The opening and closing holidays of the Olympic Games always arouse great interest among all sports fans and are held at the largest stadium in the city according to a strictly approved ritual defined by the Olympic Charter.

The opening ceremony begins with a parade of athletes. The first is the delegation of Greece - the birthplace of the Olympic Games. Then the delegations of all countries follow. The sequence of the procession is established in alphabetical order; concludes the parade delegation of the country - the organizer of the Games.

Ahead of the delegation of each country is a banner with its name. One of the most famous athletes carries the national flag. Sometimes one of the other members of the delegation also acts as a standard-bearer. The other members of the sports delegation are in smart suits in the ranks. The parade, as a rule, is exceptionally colorful.

When all participants are lined up on the stadium field, the chairman of the Organizing Committee, the president of the International Olympic Committee and the head of the state organizing the Games make solemn speeches dedicated to the opening of the Games.

A group of well-known athletes solemnly carries the unfolded Olympic flag - a large white flag with the Olympic emblem - past the central tribune. The flag is raised to the main mast of the stadium. To the sounds of the Olympic anthem, he slowly rises; artillery fireworks. Following this, the torch relay race ends on the stadium track. Having completed the last circle around the stadium, the torch brought by the runners from Olympia is brought to the bowl. The Olympic flame breaks out and burns until the closing of the Games. Oaths of athletes and judges are pronounced.

The orchestra and choir perform the national anthem of the host country of the Games. Pigeons and multi-colored balloons fly into the air, symbolizing the peaceful aspirations of the participants in the Games. Sports delegations leave the arena.

Thus ends the solemn ceremony, after which the great sports holiday - demonstration performances athletes, artists.

The closing ceremony of the Games begins with a parade of flag bearers: everyone follows a banner with the name of their country. They come out in the same order as at the opening of the Games. The President of the International Olympic Committee delivers a speech in which he thanks the organizers and declares the Games of the next Olympiad closed. Three state flags are hoisted on the flagpoles: Greece, the host country of this Olympiad and the one where the Games of the next Olympiad will be held.

Since the XVI Olympic Games of 1956 in Melbourne, the closing ceremony has been attended by a consolidated column of friendship, in which the teams of all countries march in a common mixed column, symbolizing the friendship of athletes from all over the world.

The Olympic flag is lowered and solemnly carried in front of the central tribune in expanded form. The Olympic flame goes out in the bowl. Artillery salute sounds, the choir sings. A celebration dedicated to the closing of the Games begins at the arena.

A lot of time has passed, but millions of people remember the opening and closing holidays of the Games in Moscow. In them we saw an excellent combination of sports, art and folk art.

The main theme of the theatrical part of the ceremony was the protection of nature. We saw a lot of dancing and heard a lot of music. The audience also saw a short story about the history of Brazil and some impressive plans created with the help of the play of light and extras. The ceremony went on for four hours.

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen ended her career by appearing on the podium during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics. The 36-year-old model paraded through "Marakana" to the song "The Girl from Ipanema", which she performed Daniel Jobim- songwriter's grandson Tom Jobim.

The parade of teams was held in carnival style to dance music. Carriers of plates with the names of countries moved around the stadium on bicycles with carts. Parade participants planted seeds and seedlings of trees.

One of the three creative directors of the ceremony is the director of the Oscar-winning film "City of God" Fernando Meireles. IN live The opening of the Games was watched by 3 billion viewers.

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was attended by 37 heads of state. Acting President of Brazil Michelle Temer was not presented as head of state hosting Olympic Games-2016 at the beginning of the ceremony. According to unofficial information, this was due to the fact that Temer afraid of being booed by the audience.

Australian national team appeared at the opening ceremony in jackets, on the lining of which the names of all the Australian Olympic champions were written.

For the first time in history, the flag of Iran was carried (or rather, carried) by a woman - an archer Zahra Nemati. In her youth, she was engaged in taekwondo and dreamed of performing at the Games in this sport. But a career was interrupted by an accident, after which Nemati paralyzed lower body. But Zahra did not give up - and learned to shoot from a bow and made her way not only to the Paralympic, but also to the Olympic team.

Nigeria national team entered the parade of athletes in ordinary tracksuits. The dress uniform of the Nigerians simply did not have time to deliver to Rio on time.

The Russian delegation arrived at the Maracanã stadium at 22:24 Brazilian time, that is, an hour and a half after the start of the defile of the participants. The Russian column included 100 athletes and 60 officials. The flag of the country was carried by a 40-year-old volleyball player Sergey Tetyukhin. The stands received our team very well.

