Thousands of Japanese have gathered around the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, where the Olympic Games open. Despite the corona measures, many interested parties are close to each other along the road around the stadium.
They probably want to get a glimpse of the ceremony outside and catch a glimpse of the Olympic flame, which arrives at the stadium during the opening.
There are also dozens of Japanese who loudly protest against the continuation of the Games. They shout slogans against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Games. The police are on standby but do not intervene. The protests are clearly audible in the stadium.
The opening ceremony is held in a virtually empty stadium, with only dignitaries and journalists in the stands. The stadium, which can accommodate nearly 70,000 people, is largely empty. Due to the coronavirus, all sporting events in Tokyo are without an audience.
A moment of silence was held at the start of the opening ceremony after Japanese Emperor Naruhito and IOC President Thomas Bach. Not only for the victims of the coronavirus but also in memory of the 11 Israeli athletes who Palestinian terrorists murdered during the 1972 Games in Munich. The families of the deceased had often asked the IOC to observe a minute’s silence during an opening ceremony. So long in vain, but it happened on Friday in Tokyo.
The directors have kept the ceremony quite austere due to the pandemic that the world has been dealing with for almost 1.5 years. Nevertheless, during the opening, fireworks also regularly burst into the sky from the stadium’s roof.
