Ah, the Olympics – a spectacle of athleticism and sportsmanship; a place for the world’s top athletes to make their country proud and prove themselves to the world.
It’s also a prime opportunity to witness some bizarre and hilarious interpretative displays and performances during the opening ceremony.
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Millions of viewers around the world are expected to watch the three-hour opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Friday. Organizers say there will be no shortage of culture, diversity and history as the South American nation showcases its traditions and natural wonders.
The event is also said to be the “sexiest” opening ceremony ever — with half-naked samba dancers and supermodel Gisele Bundchen set to make an appearance.
But these displays of national pride don’t always come off the way organizers hope. Just ask whoever was in charge of the opening ceremony for the 2014 winter games in Sochi, Russia.
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Several of the performances in Sochi were made fun of on social media and sparked headlines like, “Weirdest moments from the Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony” and “Opening ceremony moments that totally creeped us out.”
A dance segment that was supposed to represent St. Basil’s Cathedral — the location of Russia’s parliament building, The Kremlin — was described as “A Kid’s Nyquil-Fueled Fever Dream” by Mashable.
In fact, many of the performances from Sochi were so confusing, Global News had an expert in Russian and Eurasian Studies explain the ceremony’s symbolism in greater detail.
No one could forget the animatronic versions of the Sochi mascots that skated around the stadium and became an instant mockery on Twitter.
And then there was the Russian Police Choir’s rendition of Daft Punk’s hit song “Get Lucky.”
But Sochi wasn’t the only city to spark a few laughs during the opening ceremony.
During the 2012 London Olympic Opening Ceremony, Queen Elizabeth II “parachuted” into the stadium with Daniel Craig (otherwise known as James Bond). Craig played himself after a fictional trip from Buckingham Palace to the stadium in a helicopter. Of course, the queen didn’t actually take flight. A group of flying Mary Poppins also battled Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter during the ceremony.
Then, during the climax of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic opening ceremony, the final column of the Olympic cauldron failed to raise, leaving speedskater Catriona LeMay Doan standing awkwardly, unable to light the torch.
“The Great One,” otherwise known as Wayne Gretzky, was carried into the ceremony in the back of a pickup truck with the Olympic torch, which puzzled patriotic hockey fans.
One of the worst gaffes from an opening ceremony happened during the 1988 summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, when a group of ceremonial doves were released and flew into the burning Olympic cauldron.
Around 4,800 performers and volunteers will be involved in the Rio’s opening show, which is built on three basic pillars of life in Brazil — sustainability, particularly re-forestation; finding joy in life and in being Brazilian; and the idea of “gambiarra,” the quirky Brazilian art of improvising repairs using whatever parts are available.
What new social media sensation the ceremony will bring is yet to be determined.
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