As soon as the athletes from the refugee team entered the stadium, the stands literally exploded, enthusiastically welcoming the newcomers. Such a bright reception was not given to anyone except the hosts.

In his speech, the President of the IOC Thomas Bach urged to respect the Olympic values. "We live in a world of crisis, distrust and instability. In this Olympic world one law for all. Everyone is equal in it,” Bach noted. - In the Olympic world, humanity is more important and stronger than the forces that wanted to separate us. Respect yourself, respect others."

According to a tradition that began at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, the Greek team opens the procession. This is done in order to emphasize its status as the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games. The team of the country hosting the Olympics closes the procession. The rule was broken only once, when in 2004 the Olympic Games in Athens. Then the Greek team closed the parade of participants, but the flag of Greece was nevertheless taken out first. All other participating teams go in alphabetical order, as a rule, in accordance with the norms in English.

When all sports delegations line up on the stadium field, the President of the Olympic Committee of the country hosting the games makes a speech. After that, the floor is given to the President of the IOC (International Olympic Committee). He also makes a speech, and at the end passes the floor to the head of the host country or another high official. It is this person who pronounces the phrase about the opening of the Olympic Games.

After that, the Olympic flag is taken out to the stadium - a white rectangular panel with five intersecting rings. The orchestra plays the Olympic anthem. One representative from the athletes and one from the judges take the oath. Athletes undertake a solemn obligation to compete honestly, without resorting to unlawful methods and means, and judges, accordingly, swear to perform their duties objectively and impartially, guided only by the rules.

After pronouncing the oath, the time comes for the solemn ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame. The last participant of the relay with a torch runs into the stadium, who will have to light the fire. Usually such a high honor is entrusted to a famous athlete who has achieved great success. Once the fire in the Olympic chalice is lit, it must remain unquenchable until the close of the Games.

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The XXX Summer Olympic Games in London were held from July 27 to August 12, 2012, and athletes from 204 countries took part in them. Colorful opening and closing ceremonies were held on Olympic Stadium, specially built for the beginning of the Games.

If everyone is looking forward to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, knowing that competitions will begin immediately after it, then the closing of the Games is met with completely different feelings. Some of the spectators experienced joy from the victories of their Olympians, someone had to endure disappointment. But everything is already behind, and most people see off the outgoing Olympics with regret. All starts are in the past, new summer games have to wait four long years.

The closing ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in London lasted for three hours and consisted of a parade of athletes participating in the Games, the solemn transfer of the Olympic flag to the host country of the next Olympics and the extinction of the Olympic flame. All this was accompanied by a colorful musical show, divided into three parts. The first was dedicated to London as the host city of the Games. The second is Rio de Janeiro as the future host of the Olympic Games. And the third part was devoted to the official closing of the Olympics. Of course, many famous musical groups and performers performed at the ceremony.

The celebratory show, dubbed "Symphony of English Music", was directed by Kim Gavin. There was really a lot of music, it did not stop almost for a minute. There were famous hits that became British classics. The Pet Shop Boys, Muse, Spice Girls performed. Muse is known for writing the anthem for the London Olympics, and the girls from the Spice Girls specially teamed up to perform at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.

World famous musicians Paul McCartney, Elton John, George Michael, singers Adele and Annie Lenox performed at the farewell Olympic event. The famous British band The Who completed the closing ceremony of the XXX Summer Olympic Games with their famous song My Generation. The end of the closing ceremony was accompanied by colorful fireworks.

Tip 3: What to Expect from the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games

It won't be long before the biggest show of the last few years in Russia - before the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Sochi.

Just over a week left until the closing ceremony XXII Olympic games. For Russians, this is a truly exciting moment, because the Olympics are held in Sochi. The ceremony itself will take place on February 23 at the Fisht stadium, which can accommodate 40,000 spectators. Tickets for this event were sold at prices ranging from 4,500 to 37,000 rubles. The organizers are sure that there will be no empty seats, and all spectators will be pleasantly surprised by the upcoming show.

These Olympic Games have already entered as the most innovative. After all, it is in Russia that the program sports competitions expanded, and athletes were awarded in a particularly solemn atmosphere. The closing ceremony promises to be no less solemn and unforgettable, all of it is still not revealed. However, some points have already become known.

Spectators watching the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games will again fall into the center of the theatrical show, which will include as many as nine performances. It will be a truly massive show, which will be distinguished by its brightness and originality. Everyone will also attend the ceremony. Olympic athletes, some of which will proudly display their medals.

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They take (begin) their history from 776. BC. They were held in honor of the conclusion of a truce between Hellas and Sparta. Competitions were held in i different places in Greece - in Olympia (Olympic Games), in Delphi (Pythian Games), etc.

