Opening Ceremony Replay Olympic Ceremonies

This programme contains scenes of Repetitive Flashing Images.

Welcome to Rio de Janeiro, where the BBC will be giving you coverage,

whether it is on television, radio, online or to BBC sport app. The

games got underway last night, just a warning that the ceremony contains

flashing images. Let us join the commentary team, Andrew Cotter and

Hazel Irvine. COMMENTATOR: Hello, welcome,

to paraphrase Charles Dickens, it's the best of times and worst

of times in Brazil, the economy tanking,

the political establishment in turmoil, health crisis

across the region, and not an easy time for the icy in our faith

in fair play and yet here we are, 14,500 athletes about to share

the biggest, the best and most significant celebration

on the planet. Perhaps we need sport

at the Olympics to remind us of how brilliant we can be and how joyous

it is to share something good with the rest of the world

in times of crisis. Against that backdrop,

what will Rio give us tonight? The opening ceremony,

rightly or wrongly, helps The great sporting moments sear

themselves into our memories but so, too, we remember spectacular,

clever moments, the arch in Barcelona, jet Pac man

in Los Angeles, 2008, dramas in Beijing or anyone

of so many from London, getting the Games off to a good

start goes a long But this ceremony is not expensive

by recent standards, one of the main directors,

the film director Fernando Mirallas has said that in these times,

how can you spend fortunes of this? He said Athens was classical,

Beijing was grandiose, London was smart and this

is going to be cool. Time for you to judge

for yourselves and enjoyed it. Time for you to judge for yourselves

and enjoy it. Welcome to the opening ceremony

of the Olympic Games. For the very first time,

South America welcomes the world # O Rio de Janeiro continua lindo

# O Rio de Janeiro continua # O Rio de Janeiro,

fevereiro e maro # Al, al,

Realengo - aquele abrao! # Al, torcida do Flamengo

- aquele abrao! # Chacrinha continua balanando

a pana # E continua

dando as ordens no terreiro # Al, al, seu Chacrinha -

velho guerreiro # Al, al, Terezinha, Rio de Janeiro

# Al, al, seu Chacrinha - # Todo mundo da Portela -

aquele abrao! # Todo ms de fevereiro -

aquele passo! # Al, Banda de Ipanema -

aquele abrao! # Meu caminho pelo mundo eu mesmo

trao # Pra voc que meu

esqueceu - aquele abrao! # Todo o povo brasileiro -

aquele abrao!# from above the city of Rio de

Janeiro show that sport is a key part of life and also that in this

city, nature and the urban Aquele Abraco means that hard

and we are about to join a welcome One of the recurring themes

of the ceremony will be gambiarra, the Brazilian talent for making

something wonderful So first, we look down on simple

sheets of metallic paper but they will recreate a pattern

from the artist Athos Bulcao, The countdown now marks

the beginning of this ceremony, raising and lowering,

the squares become giant cushions and on zero, the volunteers

will use them as drums, creating a powerful batucada,

a samba beat. A Brazilian

twist on Beijing's 2008 drummers And a silver vortex is created,

and something special The main themes

of this ceremony summed up Time for the presentation

of two key figures. Thomas Bach, the president

of the IOC, a German, former Olympic gold-medallist

in fencing in 1976. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand

for the national anthem of Brazil. The Maracana Stadium opened

in 1950 for the World Cup. A few hundred thousand fans squeezed

in here for the final. 75,000 here for the final

between Germany and Argentina # Ouviram do Ipiranga as margens

placidas # De um povo heroico o

brado retumbante # E o sol da

Liberdade em raios fulgidos. # Brilhou no ceu da Patria nesse

instante # Se o penhor dessa

igualdade # Conseguimos conquistar

com braco forte # Em teu seio,

o Liberdade # Desafia o nosso peito

a propria morte! # Brasil, um sonho intenso,

um raio vivido # De amor e de

esperanca a terra desce # Se em teu

formoso ceu, risonho e limpido # Es belo, es forte,

impavido colosso # E o teu futuro

espelha essa grandeza Continuing with the theme,

a simple yet beautiful rendition of the national anthem

by the Brazilian composer. There was an elegance and simplicity

in that rendition that says much Before the European settlers

in Brazil, before the indigenous people, we go back very

noisily even further Just add water, the

beginnings of life appear. Represented by microorganisms

dividing and multiplying on video. The whole floor

of the Maracana Stadium is being used as a giant

video screen, with images And here come some large sculptures

of microbes crossing the stage. The noise and the visuals

inside the Maracana are stunning and now we taken great leap forward,

millions of years, to the birth 4 million indigenous people

inhabited the territory now The area was called Pindorama,

land of the palm trees. The sounds of the fluttering wings

now accompanied by a chorus of strange noises from the forest

floor and the canopy, and by the flutes come

at the percussive instruments and the songs of the native peoples,

creating a serial noises and shapes on the floor

of this virtual florist. The people of the forest represented

here by dancers from Amazonia. 60% of the Amazonian rainforest

is within Brazil's borders and as recently as 2011,

an indigenous tribe of 200 people who had not had contact

with the outside world were discovered there and it's

believed there are still others. The arrival of the Europeans,

which we will see more of in a moment, is a fairly recent

phenomenon in the history There were around 1 million people

spread along what is now the coast of Brazil

the Europeans arrived. Indeed, 270 different languages

are spoken in Brazil, and 13% of its territory occupied

by the indigenous It's an enormous elastic band

being stretched to And finally they come together

to create three huge And now, with a clap of thunder,

the creation of the modern-day Brazilian people with the arrival

of Europeans, Africans, First to arrive, the Europeans,

small Portuguese sailing ships with acrobats simulating

the movements of a ship in a storm. This is the journey

of the Portuguese, a fleet led by Pedro Alvarez Cabral

which landed in 1500. For the Portuguese this was the land

where everything rose, Indeed, the first tree,

the Pau Brazil, was used to make red dye and this tree ended up naming

this country, Brazil. Then arrives

the Africans, four groups represent the Africans who were brought

to Brazil by force, the slave trade centred around Angola and the lower

Congo River and lasted The wheels and sticks represent

ploughs and the weights It's a clear message that African

culture is that the heart And as they move their projected

forest is replaced by patterns And this is a section that echoes

some of the themes in London's Industrial

Revolution scene, this caused by migratory waves from every

corner of the world, This section is called

Geometrization, as the more natural world and the flow we can see

is replaced by the more structured And finally we have two more groups

representing immigration from the Middle East and Asia,

Syrians and Lebanese in particular dominated trade

here in the 19th century. And the red banners appear,

signifying Japanese culture. Japanese immigrants started arriving

in Brazil at the start of the 20th century and today,

Brazil has the largest population of Japanese

descendants in the world. Other communities came, too,

further waves of German and Italian immigrants from the 1800s onwards,

many of whom settled in the southern most states Brazil,

fusing together Brazil's Once more, the organic forms

of nature are replaced with the geometry of agriculture,

