Olympic Opening Ceremony: Rocketman, Burning Arrow, Skyfall

As Paris moves closer to hosting the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday (July 26) with what promises to be a spectacular parade of boats along the Seine, we look back at some of the most memorable curtain-raisers in the event’s history.

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1896: Gigantic choir in Athens

On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic Games opened at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, recently restored in white marble, in front of 80,000 spectators.

The Greek king proclaimed the opening of the Games and the Olympic anthem, written by Greek composer Spyridon Samaras, was then sung by a choir of 150 people, accompanied by nine philharmonic orchestras.

1936: “Heil Hitler” in Berlin

On August 1, 1936, Adolf Hitler opened the Berlin Summer Games as a Nazi showcase, intended to present to foreign spectators the image of a peaceful and tolerant country.

Swastikas adorned the Brandenburg Gate as musical bands announced the dictator’s arrival before a crowd of 100,000, mostly German, who greeted him with Nazi salutes and shouts of “Heil Hitler.”

As the athletes paraded into the stadium, the German delegation also performed the Nazi salute.

This would be the first case of “sportswashing” at the Olympic Games.

1964: The Rebirth of Japan

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics marked Japan’s return to the world stage after its defeat and destruction two decades earlier in World War II.

In a poignant symbolic nod to his pacifist credo, the last Olympic torchbearer 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 and boycotted by the Soviet Union and other allies, the opening of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was intended to showcase America’s technological prowess.

In a futuristic tour, “Rocket Man” Bill Suitor flew into the Memorial Coliseum using a jet pack powered by hydrogen peroxide.

1992: Burning Arrow in Barcelona

In 1992, Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo shot the arrow of his life to light the Olympic cauldron in Barcelona.

Interestingly, his goal was never to pull it into 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 overcame his Parkinson’s-related tremors to defiantly raise the Olympic flame, then slowly lower it to light the cauldron, marking the start of the Atlanta Games.

Ali’s participation had been kept secret. The crowd was surprised to see him emerge from behind a curtain, dressed in a white tracksuit, his arms and head shaking erratically.

2000: Aboriginal hero shines in Sydney

At the 2000 Sydney Games, Aboriginal star Cathy Freeman symbolised the desire for reconciliation among the Australian people when she climbed up to the cauldron in a waterfall to light the flame.

Ten days later she won the 400m final in front of a cheering crowd in what was to be her last major race.

2008: Beijing displays its global power

The opening of the Beijing Games, the inaugural celebration of a nation whose geopolitical power was growing as fast as its wealth, took place to the thunderous rhythm of 2,008 drums in the “Bird’s Nest” stadium.

A host of dancers, acrobats and trapeze artists told the story of the Great Wall of China, the Silk Road and China’s love affair with martial arts in an impressive display that overshadowed political controversies and concerns about pollution.

2012: The fall of Queen Elizabeth in London

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 parachute into the stadium from a helicopter.

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle was the mastermind behind the ceremony, which highlighted British history with a healthy dose of the nation’s quirky humour.

The show included a tribute to the National Health Service, a major source of national pride, with children in pyjamas bouncing on 320 giant hospital beds.