“Let The Games Begin”
These were the words of 10-times equestrian gold medallist Lee Pearson, who was chosen by his 264 fellow athletes to carry the Union flag into the Maracana Stadium at the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony last night.
Lee’s exact words were, “That was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. I am a proud Brit and i’m even more proud now after leading the ParalympicsGB athletes out.”
“Now let’s crack on with the Games, and show the world what we can do. It’s been an absolutely brilliant opening ceremony.”
And he wasn’t wrong! It was a spectacular event, full of colour,
dancing, music and fireworks, with the wonderful Brazilian Carnival flavour,
which we have come to know and love.
4,300 athletes from 161 nations, plus two refugees in an independent team, took part in the Ceremony at the Maracana Stadium, which saw American Snowboarder Amy Purdy dance the samba with a robot,
and American Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham perform a breathtaking jump in a wheelchair, jumping from an enormous ramp, and doing a back-flip through a giant ring.
Aaron “Wheelz” Backflips Through Ring
Speaking in the build-up to the games, Amy said “I am honoured and filled with pride about dancing in the opening ceremony, having won a bronze medal for Team USA in the Winter 2014 Winter Olympics snowboarding in Sochi, Russia. It’s really interesting to be back as a non-competitor.”
The Brazilian National Anthem was played exquisitely on the piano by Carlos Martin
and then each nation entered the stadium carrying a piece of jigsaw, with the name of their Country on one side, and the faces of each of the athletes on the other.
And in a lovely touch, once the jigsaw was completed with the pieces from each nation, each and every athlete, in essence, lay together, to form a beating heart, which then started beating in time with the music.
Music, and dancing filled the stadium for over four hours, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display,
after the cauldron had been lit by Clodoaldo Silva.
The excitement and happiness on the faces of the competitors was plain to see,
and it is clear that the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games are going to be magnificent.
Flavio Machado should give himself a big pat on the back for designing such a touching and thought-provoking opening ceremony, which he named..
“Everyone Has a Heart”