the defining of roads. So, the people have arrived,

and now, now the great The stadium

building a brilliant video representation and projections

on the floor, a theme that was carried through Beijing

to Vancouver, London and Sochi. The building of modern-day Brazil,

centred around densely populated megacities,

in particular Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo,

and a huge Brazilian Metropolis These are very clever,

very classy projections, I can assure you that the stadium

floor remains totally flat, Parkour, free running groups cross

the buildings, and projection and choreography, working

perfectly together. Then the construction,

the contemporary cities revealed almost 100 buildings made of boxes

on top of each other and acrobats, defying the height

and scaling the facades. Perhaps a nod to the fact that sport

climbing is one of the new sports that has just been accepted

to the next Olympics in Tokyo, 2020. The music is a version

of Construcao, by Chico Buarque, a well-known piece

of music in Brazil. He was exiled during

the military dictatorship, for a time, from 1964 to 1985,

and his songs are those of Gilberto Gil, who we will hear

later, were considered oppressive by the regime that suppressed

and crackdown on democracy. Gilberto Gil came to London

for a couple of years. So, the mega city has been

reaching for the sky, something that one of Brazil's most

famous inventors has also done. Yes, you might think that the Wright

brothers managed the first successful powered flight

in 1903 but in France and certainly in Brazil,

they attribute it to And in it, he will make a flight

across the Maracana and out into the night sky of Rio de

Janeiro. We have taken a few liberties here,

the 14 BIS only flew for about 60 Americans are probably watching

this, pointing out 1906 is later than 1903 but they go out over Rio,

going over the Sugarloaf Mountain, the national park, the aqueduct

built in the middle of the 18th century to bring clean

water from the Carioca River. Towards the 100 foot high statue

of Christ the Redeemer which has overlooked the city

for the past 80 years. A nod to the unmistakably cool

harmonic composition of Tom Jobim. Towards the famous beaches

of Copacabana and Ipanema and Tom Jobim composed

the Girl From Ipanema And who is the Girl From Ipanema,

walking towards the statue of Daniel Jobin is the grandson

of the composer, Tom Jobim. The line she leaves on the floor,

echoing the likes of Oscar Niemeyer, who designed many of the buildings

Brasilia, the modern-day capital of Brazil and indeed,

the United Nations Gisele 's forefathers came to Brazil

in that wave of immigration from Germany in the 1800s and this

is her last catwalk. Now far above Ipanema,

a pulsating energy rises, passinho, a dance style

that was created in the favelas, Rio is still very much a divided

city between rich and poor neighbourhoods but this musical

culture and creativity, it showcases talents of the many

people who live there, who have so often been stigmatised

because of the crime and violence And the passinho is a dance that

appeared in the favelas, its move That was the sound of Ludmila

and the Happiness Rap, and also the sound of a middle-aged

commentator trying to sound with it! Never mind 40-something,

she is 70 something! She was voted best thing

of the millennium in 2000 by the BBC, she was

married to the great Showing the diversity of Carioca

and Rio pop music, here, Challenges issued between groups

on one side to the other. Marcelo D2 was the one on the right,

by the way. And now with a mixture of breakdowns

and capoeira performed at the centre of the stadium,

busy tribute to the contribution of Capoeira, the Brazilian

mixture of dance and martial arts with its roots in

West Africa. Capoeira was actually recognised

by UNESCO two years ago as intangible heritage,

not so much a world Heritage site Another comment on that

tensions and disputes. Fire dancing in so

many forms of dance and expression, each variation

we are seeing on the stadium floor reminds us of how diverse

Brazilian culture really is, it's not just Samba and Bossa Nova,

so much more besides. Yes, the dancers here,

a folk dance from a state and dancers, carnival

dancers from the outskirts So many regional variations

on show here tonight. All to the sound

of the beats created This is Regina Case, actress,

presenter, all-round good sort, Urging everyone to dance around

the stadium to the sound I live in a tropical

country blessed by God, beautiful by nature and everyone

in here knows every line. # Moro num pais tropical,

abencoado por Deus # E bonito por natureza,

mas que beleza # Em fevereiro em

fevereiro # Tem carnaval tem

carnaval # Tenho um fusca e um

violao like a giant irregular line dance

only much more cool, with a soul. # Sou um menino de

mentalidade mediana # Moro num pais tropical,

abencoado por Deus # E bonito por natureza,

mas que beleza # Em fevereiro em

fevereiro # Tem carnaval tem

carnaval # Tenho um fusca e um

violao # Eu posso nao ser um band

leader # Mas assim mesmo la

em casa # Todos meus amigos,

meus camaradinhas me # Do poder, do algo mais e da

alegria Some of these mighty wigs,

you will no one of the most famous Dance parties like this one actually

take place every Saturday night under the viaduct in one

of the northern cities. of fireworks above the Maracana,

but now they will be asking everyone to join in and carry

on around the stadium. We were all joining in,

by which I mean all the people were. But eventually the party

will end and we will have our more serious rather sombre look

to the future, not just for Rio, Brazil, but for the

planet as a whole. Watch the temperature on earth

in the last century. When the ice melts,

the level of the sea rises. What a challenge for

the coastal cities. So bearing in mind the problems,

what then can be done? The boy captivated by

the sight of the seedling Buses, street cars,

a steel stream of traffic. Its colour is uncertain,

it's not showing its petals, It's ugly, but it

really is a flower. I sit down

on the ground of the nation's capital and follow with my fingers

this precarious form. The poem read

by Fernanda Montenegro As they enter, each athlete,

11,000 seedlings will be blunted. The Athletes' Forest will be

the legacy for Rio de Janeiro. Yes, the athletes of the world will

become The Planters Of The World. They've each been given a seed

and it will be planted into a giant 11,500 strong forest

in the Deodoro Radical Park, when we've all left

this beautiful city. That will be part of the legacy

of these Olympic Games. Brazilians know there's a real

contradiction in the stated aims of carbon reduction, deforestation,

and the reality of life here. Let's not be naive, given that

polluted super bacteria in Guanabara Bay saw tonnes

and tonnes of rubbish fished out, there's still much to be not just

by Brazil but by everyone. That is the point they want to ram

home to us tonight. Now it's time, time for those

who will compete here in Rio de It's time for the athletes

of the 2016 Olympic Games. And we will start, as we have done

since the 1928 games The country where it

all began at Olympia. Greece held the first of the modern

Olympic Games in 1896, The beach vendor bicycles are a bit

of fun again, but another carbon This is a sailor who won

gold and bronze. She competes in her third games

and becomes the first to carry the Greek flag,

leading a 90 strong team that despite the six-year Greek debt

crisis that has affected her sport, but she says, I am sure

we will all do our best. She won World Championship

bronze last year. The Brazilian Portuguese alphabet

is being used for this parade, and it does throw up a few