The ancient Olympic Games were held until 394. BC. in total they were held (there were 293. The games were held in Olympia on the banks of the Alpheus River.

Only free-born Greeks, slaves and women, as well as barbarians (foreigners) were not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games. The name of the winners was engraved on a marble column. The first winner of Koreb from Hellas is a cook.

The modern Summer Olympic Games arose at the end of the 19th century. In 1894, 1500 years after the ban at the suggestion of the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin;

(1863 - 1937), who convened the International Sports Congress, the International Olympic Committee was created, whose president was Coubertin (1895 - 1925). The text of the Oath of the Olympic Charter was approved at the congress. The motto of the Olympic Games “Faster, Higher, Stronger” The emblem of the Games 5 intertwined rings - the unity of the continents.

In 1914 In Paris, in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the games, the flag of the Olympics was raised for the first time.

At the first games there were 13 countries competing in 9 sports. There were already 20 countries and 18 sports at the II Games.

Russian athletes first took part in the Games (IV) in London in 1908. In total there were 5 people in the delegation. Three have won medals. Panin is gold. figure skating, wrestlers Orlov, Petrov - silver.

Soviet athletes first took part in the games in 1952.

Principles, rules and regulations of the Olympic Games

The principles, rules and regulations of the Olympic Games are defined by the Olympic Charter, the foundations of which were approved by the International Sports Congress in Paris in 1894, which, at the suggestion of the French teacher and public figure Pierre de Coubertin, decided to organize the Games on the model of the ancient ones and to create the International Olympic Committee (IOC). According to the charter, the Olympic Games “… bring together amateur athletes from all countries in fair and equal competition. In relation to countries and individuals, no discrimination is allowed on racial, religious or political grounds ... ". The Games are held in the first year of the 4-year (Olympic) cycle. The Olympiads have been counted since 1896, when the first Olympic Games took place (I Olympiad - 1896-99). The Summer Olympiad also receives its number in cases where games are not held (for example, VI - in 1916-19, XII-1940-43, XIII - 1944-47). In numbering Winter Olympics missed games are not taken into account (the IV games of 1936 were followed by the V games of 1948). The symbol of the Olympic Games - five fastened rings, symbolizing the unification of the five parts of the world into Olympic Movement, so-called Olympic rings. The color of the rings in the top row is blue for Europe, black for Africa, red for America, in the bottom row yellow for Asia, green for Australia. In addition to Olympic sports, the Organizing Committee has the right to include demonstration competitions in 1-2 sports that are not recognized by the IOC. In the same year as the Olympics, since 1924 the Winter Olympic Games have been held, which have their own numbering. Since 1994, the dates for the Winter Olympic Games have been shifted by 2 years relative to the summer ones. The venue of the Olympics is chosen by the IOC, the right to organize them is granted to the city, not the country. The duration of the Games is on average 16-18 days. Taking into account the climatic features of different countries, the Summer Games can be held not only in the "summer months". So XXVII Summer Olympic Games 2000 in Sydney (Australia), due to the location of Australia in the Southern Hemisphere, where summer begins in winter, were held in September, that is, in the spring. The Olympic movement has its own emblem and flag, approved by the IOC at the suggestion of Coubertin in 1913. The emblem is the Olympic rings. The motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius (lat. "faster, higher, stronger"). The flag - a white cloth with the Olympic rings, has been raised at all the Games since 1920. Among the traditional rituals of the Games (in the order they were held):

Grandiose and colorful opening and closing ceremonies of the Games. From year to year, the best of the best from all over the world are involved in the development of scenarios for these spectacles: screenwriters, organizers of mass shows, special effects specialists, etc. Many famous singers, actors and other important people strive to take part in this spectacle. Broadcasts of these events break records of viewer interest every time. Each host country of the Olympics strives to surpass all previous ones in scope and beauty of these ceremonies. Scenarios of ceremonies are kept in the strictest confidence until they begin. The ceremonies are held at the central stadiums with a large capacity, in the same place where athletics competitions are held.

Opening and closing begins with a theatrical performance, which should present the audience with the appearance of the country and the city, acquaint them with their history and culture.

Solemn passage of athletes and members of delegations to the central stadium. Athletes from each country go in a separate group. Traditionally, the first is the delegation of athletes from Greece - the parent country of the Games. The other groups are in order according to the alphabetical order of the names of the countries in the language of the country hosting the Games. (Or in the official language of the IOC - French or English). Each group is preceded by a representative of the host country, carrying a sign with the name of the respective country in the language of the host country and in the official languages ​​of the IOC. Behind him at the head of the group is the flag bearer - usually an athlete participating in the games, carrying the flag of his country. The right to carry the flag is very honorable for athletes. As a rule, this right is entrusted to the most titled and respected athletes.

