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Olympics organisers look to set the mark early with iconic opening ceremonies. We take a look at the memorable ones. read more
 "Rocketman, Burning arrow, Skyfall - the iconic moments")
Cathy Freeman smiles as she displays the Olympic torch before lighting the Olympic cauldron on 15 September, 2000 in Sydney. AFP
As Paris inches towards hosting the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday (July 26) with what promises to be a spectacular parade of boats along river Seine, we take a look back at memorable curtain raisers in event’s history.
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1896: Gigantic choir in Athens
On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic Games opened in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, newly restored in white marble, in front of 80,000 spectators.
The Greek King proclaimed the opening of the Games and the Olympic hymn, written by Greek composer Spyridon Samaras, was then sung by a 150-strong choir, accompanied by nine philharmonic orchestras.
1936: “Heil Hitler” in Berlin
On August 1, 1936, Adolf Hitler opened the Summer Games in Berlin as a Nazi showcase, aimed at presenting foreign spectators with the image of a peaceful and tolerant country.
Swastikas bedecked the Brandenburg Gate as musical fanfares announced the dictator’s arrival to a largely German crowd of 1,00,000, who hailed him with Nazi salutes and cries of “Heil Hitler”.
When the athletes filed through the stadium, the German delegation also performed the Nazi salute.
It is believed to be the first case of sportswashing at an Olympics.
1964: Japan’s rebirth
The Tokyo Olympics in 1964 marked Japan’s return to the world stage after their defeat and destruction two decades earlier in World War II.
In a poignant symbolic nod to its pacifist credo, the last carrier of the Olympic torch was Yoshinori Sakai, an athlete born on August 6, 1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
1984: Rocket man in Los Angeles
Held at the height of the Cold War, boycotted by the Soviet Union and other allies, the opening of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was designed to show off America’s technological prowess.
In a futuristic tour outlook, “Rocket man” Bill Suitor flew into the Memorial Coliseum using a hydrogen peroxide-fuelled jet pack.
1992: Burning arrow in Barcelona
In 1992, Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo shot the arrow of a lifetime to light the Olympic cauldron in Barcelona.
Interestingly his goal was never to shoot it in the cauldron, but rather four feet above it to ignite the gases below.
1996: Muhammad Ali lights up Atlanta
In 1996, boxing legend Muhammad Ali momentarily conquered his trembling due to Parkinson’s disease to defiantly raise the Olympic flame and then slowly lower it to light the cauldron, marking the start of the Atlanta Games.
Ali’s participation had been kept top secret. The crowd gasped in surprise as he emerged from behind a curtain in a white tracksuit, his arms and head shaking erratically.
2000: Aboriginal hero shimmers in Sydney
At the 2000 Games in Sydney, Aboriginal star Cathy Freeman symbolised the desire to reconcile the people of Australia when she ascended to the cauldron in a cascading waterfall to light the flame.
Ten days later, she won the 400m final before an ecstatic crowd in what was to be her last major race.
2008: Beijing flaunts global power
The opening of the Beijing Games, a coming out party for a nation whose geo-political power was rising as quickly as its wealth, took place to the thundering beat of 2,008 drums in the “Bird’s Nest” stadium.
A host of dancers, acrobats and trapeze artists went on to tell the story of the Great Wall of China, the Silk Road and China’s love affair with martial arts in an awe-inspiring display that drowned out the political controversies and pollution concerns.
2012: Queen Elizabeth’s London skyfall
The late Queen Elizabeth II played a starring role at the London Olympics, appearing alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig in a film shown at the opening ceremony in which she appeared to skydive into the stadium from a helicopter.
Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle was the mastermind of the ceremony which showcased British history with a hefty dollop of the nation’s offbeat humour.
The show included a tribute to the National Health Service, a major source of national pride, with children wearing pyjamas bouncing on 320 giant hospital beds.
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