surprises along the way, A team of only three

representing a nation They first appeared

at the Berlin games in 1936. Their star man, going

for an Olympic hat-trick South Africa take their first leap

up the alphabet. They have the first man to go below

ten seconds for the 100, 20 for the 200 and 44

for the the 400. And of course, fast as well in that

team is Caster Semenya, You have Chad Le Clos,

a star name, and he is defending Sadly, his good old dad

Bert and his mum have They are both ill

and we wish them well. Their flag bearer goes

in the 1500 steeplechase. They did not compete in the Olympics

until the Munich games of 1972. And a spirited performance

from their team. The last time a major German

sporting team was in Brazil, they did something rather

unspeakable to the hosts. Those seven goals should not be

mentioned in the Maracana. That is Timo Boll,

table tennis player Their men's and women's

football teams are in And the three-day eventing

team are ready to go We always keep an eye

on the outfits as well. We have seen Thomas Bach,

the IOC president, a fellow Do you remember the discus hurler's

celebration last time? Looks like something the cat

in the hat might write to work, Andorra, the tiny principality

tucked between France and Spain, highest life expectancy

in Europe at 81. They recently announced

it is organising its first sports Events will include golf,

orienteering and archery as well as dominoes,

cards and dancing when everyone Angola, vast country

in the south-west of Africa Again, we have talked

about the slave trade It was chiefly from the country

that is now Angola. That is Luisa Kiala leading out

the delegation for the women's They meet the hosts next Friday

in Rio's answer to Copper Box, That will be used to build

four schools, dismantled This is the selfie

capital of the world. Antigua and Barbuda,

the two Islands which make up a very Discovered by Christopher

Columbus in 1493. That is Daniel Bailey,

who carried flags in London, Beijing, Athens and the

Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Antigua means ancient and Barbuda

means bearded in Spanish. So welcome to the ancient

and bearded ones from Saudi Arabia, a country whose wealth

has been transformed since the production of oil began

in the late 1930s. It was only in 2012 that

Saudi Arabia first allowed women Their sprinter is back

to tackle the marathon. She is joined by a female judoka,

events a sprinter in their 13 She is joined by a female judoka,

a fencer, and sprinter in their 13 Now we move on to Algeria,

Africa's largest country But 80% of it is taken up by part

of the Sahara desert. Judoka Sonia Asselah makes

the flag bearing look easy. They also have a weightlifter

who marches tonight. Aim a string of cheers

inside the Maracana Near neighbours, the second largest

country in South America They are rivals in football,

but it is hockey that delivers Argentina has an affinity with big

cats when it comes to sport. They have the lionesses

and the pumas, the panthers, and all of these

teams will be playing here in Rio. But the football team

was a bit of a to-do. Argentine football is in total

meltdown at the moment. Here, Australia, 421 of them,

a continent in itself and one that has such a proud history

in the Olympic Games. And a real legend carrying their

flag today, Anna Meares. Two golds, one silver and two bronze

at the Olympics, her fourth games, defending sprint champion

in the velodrome. And the introduction for Bangladesh,

one of the world's most densely populated countries,

169 million living in the fertile but often flooded land around

the deltas of the great rivers. And that is the golfer,

their first golfer to carry the standard at the opening ceremony

as golf is reintroduced to the They call him the Tiger

Woods of Bengal. Bangladesh is the world's most

populous country never to have won an Olympic medal,

so they will be hoping. Barbados lies in the south-eastern

extreme of the Caribbean. And Caroline Wozniacki turns up,

wearing the flag of Denmark, the former world number

one tennis player. Denmark was part of the first modern

games in Athens in 1896 and had a very good games in London

four years ago. She nearly lost the position

after failing to meet the Federation She argued that injuries had

prevented her from playing the required number of matches,

and happily, she is here. They also have the sailor who took

silver behind Big Ben Ainslie. Now, who is waving

the flag for Spain? He was supposed to carry the flag

in London, but had a knee injury. He is still struggling

with his wrist injury, He says, I have missed grand slams

and Davis cups in my career, but the toughest thing

was to miss the 2012 Games. As you say, he was desperate to be

here, so welcome back, Rafa. You also have golfer

Sergio Garcia and of course, Sergio Garcia has been trying

for almost 20 years to win a medal. Javier Gomez is not here,

the great rival to Jonathan And the man carrying

the flag is Michael Phelps. If he were a country,

he would come 43rd in the all-time They are wearing jackets that

light up, we are told. A country that has hosted the games

more than any other, Los Angeles twice, and they are

bidding for it again. Also in their ranks are 560

athletes, the biggest by miles here. Ryan Lochte, Missy

Franklin are back. Their shining star is expected to be

people like Katie Ledecky, She is expected to win maybe up

to four gold medals here in Rio. And you have Serena

and Venus Williams, the track She is trying to become the first

woman to win five Olympic Most Americans won't be watching,

the main broadcaster shows it between an hour and four hours later

depending on where Look out in gymnastics,

wait until you see She will take the sport to

new heights. Karl-Martin Rammo is is not

going to be overshadowed by the United States,

leading in Estonia. Competed in the Games from 1920-1936

and was subsumed into the Soviet Union, before

returning in Barcelona. There's only one team

from Tallinn, as variation They hosted the sailing

events in 1980. For the first time in Olympic

history, Leila, Liina and Lily Luik, the first triplets

to compete in the marathon. Tsgabu Gebremaryam Grmay,

Africa's oldest independent country, Now the second-largest behind

Nigeria in terms of population. Tirunesh Dibaba going for a third

gold, her sister is the world Kenenisa Bekele was left out

of the marathon, controversially. The Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia. Landlocked country,

to the north of Greece. The Kosovo war meant a huge number

of ethnic Albanians took The flag with the eighth grade son

representing the new son of liberty, Our French neighbours won

11 golds and finished seventh overall in London,

headlined by a stunning, the president here, a stunning

performance in the pools with four golds equalling their top number

in previous Olympics. Florent Manaudou, the quickest

swimmer is back. The pole vault will

defend his title as well. The big man at the front,

towering over everyone, that is judoka Teddy Riner, big Ted,

defends his heavyweight title, Here he is, in red shoes, holding

in his left arm which is sensible, Andy Murray leads out Great Britain

and Northern Ireland. What a figurehead for a 366 strong

team, said Craig Reidy and his wife This is, Andy says, the proudest

moment of his career. He will try to emulate Sir Chris Hoy

and others in London and carry it The men's singles is missing

Federer, Wawrinka, verdict, Andy Murray plays Viktor Troicki

in the first round on Sunday. He is also playing in the doubles

with Jamie on Sunday. Astonishing 29 gold medals

in London and so many golden opportunities in Rio,

returning champions Jessica Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah,