Greeting speeches by the President of the IOC (obligatory), the head or official representative of the state in which the Games are held, sometimes the mayor of the city or the chairman of the Organizing Committee. The latter at the end of the speech should say the words: "(the serial number of the games) I declare the summer (winter) Olympic Games open." After that, as a rule, a cannon volley and many volleys of salute and fireworks are fired.

Raising the flag of Greece as the parent country of the Games with the performance of its national anthem.

Raising the flag of the host country of the Games with the performance of its national anthem.

Pronunciation by one of outstanding athletes the country in which the Olympics takes place, the Olympic oath on behalf of all participants in the games about a fair fight in accordance with the rules and principles of sports and the Olympic spirit (in recent years, words about the non-use of prohibited drugs - doping) have also been spoken;

Pronouncement by several judges on behalf of all judges of the oath of impartial refereeing;

Hoisting the Olympic flag and playing the official Olympic anthem.

Sometimes - raising the flag of Peace (a blue cloth, which depicts a white dove holding an olive branch in its beak - two traditional symbols of Peace), symbolizing the tradition to stop all armed conflicts for the duration of the Games.

The opening ceremony is crowned by the lighting of the Olympic flame. The fire is lit from the sun's rays in Olympia (Greece) in the Temple of the pagan Greek god Apollo (in ancient Greece, Apollo was considered the patron saint of the Games). The “High Priestess” of Hera utters a prayer of the following content: “Apollo, the god of the sun and the ideas of light, send your rays and light the sacred torch for the hospitable city ... (name of the city).” "The Olympic torch relay was held until 2007 all over the world. Now, for the purposes of the anti-terrorist campaign, the torch is carried only in the country in which the games are held. Fire is delivered from country to country by plane, and in each country an athlete or other figure of this country runs his part The relay is of great interest in all countries through which the path of the Olympic flame lies It is considered a great honor to carry the torch The first part of the relay passes through the cities of Greece The last part goes to the cities of the host country The torch is delivered on the opening day to the host city. Athletes from this country deliver the torch to the central stadium at the very end of the ceremony. At the stadium, the torch is carried around the circle several times, passing from hand to hand, until it is given to the athlete who is entrusted with the right to light the Olympic flame. This right is the most honorable The fire is ignited in a special bowl, the design of which is unique for each Olympics s. Also, the organizers always try to come up with an original and interesting way of lighting. The bowl is located high above the stadium. The fire must burn throughout the Olympics and is extinguished at the end of the closing ceremony.

Presentation of medals to the winners and prize-winners of the competitions on a special podium with the raising of state flags and the performance of the national anthem in honor of the winners.

During the closing ceremony also take place: a theatrical performance - farewell to the Olympics, the passage of participants, a speech by the President of the IOC and a representative of the host country. However, the closing of the Olympics is announced by the President of the IOC. This is followed by the performance of the country's anthem, the Olympic anthem, while the flags are lowered. The representative of the host country solemnly passes the Olympic flag to the President of the IOC, who in turn passes it to the representative of the Organizing Committee of the next Olympiad. This is followed by a short introduction of the next city hosting the Games. At the end of the ceremony, the Olympic flame is slowly extinguished to lyrical music.

Since 1932, the host city has been building the "Olympic Village" - a residential complex for participants in the Games.

The organizers of the Games are developing the symbols of the Olympics - the official emblem and mascot of the Games. The emblem usually has a unique design, stylized according to the characteristics of a given country. The emblem and mascot of the Games are an integral part of the souvenirs produced on the eve of the Games in large quantities. Souvenir sales can make up a large portion of Olympic revenue, but they don't always cover costs.

According to the charter, the Games are competitions between individual athletes, and not between national teams. However, since 1908 the so-called. unofficial team standings - determination of the place occupied by teams by the number of medals received and points scored in competitions (points are awarded for the first 6 places according to the system: 1st place - 7 points, 2nd - 5, 3rd - 4, 4 -e - 3, 5th - 2, 6th - 1). The title of Olympic champion is the most honorable and desirable in the career of an athlete in those sports in which Olympic tournaments are held. See Olympic sports. The exceptions are football, baseball, and other playing sports that take place in open areas, since either youth teams take part in them (football - up to 23 years old), or not the strongest players come because of the tight game schedule.

