Top moments from the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony

After a yearlong delay, the 2020 Summer Olympics officially opened in Tokyo.

Last Updated: July 23, 2021, 5:18 PM EDT

After a yearlong delay and a string of scandals, the 2020 Summer Olympics officially opened in Tokyo.

All eyes were on the opening ceremony to see whether the host city could not only put on a good show but also lift spirits and unite a world battered by a raging pandemic. The event, which took place in Tokyo's newly rebuilt Olympic Stadium, began Friday at 8 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET) and was broadcast live on NBC.

The Games were initially scheduled to kick off in the Japanese capital last summer but were postponed due to the scourge of COVID-19.

Highlights:

Here are key moments from the opening ceremony. All times Eastern.
Jul 23, 2021, 9:58 AM EDT

A 'Parade of Nations' unlike any other

After a dance- and music-filled opening, some of the Olympic athletes from the 205 participating countries marched into the stadium for the hourslong "Parade of Nations" segment of the ceremony.

The parade has been part of the opening ceremonies at the Games since the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. Traditionally, each nation chooses just one flag-bearer for the parade. But this year, countries were actively encouraged to select both a male and female representative to carry their flag.

Anna Korakaki and Eleftherios Petrounias, of Greece, carry their country's flag during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.
Petr David Josek/AP Photo

For the first time in Olympic history, countries entered in alphabetical order according to their names in the Japanese language, using the katakana alphabet.

However, the first team to enter is always Greece because that's where the ancient Games originated in 776 B.C.

Yusra Mardini of the Refugee Olympic Team and Tachlowini Gabriyesos of the Refugee Olympic Team lead their contingent in the athletes parade during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games.
Mike Blake/Reuters

This year, the second team to enter was the special team of refugee athletes put together by the International Olympic Committee. The team's name, IOC, is ahead of every other alphabetically in katakana.

Syrian-born swimmer Yusra Mardini and Eritrean-born long-distance runner Tachlowini Gabriyesos were selected to carry the special flag for the Refugee Olympic Team during the lap of the stadium.

Flag bearers Sofya Velikaya and Maxim Mikhaylov of Team ROC lead their team during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Maja Hitij/Getty Images

With Russia's team name, flag and national anthem banned from the next two Olympics over allegations of a state-backed doping program, the country's athletes marched into the stadium this year with the Olympic flag and under the name ROC, an acronym for Russian Olympic Committee.

It's the second time that Russia has not been able to use its own name, flag or anthem at the Games. During the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Russia's team was branded as OAR, an acronym for Olympic Athletes from Russia.

Flagbearers Hend Zaza and Ahmad Saber Hamcho lead out the Syria's team during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Japan. Picture date: Friday July 23, 2021.
Martin Rickett/AP Photo

Among the athletes marching in for Syria was 12-year-old table tennis player Hend Zaza, the youngest athlete at the Tokyo Olympics.

Zaza was one of the two flag-bearers for Syria's team.

The U.S. delegation marches during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics at the National Stadium on July 23, 2021, in Tokyo.
Kyodo News via Getty Images

Team USA was third-to-last to enter. Basketball player Sue Bird and baseball player Eddy Alvarez were the flag-bearers.

Bird, a 40-year-old point guard for the Seattle Storm, is the oldest player in the Women's National Basketball Association. Born in New York, Bird holds duel U.S.-Israeli citizenship. She has won four Olympic gold medals.

Alvarez, a 31-year-old infielder for the Miami Marlins, has also been to the Olympics before but not for baseball. Prior to his professional baseball career, Alvarez won a silver medal in the 5,000-meter relay in speed skating with Team USA at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Born in Miami to Cuban immigrants, Alvarez became the first Winter Olympics athlete and the first non-baseball Olympian since Jim Thorpe to play Major League Baseball following his MLB debut in August 2020.

Flagbearers Yui Susaki of Japan and Rui Hachimura of Japan lead their contingent in the athletes parade during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, July 23, 2021.
Phil Noble/Reuters

The last team to enter is always the host country, which is Japan for these Games. Wrestler Yui Susaki and basketball player Rui Hachimura carried the Japanese flag.

Born in Japan's Toyama prefecture, Hachimura is a 23-year-old forward on the Washington Wizards in the National Basketball Association.