Greg Rutherford, Nicola Adams, Laura Trott, Charlotte Dujardin, the

list goes on and on. The main island of Grenada lies

towards the southern end They have a very good 400-metre

runner but their main man is... Kirani James, we got

a flash of him there. India, relatively speaking by size

of population, 1.25 billion, not a hugely successful

Olympic nation. Much debate about why,

but obviously economic scams into it -- Much debate about why, but

obviously economics comes into it and for the vast majority of that

population, a variety of sports may The Indian team,

includes men's hockey, Eight of their nine goals

have come in hockey. For the first time, there is over

100 strong, so a significant The men's team in hockey

were unbeaten between 1928 and 1960, but in London

they finished 12th out of 12, Here comes Ireland, led

out by Paddy Barnes, Both bronze and the

light flyweights. They have had a few

problems in the build-up. But as always, we wish our Irish

friends the best in the coming days. Iceland have already achieved

something in sport this summer through their football team's

efforts in France in Their handball team had made

the greatest impact on the world With apologies to Roy Hodgson

and England boys, wouldn't we like to hear that

Icelandic war chant again? Italy enter the stadium, almost ever

present at the Olympic Games. The only ones they missed

were the games of St Louis in 1904. One of the most decorated swimmers

of all time, Federica Pellegrini, at the head of this team that

hopes its efforts will boost Italy's She turned down the chance to carry

the tricolour in London to save her efforts for the next

morning, but she gets another chance The other countries bidding

for the 2024 games that you mentioned are Paris,

Budapest and Los Angeles. Jamaica are bringing

their colour to the stadium. They are led out by the other great

sprinter of Jamaica, Can she beat the big man,

Usain Bolt, to be the first to win three 100 metres

titles in succession? She gets the chance first

next Saturday night She has struggled a bit

with a toe injury this season. Jamaica got 67 Olympic medals,

going back to their All but one of them have come

in athletics, with the exception Japan, with a population

of 127 million, still the world's Expectations are high for the next

host country in Tokyo, 2020. They see it as a stepping stone

and they are targeting at least 14 golds here,

double their Golden And from Kiesuke Ushiro to Yoshida

am the first female team captain. She is going for her fourth

consecutive gold medal. And personal of mine,

David Katoatau of Kiribati. They used to be known

as the Gilbert Islands. His English wasn't great,

but he sang about his The first Olympic Games for Kosovo,

recognised by the IOC Declared independence

from Serbia in 2008 but still And their flag bearer,

Majlinda Kelmendi. New Zealand, a great sporting nation

with a population of only The Kiwis had an awesome Games

in London, with six golds. Expect more of the same,

in men's rowing, the pair have not Skull rower Mike Drysdale

was the first athlete to get Val Adams wants to stand on the top

tier of the shot put podium. Event Mark Todd at his eighth Games

and look out for the black lycra of the Kiwis in the velodrome,

in sailing and of course Oman, on the south-eastern corner

of the Arabian Peninsula, the oldest independent

state in the Arab world, first attended the Olympics in 1984

in Los Angeles. Four of them have flown in from

the capital Muscat to compete. The Netherlands, not Holland

but simply one region What a team this could be,

six gold medals in London and in their ranks, Dafne Schippers,

who powered to a world title over 200 metres last year,

they have got Marianne Vos to beat Lizzie Armitstead to road race gold

in London and the hockey champions are going for an unprecedented

golden hat-trick and a word about the men's gymnastics

competitor who won in spectacular style and we remember his coach,

our much loved colleague Mitch, who sadly passed

away a few weeks ago. Papua New Guinea, the second largest

island in the world after Greenland, occupying the eastern half

of the island with the West That man at the front is Ryan Pini,

nicknamed Rowdy, the swimmer who returns for a fourth Games

at the age of 44. who returns for a fourth

Games at the age of 34. He is six at five and is the first

Papua New Guinea athlete He has a Commonwealth Games gold,

though, there only one. Does not look that rowdy,

causing some consternation in a country with a population

of over 200 million, Pakistan, represented by only

seven athletes in Rio. The men's hockey team,

which has provided all three of their gold medals,

failed to qualify. The first time they have never made

it, so from 199 million people, just a handful making the trip

from Islamabad, four In the country of the great

Nadia Comaneci, something has They failed to qualify

for gymnastics in the last But they do have one

of the most decorated athletes Their only women's gymnast

injured her hand in spring, It has been a difficult

build-up for them. This team of 96 can only hope things

will get better. Adrien Niyonshuti has become one

of the leading lights He said he wanted to put Rwanda

on the map as a nation of skilled cyclists,

not just the country of genocide. And indeed, more have

followed him here to the Games. There is another mountain bike

going in the road race So his influence has

had real impact. A mixed reception for

Russia, I have to say. They have an athlete who was cleared

to compete as a neutral athlete before the Russian team were given

the go-ahead to compete. Such was the clamour

for the Russian Federation to be banned completely after the findings

about systematic doping in the country, but instead,

over 100 athletes have been left at home, including all

but one of their track We have a whistle-blower

who was told to stay away in a series of hard decisions

made by individual sports as to which athletes they believed

were not tainted and good enough So for many of these athletes,

it is very sad, because I am sure there are many of them

who are here and have And we wish those of them who have,

and I am sure there are many of them, we wish them well

over the next few days. Serbia made its return

to the Olympics as a stand-alone country in Beijing after 96 years

following Montenegro's Before that, it had been

part of Yugoslavia. One thing Novak Djokovic does not

have is a gold medal. Perhaps we will get the showdown

we did not have at Wimbledon. He plays Juan Martin del Potro

in the first round here. Interesting to hear his thoughts

about the Olympics. He hasn't yet won the gold,

and he says there is a different dimension to the Olympics,

a dimension of pride Andy Murray is still standing

somewhere down there. The tennis campaign

gets under way soon. Andy Murray was very keen

to be here. Singapore is one of the world's

most prosperous nations, Their anthem has yet to be

heard at the Olympics. Sweden has competed in every

Olympic Games apart from the St games in 1904, which a few countries

gave a miss. One of the few women

to compete in a sixth Games. A swimmer, she is 38

and she has her fellow swimmer also The women's football team has a big

match against Brazil tomorrow night and of course,

in their team, the new open champion, Henrik Stenson,

and a fellow major winner Anna Fabian Cancellara won the cycling

time trial in Beijing Roger Federer's knee injury means

he could not be here and then Stan Wawrinka had a dodgy knee

as well so I'm not sure what they are going to do

for the mixed doubles just yet. Tonga, taekwondo gives us the flag

bearer, Pita Nikolas Aufatofua were, the last Polynesian monarchy,

keen to to taking the throne Trinidad Tobago, the large island

of Trinidad and its smaller neighbour to the north,

one of the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean thanks to sizeable

