Summer Olympics 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

[Natalka]

drat - had to take a break from Egypt to Korea

lol on the poptarts - I guess it was a cheap way to make the costumes, that's all I can think of.

Missed Poland, will try find a pic. With the countries going by Portuguese, I don't feel very alphabetical...

[Natalka]

So moving to see the refugees - very glad they did that. I had a tear or two...

https://www.rio2016.com/en/news/10-a...-olympic-games

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NUMBER CRUNCHER 1
Check out the breakdown by gender ">

[Natalka]

[Natalka]

Tonga's flag bearer Pita Nikolas Aufatofua - well-oiled, no?

32-year-old Taekwondo competitor who was the first Tongan athlete to qualify for the Rio Olympics this year.

[Natalka]

Starting this year in Rio de Janeiro, the Olympic Laurel award will be given at the Opening Ceremony of every Olympic Games to honour outstanding individuals in education, culture, development and peace through sport.

“With the Olympic Laurel we are reconnecting with the ideals and values of the Ancient Olympic Games,” said President Bach. “This is why we are so pleased to receive the stone for the award from Ancient Olympia. With its focus on human development through peace and sport, the Olympic Laurel award will connect the modern Games to the spirit of the Ancient Games and according to the vision of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder and renovator of the Modern Olympic Games.”



Inaugural winner of Olympic laurel

Kipchoge Keino, aka Hezekiah Kipchoge Keino or (thankfully in the interest of avoiding typos) just Kip, is a retired athlete who ran for the country of Kenya. Throughout his career, Kip earned almost a dozen medals, half of which were gold, for being an amazing middle to long distance runner.

After retiring from competition in 1973, Kip Keino opened a children’s home, which is today home to almost 100 Kenyan orphans. In 1999, he followed with the opening of the Kip Keino School, in an isolated region lacking schools, offering more than 300 children aged from 6 to 13 the chance to get an education. In 2002, he opened the Kip Keino High Performance Training Centre, welcoming the most promising athletes in Kenya. To this day, the Olympian continues his amazing work as a an IOC Member and Chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC).

[Natalka]

HERE COMES THE FLAME!
Tennis legend Gustavo Kuerten - affectionately known as 'Guga' in Brazil - enters the Maracana with the Olympic torch, before passing it to ex-basketball player Hortencia, who passes it on to former marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima... WHO LIGHTS THE OLYMPIC CAULDRON!!!
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!



De Lima was the guy who was leading the 2004 Marathon when he was attacked by a spectator. It knocked him off his stride and he came third.







The sun sculpture and the way it moves is absolutely wonderful.

[Natalka]

love the Polish women's skirts..

Very cool!

[lecale]

I'd have to say my favourite delegation was Cameroon, they looked fantastic



Worst was the UK, they look like a bunch of bankers



...and the fashion world is going nuts over Canada's "edgy streetwear" opening ceremony uniforms, but the athletes kinda looked like a bunch of bums to me. You know you're getting old when...

[Natalka]

^ Agree about Cameroon, as well as some of the other ethnic clothes.

Way too many groups did the blazer thing, it just looks so plain unless they really jazz it up. I can't remember which one, but one country had big embroidery all down one side and it looked good.

[Horndogg]

thanks everyone for the pictures everyone I missed the opening cerimonies

[gryphon]

I'm upset at the blatant mistreatment of the Israeli athletes so far

[gryphon]

The entire Russian team has been banned from the paralympics

[Natalka]

I'm upset at the blatant mistreatment of the Israeli athletes so far

What has happened?

[lecale]

What has happened?

They were supposed to share a bus to the opening ceremonies with the Lebanese team, but that team didn't want them on the same bus and barred them from going aboard.

[gryphon]

As well one of the women Judoka was disqualified for a stupid reason and then barred from other events, which was a major overreaction to an accidental movement that was clearly not intentional.