Opening Ceremony

WHAT AN EPIC!! I have to admit about 3 hours in I was gagging for the torch lightning and the whole thing to be over. Surely this 3 and 3/4 hour sojourn set the record for longest Opening Ceremonies ever! The second test in Galle was almost decided in shorter time.

Having said that - as Opening Ceremonies go it was pretty good. I presume the opening origami with metallic boxes was some sort of ode to the Zika virus, but the historical story of Brazil and Rio was great and they certainly didn't overlook any controversial elements including the European invasion and subsequent transfer of African slaves to the continent.

The big plus point was the overt reference to global warming and just how many major cities on multiple continents would be affected by a rise in the sea level. The concentric circles showing the rise in global temperatures over the last century is one of the more compelling ways I've seen evidence of global warming presented. We've certainly come a long way from the uproar when Peter Garret wore a sorry t-shirt at the Sydney closing ceremony.

There were a staggering 205 nations that walked into the stadium - and it teams it felt like it would never end. I guess the one benefit of colonialism is that the march of the athletes was a lot more consolidated and a lot shorter! I also would have completely failed at my own trivia question as there is no way in hell I would have backed Saudi Arabia and South Africa to enter before Australia! For once the Australian outfits weren't totally offensive and where actually quiet tasteful.

The torch lightning was excellent and made up for the complete non-event that London's was. Guga carried the beacon into the stadium and was his usual emotive self before handing it over to some basketballer I've never heard of. Finally, she passed the torch to Vanderlei de Lima - who infamously was leading the Marathon in Athens before being attacked by that Irish serial pest who dresses up in St Patricks day gear. His momentum shattered de Lima managed to hold onto Bronze but broke down in tears after the race. His ability to overcome the shock of the attack and finish showed the true Olympic spirit, and there could be no one more deserving of lighting the Olympic torch.

So with that over let the games begin - and we'll have our usual Day 1 fair of rowing, equestrian and swimming to keep us occupied in the early hours of the morning and into Sunday brunch when the Australian swimmers will try to throw off the dreaded choking tag!

Finally, the Channel 7 bullshit meter kicked straight into gear. In a 4 hour ceremony held only every 4 years the 7 boffins couldn't even wait 10 minutes before cutting to an ad break. Dead set flogs.