reserves of oil and gas. That is Keshorn Walcott,

only 19 at the time where he won the javelin title in London,

the youngest ever javelin title. Now Tunisia, between the huge

countries of Algeria and Libya. As of June, Tunisia have

two Olympic gold medals and the first one for a woman,

Habiba Ghribi had a ceremony in June for the 3000 metres steeplechase

held in London four years ago after the Russian winner was found

to have been doping. It must have been a close run thing

as do carry their flag It must have been a close run thing

as to who carries their flag but Oussama Mellouli leading the 60

strong delegation, what a Games he had in London, ten kilometre open

water medal and 1500 metres bronze Turkmenistan, a largely desert

country on the north That is a traditional headdress,

usually large and black sheepskin but can be other colours,

as we can see. I would have thought it was best

to keep it for the Winter Olympics. They have not won a medal

since they first entered in 1996, although they had a shooting gold

medal in Rome in 1960 when they were competing under

the flag of the Soviet Union. Turkey, home to almost

80 million people, have been competing at the Olympics

since Stockholm in 1912. Wrestling is very much

their strongest sport but also weightlifting,

winning gold in Seoul, Unsettling times in Ankara

and Istanbul this summer, their great hope again

in a sporting sense is the man at the front, Riza Kayaalp,

hugely popular in Turkey. He is a Greco-Roman wrestler

and will be fighting They have just turned the tape over

on the music and it goes Astonishing that 11,000 athletes,

if they all turn up, Only one nation has sent one

competitor and it is Tuvalu, Etimoni Timuani, leading

the smallest delegation in Rio. He's a 24-year-old professional

footballer in the a division and has played professionally

for the international team but he is going to run 100

metres here against Usain Bolt and the like if he gets

through the qualifying round. He's pretty decent, 10.4,

so he should get through qualifying but whether he goes any

further, we shall see. Wonderful to see one man

representing Tuvalu. Ukraine, officially the largest

country entirely in Europe. Perhaps their most famous

athlete is Sergey Bubka, six times world champion,

won Olympic gold in Seoul, he might have been having a major

role tonight had he not lost out in the running to Thomas Bach

for the IOC presidency. Support capacity because the man

at the front is the trap shooter, Mykola Milchev, won gold in Sydney

16 years ago with a perfect shot and he has three

world titles as well. Ukraine has a few medal contenders

here, in the sabre in fencing, a medallist from the past two Games

and twice world champion. Might have happened since

the last Winter Olympics in Sochi, in the conflict with the then

Olympic host, Russia, which began shortly after the flame

was extinguished by the Black Sea. Uganda, next to enter the stadium,

one of the countries of the great Lakes region of Africa,

to the east of Kenya. Has had 30 years of

presidency by one man. Athletics has brought Uganda's only

Olympic gold medals. Yes, over one lap hurdles

and they have the defending marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich

