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, 11:15 AM EDT

Naomi Osaka lights Olympic cauldron, marking start of Games

The Olympic cauldron has been lit, marking the end of the opening ceremony and symbolizing the start of the 2020 Tokyo Games.

The Olympic torch is carried during the opening ceremony in Tokyo, July 23, 2021.
Leah Millis/Reuters

The Olympic flame made its way to Tokyo during the Olympic torch relay, which began several months ago at Olympia, Greece. Upon entering the stadium, the flame was passed between various people before reaching the cauldron.

At one point, the torch was carried by a physician and a nurse who have treated many COVID-19 patients -- a nod to all the health workers on the front lines of the pandemic.

Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka lights the Olympic Cauldron with the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium, in Tokyo, on July 23, 2021.
Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images

But it was Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka who ultimately lit the cauldron. Osaka, 23, was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father but was raised in the United States.

It's the first time Osaka has competed at the Olympics. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion has always represented her birth country in competitions -- and now at the Games.

Jul 23, 2021, 10:39 AM EDT

Speeches stress importance of hope, unity

After a musical performance of John Lennon's "Imagine" featuring singers from around the world, some 1,800 drones lit up the skies over the stadium in the formation of a globe. 

Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, and Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, then took the stage for brief remarks. 

Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto speaks at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo.
Hannah Mckay/Reuters

The pandemic loomed large over both speeches this year. Hashimoto, a seven-time Olympian herself, addressed the crowd in Japanese.

"Today, with the world facing great challenges, some are again questioning the power of sport and the value of the Olympic Games," Hashimoto said.

"Citizens of the world and the people of Japan are with us in spirit as athletes from around the globe gather here at the Olympic stadium under the Olympic flag," she added. "Here is a vision for the future, one that embodies unity in diversity, one of peace and respect for one another." 

Hashimoto called this "the power of sport and an expression of the fundamental values of the Olympic movement."

Thomas Bach, the IOC President, makes a speech as Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo 2020 President looks on during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

 

Bach then expressed gratitude to the people of Japan for hosting the events despite many challenges, referencing the nation's reconstruction following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 and then resilience through the coronavirus crisis. 

Bach also emphasized the importance of hope, especially through sports, during difficult times. 

"The pandemic forces us apart," Bach said. "But today wherever in the world you may be we are united in sharing this moment together. The Olympic flame makes this light shine brighter for all of us." 

Japan's Emperor Naruhito, whose grandfather opened the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, then officially declared the Games open as a fireworks show illuminated the stadium.

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

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