Jul 23, 2021, 8:50 AM EDT

Protests outside stadium cast shadow over opening ceremony

Crowds similar to what is typically seen outside major political summits gathered near the venue as the opening ceremony began. While the crowds aren’t massive, they are vocal.

Anti-Olympics protesters, right, stage a rally in front of lines of policemen near National Stadium in Tokyo Friday, July 23, 2021.
Ryosuke Uematsu/AP Photo

The chants, police whistles and loudspeakers could even be heard inside the stadium. 

People stage a protest before the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan, 23 July 2021.
FRANCK ROBICHON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The mood inside the nearly empty venue was described as solemn by ABC News reporters in attendance and a bit like a dress rehearsal due to the absence of spectators.

As the athletes marched in, however, they were said to be in good spirits despite not being greeted by live applause. 

Protesters stage a rally outside the National Stadium, before the opening ceremony starts at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo.
Shuji Kajiyama/AP Photo

The Olympics host city of Tokyo is currently under a state of emergency order as new COVID-19 cases have spiked in the lead-up to the Games. Many locals have expressed fears that the games will spark a surge in cases, and polls show a majority of the Japanese public were against hosting the Games this year.

The government and organizers, however, doggedly forged ahead.

On the eve of the opening ceremony, Tokyo health officials reported a nearly six-month high in new COVID-19 cases. Some 1,979 new cases were reported, the highest single-day figure since January.

Protesters, left bottom, gather outside the National Stadium, before the opening ceremony starts at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo.
Shuji Kajiyama/AP Photo

Jul 23, 2021, 7:45 AM EDT

Ceremony commences with light-filled dance, national anthem performance 

The opening ceremony kicked off with a dance inspired by how sports can bring people together after a difficult year marked by a global pandemic.

Fireworks explode during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Bright, moving lights filled the empty venue and the rhythm was meant to imitate a heartbeat as dozens of Japanese performers pranced across the stadium. 

Dancers perform during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at National Stadium in Tokyo on July 23, 2021.
Kunihiko Miura/AP Photo

Arisua Tsubata, a boxer and nurse who treated COVID-19 patients, helmed the opening dance performance from a treadmill in the center of the stadium grounds. 

Following the colorful dance event, the Japanese national anthem was sung by artist MISIA as the as the iconic flag was raised by members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces.

Performers act out a routine in-front of the Olympic Rings during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Dylan Martinez - Pool/Getty Images

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito was in attendance, taking on the same role his grandfather held when he opened the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.

Fireworks illuminate over the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo.
Shuji Kajiyama/AP Photo

The ceremony then featured percussive performances meant to honor traditional Japanese carpentry arts. Beloved Japanese tap dancer Kazunori Kumagai also made a cameo performance. 

Fireworks erupted over the stadium, lighting up the sky and officially commencing the Summer Olympics.

Jul 23, 2021, 7:04 AM EDT

Opening ceremony kicks off

The opening ceremony for the 2020 Summer Olympics has begun in Tokyo.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics stadium is seen in, Tokyo, Japan on July 23, 2021.
Kim Kyung-hoon/Reuters

The event at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium will feature a lighting of the Olympic cauldron, a parade of some of the athletes and plenty of music.

The stands are virtually empty with less than 1,000 people actually seated in the venue, which can hold up to 68,000. But millions of viewers are watching from at home.

A general view ahead of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Japan.
Mike Egerton/AP Photo

In attendance are approximately 6,000 athletes and team officials, 900 Games stakeholders and guests of honor along with 3,500 members of the press. U.S. first lady Jill Biden is among the dignitaries in the stands.

No spectators are allowed to attend the opening ceremony -- or any event in an Olympic venue in Tokyo during the Games -- as part of efforts to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.

Empty stands are seen behind the stage and the Tokyo 2020 emblem ahead of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium, in Tokyo, on July 23, 2021.
Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images

The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee and the Japanese government have faced criticism for pushing ahead with the Games this year, despite public health concerns amid rising COVID-19 cases. The opening ceremony is already mired in controversy of its own, with the latest incident happening on the eve of the event. The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee fired the ceremony's director, Kentaro Kobayashi, over a joke he made about the Holocaust as a comedian in 1998.

"We have been preparing for the last year to send a positive message," Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, said during a press conference Thursday. "Toward the very end now there are so many incidents that give a negative image toward Tokyo 2020."

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