and Solomon Mutai, a bronze medallist from last year's

World Championships. Uganda might have something else

to celebrate in Rio, you think. I'm trying to train the binoculars

on Andy Murray to see if Uruguay gets a very warm reception

as well, a small country of only 3.3 million

people, between Brazil and Argentina and also

bordered to the south by the River Plate,

the "river of silver", Southern neighbours

with whom they have had some great Diego Forlan and company

did not qualify this time. They have a gymnast here

for an unprecedented seventh She took team gold in Barcelona

in 92, and is at least double the age of many of the youngsters

she will compete against, starting It is landlocked but it used to be

next to the Aral Sea which used to be the fourth

largest on earth but is Vanuatu, some of the islands of one

or two are active volcanoes. Venezuela shares the northern border

of Brazil, a mixture of the Andes and the Amazonian

jungle but also huge urban areas with a population of 29

million, a country in a state despite having the world's

largest oil reserves. Ruben Limardo Gaston

when he won his fencing gold four years ago,

Venezuela's first in anything for 40 years, he hopped onto the DLR

and started an impromptu party London loved him and I'm sure

the carioca will know how to party Yellow star on the red flag

of Vietnam, one of Southeast Asia's fastest-growing economies,

a country of 94 million people which has competed under various

guises since hosting which has competed under

various guises since The US Virgin Islands who first

competed in the Games of 1968 in Mexico and have won a medal

in 1988 in the Finn class. Cy Thompson, a laser class dinghy

sailor at the front and another sailor, Christopher Columbus

discovered these islands and named them in 1493, for Saint Ursula

and her virgin followers. And here come the British Virgin

Islands, the British Officially simply the Virgin Islands

but given the prefix to distinguish it from the nearby US

and Spanish Virgin Islands, In this delegation, 16-year-old

Eleanor Philip, a schoolgirl from Hatfield, Hertfordshire,

who becomes their youngest ever Zambia, surrounded by seven other

African states and has so much of its history managed to avoid

the war and upheaval which has blighted others,

although upcoming elections are not The outstanding 400 metres hurdler

was a world champion in 1991 Zimbabwe, something of an Olympic

institution now, Kirsty Coventry back for a fifth and last Games

at 32, and carried their flag so well in London they have asked

to do it again no wonder, so well in London they have asked

to do it again, and no wonder, she has won seven of their eight

medals since independence in 1980. She has been described as a national

treasure and she could become the first woman to win eight

individual swimming medals. The women's football team

are not represented here, quite busy at the moment

but they reached Rio by beating Cameroon in a two legged final

round of qualifiers, becoming the first Zimbabwean team

to qualify for a major The first ever team of refugees,

comprising ten athletes and 12 officials competing under

the Olympic flag. IOC President Thomas Bach said,

we want to send a message to the world that these refugee

athletes, like all refugees, They are a fantastic expression

of the Olympic spirit and it is hard to imagine how much these athletes

have had to overcome to walk They have no flag, no team,

no national anthem. This is to give them a home

in the Olympic village. One of them swam alongside a dinghy

of refugees which was taking in water trying to reach

Lesbos for 3.5 hours. These athletes represent

the 65 million displaced people around the world from war-torn

areas of crisis. And we give them their moment before

the stadium erupts, which it will now, because into the Maracana,

please welcome Brazil. Just to stress again,

this is Brazil! The first home team of the first

Olympic Games in South America. Only the USA have a bigger team

but almost each of them is here. Four years ago, it was a golden

tracksuited Sir Chris Hoy leading Tonight, the honour

goes to 32-year-old Yane Marques who goes

for Brazil at home. The team's ambition is to double

the 17 medals they earned in London and make the top ten

in the medal table. There are many problems in Brazil,

but there are moments that can bring a country together,

even if that is just They have individual stars

like their gymnast, But it is the team sports

they care about most, Their women are going for a record

equalling third straight gold. I can't tell if these

are still members of the Brazilian But the roof of the Maracana has

turned a vivid green, which has been a theme of this

evening, and also echoes one of I wonder if they will get that boost

that host nations always get in terms of moving up the medal

table and achieving record results. In the Maracana Stadium,

the home of Brazilian football, for a football mad nation,

Brazil has amazingly never Five-time World Cup winners,

but five-time silver medallists. It has not been an easy

build-up for the boys. And it has not gone to plan so far

either for the men, who drew 0-0 But hopes are high for the two

medals they covet more than most. An incredible sight and sound

inside the Maracana late into the night here in Rio de

Janeiro and even later But I am sure you are enjoying

the sights and sounds, as we are. 11,000 athletes competing

in the Olympic Games, and this huge team from Brazil,

enjoying their moment Exuberant expressions of total joy

from this team, just as we remember from the Great Britain team

in London four years ago. In this incredible city,

the sounds are drifting into the night air at high

above the Maracana. Now, the mirrors, into which have

been planted all those thousands Incidentally, the flags

of the countries that have entered the stadium are all planted

around the stage. Incidentally, the flags

of the countries that have entered the stadium are all planted

around the stage. So Andy Murray is

unburdened by a flag now. And all the athletes

from all the countries are watching with the rest of us to see these

mirrored cabinet is being brought Well, the trees that the athletes

have been bringing in, the seeds will be planted shortly

after the flame is extinguished That will become the second-largest

leisure area the city with a public swimming pool and a BMX bike centre

open to everyone and surrounding it It does look as though everyone

is enjoying themselves. So welcome to the athletes who will

compete here in Rio de Janeiro. Ladies and gentlemen, the athletes

of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games! The stadium falls darker again,

and the mirrors are lined up and opened to reveal lush vegetation

and the Olympic rings. Underlining the ceremony's core

theme that the future Welcome to Carlos Nuzman,

the head of the Rio de Janeiro organising committee for the Olympic

and Paralympic games, A former volleyball player

who competed in Tokyo in 1964. Alongside Thomas Bach,

the president of the International Olympic Committee, a fencing

medallist in 1976 in Montreal. The president of the International

Olympic committee, Thomas Bach, Boa noite Brasil, bonsoir a tous,

good evening to the world! President of the Olympic

committee, Thomas Bach. Yes, I'm talking

to the whole planet. Five continents, 5 billion

people or more. History to be made by

the athletes, the volunteers, The Olympic Dream is now

a wonderful reality. Brazil welcomes the

world with open arms. I'm proud of my city,

my country, my people. I'm proud to be an Olympian athlete,

a volleyball player in Tokyo 1964, and proud to be here, talking

to best athletes in the universe. As we work together to build

the games of the XXXI Olympiad. These are your Games,

the first in South America. Opening of the Olympic experience

to new regions of the world. Games that we believe

we deliver to the best, Desse Brasil gigante que aprendemos

a adorar nasce hoje um mundo novo. Trabalhamos sete anos numa jornada

onde cada um dos Brasileiros Aos que duvidam e bom lembrar: Um

filho do Brasil nao foge a luta! Rio is proud to be the Olympic

capital of the world. Enlighted by the transformation

that we promised and delivered, a job that we could only finish

with the help of our people, of our three levels of governments:

