team was led into the stadium by flag bearer Sergei Tetiukhin, who is on the men's volleyball team.
The
271 Russian athletes -- out of an original entry list of 389 -- who
walked into the stadium were only officially cleared to take part in the
Games on Thursday.
The Court of Arbitration for
Sport is still deliberating on several appeals from Russians seeking to overturn doping bans.
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