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We Have A Lot Of Questions About That Bizarre Olympics Opening Ceremony

Danielle Campoamor
Last Updated July 23, 2021, 7:18 PM
Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images.
The delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games finally kicked off on Friday with the traditionally over-the-top opening ceremony. And as SNL's Stefon would say, it had everything: Tennis phenom Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron to begin the Games, John Legend and Keith Urban joining a group of international singers to perform their own rendition of "Imagine," the hot, shirtless Tongan flagbearer, treadmills, etc. And much like one of Stefon's "hottest clubs," the opening ceremony was also arguably one of the most bizarre and uncomfortable things to watch — maybe ever. 
The ceremony started at 7:30 a.m. EST, and for those of us watching live, it was something akin to an early morning psychedelic trip that no one asked for. First, there were no spectators in the audience due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And the isolation of the past year was, um, commemorated, by a video showing the athletes working out in their homes, followed by a performance in the stadium of a solo athlete running on a treadmill (see photo above). Then, instead of waving at what would have been 68,000 spectators, Olympians gave half-hearted waves to the 10,000 media workers, Olympics staffers, and a few key dignitaries, including First Lady Jill Biden.
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What followed was a series of odd representations of each sport played in this year's Olympic Games. Sport "pictograms" were performed with costumed dancers before John Legend, Keith Urban, and a slew of other international singers performed John Lennon’s "Imagine" — far too reminiscent of the now-infamous viral celebrity-filled performance that was released at the height of pandemic lockdown.
But perhaps most disturbing — and yet the most accurate representation of where we as a global community are in this moment — was the moment of remembrance for those who lost their lives to COVID-19. While at least 100 U.S. Olympians who are attending the games unvaccinated watched live, viewers at home were shown a montage that seemed to suggest we had collectively "defeated" COVID, just as a wave of new mutations continues to ravage different countries around the world.
Needless to say, much like everything else surrounding this year's Olympic games, it was cute! It was cringe! It was Olympics 2020! And the people have reacted:
If you want to witness the madness yourself, you can tune in to NBC for a re-airing of the ceremony at 7:30 p.m. EST on Friday. Then again, you can always treat the Olympics the way the International Olympic Committee is treating the COVID-19 pandemic: pretend like it's not happening.

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