federal, state and city, And, I will say again,

thanks to all volunteers. We thank the world by thanking

the Olympic Family. Permettez-moi de conclure en

m'adressant aux Garcons et filles qui echangent

leurs souvenirs, leurs reves. Boys and girls that transformed

the world into the digital world. Our dream is this Olympic City

transformed by the Games, hosting A cidade maravilhosa em noite de

gala e o cenario perfeito. The marvellous city in this gala

night is the perfect setting. Let's live our dream

together, and stay together In the name of all Brazilians,

I welcome the world. Em nome do mundo, eu cumprimento

todos os cariocas. Quando a Tocha Olimpica entrar neste

estadio eterno trazendo paz, confianca e orgulho ela vai trazer

uma mensagem de todos os Now it's my pleasure to hand over

to the President of the IOC, the Olympic champion Thomas Bach,

who always believed in the sucess the Olympic champion Thomas Bach,

who always believed in the success A passionate speech

by Carlos Nuzman, the head of the organising committee

for the Rio Games. Distingues representants des

autorites Bresiliennes. Votre Excellence, Monsieur le

Secretaire General des Nations Unies, Ban Ki-moon,

Excellences, Monsieur le President du comite d'organisation des

Jeux Olympiques Rio 2016, mon cher collegue et

ami Carlos Nuzman. Chers amis Olympiques

du monde entier. Bienvenue aux Jeux de la

XXXIe Olympiade Rio 2016. This is the moment of the

cidade maravilhosa. in South America will go from Brazil

to the entire world. The Organising Committee,

Brazilian authorities at all levels, and all Brazilians can be

very proud tonight. With the Olympic Games

as a catalyst, you have achieved in just seven years what generations

before you could only dream of. You have transformed the wonderful

city of Rio de Janeiro into a modern metropolis and made it

even more beautiful. Our admiration

for you is even greater because you managed this at a very

difficult time in Brazilian history. Votre passion

pour le sport et votre joie de Celebrons ensemble ces

Jeux Olympiques dans ce grand The best ambassadors

of this Olympic Spirit a la Brazil are the many

thousands of volunteers. We are living

in a world of crises, The 10,000 best athletes

in the world, competing with each other, at the same time

living peacefully together in one Olympic Village,

sharing their meals In this

Olympic world, there is one In this Olympic world,

we are all equal. In this Olympic world,

we see that the values of our shared humanity are stronger

than the forces which So I call upon you, the Olympic

athletes: respect yourself, respect each other, respect

the Olympic Values which make the Olympic Games unique

for you and for the entire world. We are living in a world

where selfishness is gaining ground, where certain people claim

to be superior to others. In the spirit of Olympic solidarity

and with the greatest respect, you are sending a message of hope

to all the many millions You had to flee from your homes

because of violence, hunger or just Now with your great talent and human

spirit, you are making a great In this Olympic world,

we do not just tolerate diversity. In this Olympic world,

we welcome you as an enrichment to our

"Unity in Diversity". There are millions of people around

the world who contribute in different ways to make our world

a better place through sport. To honour such outstanding

personalities who put sport at the service of humanity,

the International Olympic Committee has created a unique distinction,

which we award for Ladies and gentlemen,

In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the fields

of education, culture, development and peace through sport,

in the true Olympic Spirit, the Olympic Laurel is awarded

to the great Olympic Champion and great Olympic philanthropist,

Mr Kipchoge Keino. My name is Kip Keino,

I am a medallist and When I was eight years old,

I used to run all the way So I was doing a lot

of training without knowing. My mother died when I was a year

old and my dad was the only one After my career in running,

what I did, I started So we are taking care of orphaned

kids, to be able to live Having a children's home,

we started a primary school. And through sports, we can produce

peaceful life in this world. We will leave the world

with nothing. All we need is peace,

love and unity. He is a two-time Olympic champion

from Mexico and Munich, but he founded the Kip Keino school

as you saw and a high-performance He and his wife have adopted 90

children and he says there is always joy in achieving,

but the greatest satisfaction lies And here we see also the doves

of peace kites that have been 200 were taken to Kenya and given

to children who had never They had peace messages

written on them. The message is printed on thousands,

and they fall on the audience now Kip Keino is the godfather of Kenyan

long and middle distance running, the first recipient

of the Olympic Laurel, which will be presented

at every subsequent Games. After the speeches by Carlos Nuzman

and Thomas Bach and the presentation of the Olympic Laurel,

a few words from Kip Keino. Distinguished guests,

ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I'm extremely honoured to be

the first recipient of such a historic and important award

from my friend Thomas, the president of the

International Olympic committee. I would like to thank my family,

my friends and all who have My request to you, all sports men

and women, is to join me in the continuation of support

for all the youths of the world to get basic humanity -

food, shelter and education. Education supports not only

to empower our youths to be better citizens and leaders of the future,

but it will also mull them -- citizens and leaders of the future,

but it will also mould them to make positive

change in humanity. Humanity depends on our ability

to motivate them to be better youths Ladies and gentlemen,

I believe we came to this We will leave this world

with nothing. It is all about educating

each other, the youths, Kip Keino, recipient of the very

first Olympic Laurel for outstanding And now, let us celebrate

altogether, the Olympic Games of The acting president

of Brazil, Michel Temer. Just a few short words

from the acting president of Brazil, Michel Temer,

declaring the Games open. And once more, fireworks

illuminate the Maracana. So into the stadium

comes the Olympic flag. The tradition of carrying it dates

back to the Antwerp Games of 1920. The task goes to athletes

and non-athletes who have to the cause of building

a better world. Olympic medallist, bronze and gold,

beach volleyball... A huge cheer for the five-time

Olympic medallist. A huge cheer for the five-time

winner of female Player of the Year and the women's World Cup

all-time leading scorer. The one before Joaquim Cruz,

the 800 metre runner He broke Sebastian Coe's

heart that night. A huge cheer for the five-time

winner of female Player of the Year and the women's World Cup

all-time leading scorer. There is a mixture of

athletes and non-athletes, and the first woman appointed

to the Supreme Court in Brazil. As you heard, he scored nearly

40,700 points for clubs and country. Considered to be one of the all-time

greats in the game of basketball. So the Olympic flag reaches

the stage, and the Olympic anthem will be sung by 40 children

from the More Project, which helps # Whose

beacon lights our way # With the fires

of hope # As now we come across the world

# To share these Games of old # Let all the flags of every land

# In brotherhood unfold # Sing out each nation,

voices strong # All hail our brave Olympians

# With strains of victory # Olympic

light burn on and on # O'er seas

and mountains and plains # Unite,

inspire, bring honour # To these

ascending Games # May valour reign

victorious # Along the path

of golden way # As tomorrow's

new champions now come forth # Rising to the fervent spirit

of the game # Let splendour pervade

each noble deed # Crowned with glory

and fame # And let fraternity

and fellowship # Surround the soul

of every nation # Oh flame,

eternal in your firmament so bright # Illuminate us

with your everlasting light # That

grace and beauty and magnificence # Bestow on us your honour,

truth and love # We are not far away

now from the lighting That was the Olympic anthem

and the raising of the Olympic flag. Now it is time for the

oaths of the Olympics. There is an athlete,

an official and a coach who swear Brazil's greatest Olympian,

the most decorated, Robert Scheidt. TRANSLATION: In the name

of all the competitors I promise that we shall take part in these

Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules

which govern them, committing ourselves to a sport

without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship,

for the glory of sport In the name of all the judges

and officials, promising they will officiate in these Games

with complete impartiality, On behalf of all coaches,

Adriano Santos. Another example of gambiarra,

the creative improvisation His young friend, learning the samba

steps as traditions are passed down # Olha o jeito nas cadeiras

que ela sabe dar...# Gilberto Gil alongside

Gaetan Laborde Llosa and also # Olha so o remelexo que ela sabe

dar And you want a little

taste of carnival? Always takes place 40 days before

Easter in February and officially lasts four days, but party season

goes on a lot longer. 12 schools of drums,

the 12 sections of drums of the main They battle it out every year

at the Sambadrome, a 700 metre long catwalk come corridor,

divided the top and lower divisions, battling it out for

the various titles. # Bota a sandalia de

prata # Olha so o

remelexo que ela sabe dar # Morena

boa que me faz penar # Bota

a sandalia de prata # Bota

a sandalia de prata # E tambem um pouco

de uma raca # Que nao

tem medo de fumaca ai, ai # E um pouquinho de Brasil,

Iaia # Deste Brasil que

canta e e feliz # E tambem um pouco de uma

raca # Que nao tem medo de fumaca

ai, ai The theme for the evening has been

green but every colour imaginable and then some more

is here inside the Maracana, and the whole stadium is vibrating,

shaking, feeling coming up It's an exuberant celebration,

Carnival season happens all over Brazil and although they tell me

that tell the city of Salvador Brazil and although they tell me

that the city of Salvador throws a great Carnival,

nothing compares to Rio. And so we arrive at the lighting

of the Olympic flame and the journey which began on the 21st of April

at the Temple of Hera on Olympus in Greece,

the lighting of the torch by the rays of the sun,

over 95 days, it is carried in passed on by 12,000 people

and eventually, Much debate about who was going

to carry it but you might recognise the figure of the three times

French Open champion and former world number one in tennis,

Gustavo Kuerten. The champion in 97, 2000,

2001 and the former world The cries of "Guga, Guga"

