This past week, the 31st Olympiad or Rio Summer Olympics started. The opening ceremony was aired on Friday, August 5. The Olympics first started around the eighth century in Ancient Greece. It is so interesting how something that started so long ago is still a huge deal and is still in practice today. This Olympics is unique in a few different ways.
First there has been many speculation about the games being held in Rio while there have been some political issues. The president of Brazil wasn't present as he was suspended from his duties, but the interim president was present during the opening ceremonies.
In an interview with Michael Phelps, he said that his first Olympic games was during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Since then, Phelps has gone on to win 18 gold medals. That amazes me! This will be Phelps' fourth Olympics that he is participating in and he already has won 18 gold medals and has the record for most United States gold medals. This Olympics is even more amazing for Phelps, because usually he is swimming on the first day of the Olympics and he doesn't participate in the opening ceremony. So not only is Phelps going to be marching in the ceremony, he is going to be holding the U.S. flag and leading the U.S. Olympic team. The prestigious honor of carrying the U.S. flag was voted on by the U.S. team and everyone agreed that Phelps should be the one to carry the flag. This in my opinion is probably the most special Olympics yet for Phelps.
This year, golf is again in the Olympics after 112 years. The last time golf was in the Olympics was in 1904. Even though golf is again in the Olympics, some world-famous golfers have decided not to golf in the Olympics.
The creative team behind the opening ceremonies said that most opening ceremonies talk about their own personal country. However this time, the creative team decided to have the opening ceremony focus on what is common through out the world. They also focused on environmental issues that everyone is facing today. As the rain forest started to take form on the stage one of the commentators said if the rain forest was its own country, it would be the ninth largest country. The performers during the rain forest scene are actual descendants of the indigenous people.
Then the ceremony went on to show the immigration of settlers to Brazil. They named Brazil after the many Brazilian trees that grew in the area. Immigration has affected every country and every culture in the whole entire world. It goes on to show how the slave trade came into Brazil. Brazil was very big in the slave trade and was one of the first countries to abolish slavery. Then Africans would come to Brazil to escape slavery and African culture is still a big part of Brazil today. In the United States, we have been called the big melting pot, and how cultures kind of mix together. But in Brazil as the different cultures came to this special place, all the cultures created a kind of mosaic of cultures, not a melting pot. Each culture added a piece to this country and each culture is celebrated in different ways.
This is only the opening ceremonies, I can't wait till the games start and see what other unique things are going to be going on during this Olympics. And not to mention all of the athletes with their own stories to tell and all the obstacles they went through to make it to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
