Grading the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony

By: Robert Klein

China launched the summer Olympics on Friday with a splendid opening ceremony combining thousands of years of its history with a modern firecracker of a show. Vancouver will have a very difficult time trying to top this in 2010. The creativity on display was extraordinary.



The International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge looked quite serious and composed during his brief speech and said: "For a long time China has dreamed of opening its doors and inviting the athletes to the Olympic Games in Beijing. Tonight that dream comes true, congratulations Beijing." I liked the fact that Rogge confronted the issue of doping and athletes during his speech. Doping is a major issue in sport and it is better for the IOC to confront this issue head on.

The 91,000-strong crowd in the National Stadium, and more than a billion television viewers, saw the hoisting of the Chinese flag which was carried into the stadium by children from China's 56 ethnic groups after 2,008 drummers had started the show. The drumming display was one of the most memorable moments from the ceremony. The coordination was incredible. It was intense, intimidating, and showed the confidence that China has going into these Olympics. It left me awe struck. Simply the best.

The trip through China's rich history featured references to ancient paper-making and calligraphy, the Great Wall, opera puppets and China's arrival in the space age.

Performers included famous pianist Lang Lang and singer Sarah Brightman (bad hair extensions).

Directed by Zhang Yimou, the show featured some 15,000 performers and stayed away from politics as Chinese organizers had insisted that politics and sport should not mix. Yet, it was hard to take in that message when the television cameras showed the VIP section that had 90 state leaders including American President George W Bush, Vladimir Putin, and Gerhard Schroeder.

I don't think I was the only one who thought the show seemed to lag around the parade of nations. There were many countries I've never heard of and they seemed to take forever to march into the stadium. But, let the athletes have their moment. This is a once in a life time opportunity for them and a chance to represent the pride of their nation.

The parade started with Olympic inventors Greece and ended with hosts China who marched into the stadium behind flag-bearing basketball star Yao Ming amid a deafening roar. Having the little boy who survived the May 12 earthquake was a nice touch.

With regards to the Canadian uniforms, I was disappointed with the look. The painter hats were simply awful. It was much better when we had Roots designing our uniforms. The US looked great in their Ralph Lauren navy sportcoats and white Berets. Great Britain looked the best with simple navy suits and white jackets.

Before the concluding fireworks, Chinese Gymnastics legend Li Ning lit the Olympic cauldron with the flame lit on March 24 in ancient Olympia. Was this a better lighting than in Barcelona with the arrow? I think so.

Grade: A+

Props to the crew of CBC for airing the show live on television. I just don't understand why NBC, with so much invested into the Olympics continues to show events on tape delay and fill their production with personal stories.