around the Maracana. The Olympic Flame is

being carried by... Trois fois champion de Roland Garros

et ex-numero un mondial... Three-time Roland Garros

champion and former number Guga, they cry, and Gustavo Kuerten

is soaking up every moment of this. Known in Brazil as the Queen,

regarded as one of Brazil's true greats, a basketball

Hall of Fame inductee, playing for the national team at 15

and took the world title in 1994, and Atlanta,

Olympic silver 20 years And she now hands it

on to the marathon He was leading and was rugby tackled

to the ground by an attention seeking spectator and never

recovered and was overtaken He accepted it

with such dignity and grace. He was awarded the Pierre

de Coubertin medal The journey is at an end

and Vanderlei de Lima light the Olympic flame,

which burns inside the Maracana. And here in Rio, we break

with the tradition of enormous cauldrons producing a huge

amount of fire. This cauldron is intentionally

small, low emission, as you might expect with the theme

throughout tonight, the environment. Yes, as the organisers put it,

they said we know today it is no longer possible to burn tonnes

of gas and consider it beautiful. This is a smaller, more

delicate flame and it burns But to surround a magnified,

there is a huge sculpture, representing the sun which is set

in motion and the spirals which represent life,

a stunning flame inside the stadium. A precious intimacy about this

flame, a gesture of scaling down and the escalating at a time

when the Games have become At around 2am here, another cauldron

will be lit in the centre of Rio so that everyone in the city can

visit and see it. And this cauldron will be

wind powered for the Good luck, Rio, and good luck

to the youth of the world. Lit up in the colours

of the Brazilian flag, the Christ the Redeemer

looks over the Maracana. A fitting welcome to

the Games of Rio de Janeiro. Many thanks to Andrew Cotter

and to Hazel Irvine for their What a wonderful flame that is,

a beautiful idea and a brilliant sculpture in the message

of the opening ceremony, There will be children and adults

around the world who will think, that is the day when I realised

that we have to look Steve Redgrave and Michael Johnson

are with me, but also Julia Carneiro, a BBC broadcaster

based here in Brazil. Julia, the reaction

from friends and family What did people make

of that opening ceremony? I think it was a very welcome

surprise to see such an elaborate ceremony that did not just reflect

the cliches of Brazil, but showed There was of course Carnival

and samba at the very end and the Girl From Ipanema

and Gisele Bundchen, the top From aspects of the past of Brazil

and some of its history to some of the cultural expressions coming

from poorer parts of Brazil, to the inventiveness of Brazilians,

that went down really well here. Even sceptics have been saying

they were quite moved. Especially the national anthem,

performed in such a simple manner by a well respected

composer here in Brazil. That was quite symbolic of how full

for the ceremony was. We can look at some

of the highlights and get you to talk us through your reaction

and the response of people you know. There was a joy to it,

but a very serious message as well. And recycling of elements,

of making things out of something simple,

of creating more than one use It was known that there

was a tighter budget here for the Olympics,

and the resources that were used also sent

a message of sustainability. But there was this message

on to the world of trying to talk about the issue of sustainability

and care for the environment The green Games was the message,

but also the motto. Live Your Passion is the motto

of these Games, there were moments of huge joy and passion,

some fabulous fireworks and those green Olympic rings,

created by the trees that came out They planted it, and Michael,

that was an original touch. As I have said before,

I have been fortunate to spend lots of time in this country

and I thought the opening ceremony truly reflected the very culture

of Brazil and certainly of Rio. It was very simple,

but also focused much more on the environment

and sustainability, Any time I walked up and down

the street here, you see people They really have a passion

for living and enjoying life. Coming from America,

where we are the exact opposite, it is work, work, work,

you can certainly appreciate It was beautifully reflected

in that opening ceremony. I thought it was great

that they admitted, we are not going to spend as much money

as Beijing or London, I thought they did it

in a very nice way. And it proved that you don't need

to spend so much money on an opening There was a cheer here in the studio

from Sir Steve Redgrave when Andy Murray walked in carrying

the flag one-handed. Very much so, carrying

on the tradition. We start by looking at the host

team, Brazil, who obviously got a huge roar from the stadium,

a real appreciation for the first Olympics to be hosted

here in South America. You did that one of the year is that

you carried the flag. This was the reaction

in Belo Horizonte, by the way, Katarina Johnson-Thompson

in the middle. Adam Gemili is there,

Richard Kielty giving Huge response to seeing

their team-mates. Many athletes have not arrived

because there are events don't Good to see that passion

from the guys that are not there. They can't wait to get here and be

part of it. The refugee team also

got a massive response. This is the first time there has

been a Refugee Olympic Team, those who have been

displaced from countries And what a grin from Rafa Nadal,

determined to make it to these Olympics, having missed London

with injury, to take up the honour We particularly loved the Tongan

flag bearer, who had oiled up for the occasion to make

sure he was glistening And a special honourable mention

for the flag-bearers of both Kiribati and Estonia,

who did a wonderful job I would like to have seen

Andy Murray do that one-handed! I was concerned that this flag

was going to do some damage. Alongside each flag bearer,

you have a child with a seedling and every athlete had an actual seed

that they then implanted There was a lot of discussion

as to who would like the flag. Earlier today, we heard that

Pele would not make it Julia, in the end, a touching

moment in the choice He is well known for

a feat that was a bit Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima was

leading the marathon run Even so, he managed to keep running

and he managed to get bronze, so it was a huge recognition

of his effort back then. He comes from a poor background,

a family of seven children. So it was a choice that was

appreciated here by everyone. He was virtually rugby

tackled in a protest As you say, he was given

the Pierre de Coubertin award What did you make of

Thomas Bach's comments? He was saying how much

he appreciated what Brazil had achieved in the face

of such difficulty. It was interesting,

because it was a subtle way of bringing in, albeit quite

lightly, all the trouble is that Brazil has gone through over

the past months and I guess all the negative news we have seen

in the build-up to the Games. He was also referring

to the political difficulties of the We have seen a lot of criticism

of that, with the Games How is Brazil investing in Rio

hosting the Olympics when the country is facing such

a difficult recession? We saw that reflected in the stadium

as well, with the presence There was a very swift movement

to our wide shot of the stadium, with fireworks to try not to enhance

the booing, but was expected that This is because of the impeachment

proceedings being faced by President Dilma Rousseff,

now suspended and replaced interim president Michel Temer

and reflecting this Luckily, Brazil can now move

on to concentrate on the sport, If you feel like you would want to

take up sport one day, go to the inspired section of the BBC sport

website. Let the games begin.