Symbols of the Olympic Games

The symbol of the Olympic Games are five fastened rings, which symbolize the unification of the five parts of the world: Europe - blue, Africa - black, America - red, Asia - yellow, Australia - green. Also, these rings are displayed on the flag, which has been raised at all the Games since 1920.

The motto of the Olympic Games is "Citius, Altius, Fortius", which translates as "Faster, Higher, Stronger".

olympic fire

During the summer solstice, competitors and organizers, pilgrims and fans paid homage to the gods by lighting a fire on the altars of Olympia. The winner of the running competition was honored to light the fire for the sacrifice. In the reflections of this fire, the rivalry of athletes took place, the competition of artists, an agreement on peace was concluded by messengers from cities and peoples. That is why the tradition of lighting a fire, and later delivering it to the venue of the competition, was renewed. Among the Olympic rituals, the ceremony of lighting a fire in Olympia and delivering it to the main arena of the games is especially emotional. This is one of the traditions of the modern Olympic movement. Millions of people can watch the exciting journey of fire through the countries with the help of television. The Olympic flame first flared up at the Amsterdam Stadium on the first day of the 1928 games. This is an indisputable fact. However, until recently, most researchers in the field of Olympic history have not found confirmation that this fire was delivered, as tradition dictates, by relay from Olympia. The beginning of the torch relay races, which brought fire from Olympia to the city of the Summer Olympics, was laid in 1936. Since then, the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games have been enriched by the exciting spectacle of lighting the fire from the torch carried by the relay race in the main Olympic stadium. The Torchbearer Run has been the solemn prologue of the Games for more than four decades. On June 20, 1936, a fire was lit in Olympia, which then made a 3075 km journey along the road of Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany. And in 1948, the torch made its first sea voyage.

Since ancient times, the Olympic Games have been the main sporting event of all times and peoples. In the days of the Olympiads, harmony and reconciliation reigned throughout the earth. Wars stopped and all strong and worthy people competed in a fair fight for the title of the best.

Over the centuries, the Olympic movement has overcome many obstacles, oblivion and alienation. But despite everything, the Olympic Games are alive to this day. Of course, this is no longer the competition in which naked young men took part and the winner of which entered the city through a breach in the wall. Today, the Olympic Games are one of the biggest events in the world. Games are equipped with the latest technology - computers and television cameras monitor the results, the time is determined to the nearest thousandth of a second, the athletes and their results largely depend on the technical equipment.

Traditional rituals of the Olympic Games

1. Lighting the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony.

2. Pronouncing the Olympic oath.

“On behalf of all athletes, I promise that we will participate in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules by which they are held, in a truly sporting spirit, for the glory of sport and for the honor of our teams.”

3. Pronouncing the Olympic oath of judges.

"On behalf of all judges and officials, I promise that we will carry out our duties at these Olympic Games with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the rules by which they are held, in a truly sporting spirit."

4. Presentation of medals to the winners.

5. Raising the national flag and playing the national anthem in honor of the winner.

Everyone has long been accustomed to what is important sports event The fourth anniversary - the Olympic Games - is preceded by a colorful opening ceremony, followed by a multi-million audience around the world. Now this is a bright show that boggles the imagination. And at each new Olympics, the scriptwriters manage to come up with something new that has never happened before. But the opening wasn't always such a great theatrical performance. Previously, it was much more like a dry official protocol clause. Although everything should be told in order.

The ancient Olympic Games did not have opening ceremonies as such. At the same time, there were no competitions on the first day of the Games, since it was dedicated to religious ceremonies, sacrifices, and all athletes spent this day at the altars, praying to the gods for victory. Of course, no flags, anthems, speeches of chapters

There were no states at all. There was only the Olympic flame, which was lit for the duration of the competition. So antique games very different from the modern ones that we are used to seeing on TV screens.

The history of the new Olympic Games dates back to 1896. It was then that the first modern Games were held in tribute to the traditions of Ancient Greece. Centuries have passed, much has changed in our world, and the format of the competition has also changed greatly since antiquity. It was at this Olympics that a pronounced opening ceremony first appeared, laying down two major traditions at once, which are still observed to this day. The first of them is the speech of the head of the host state with a speech that formally opens the competition. The king of Greece was the first to make such a speech. George I, and since then, at almost every Olympics, the leader of the state solemnly announces the opening of the Games. The second tradition is the performance of the Olympic anthem, which is strictly observed to this day. However, if modern man was present among those 80,000 spectators gathered in the stands, I would not be surprised to note the absence of the parade of the participating countries, the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame and the theatrical component. All this really was not at the first Olympics - it appeared later.

At the second Olympics in Paris, held as part of the World Exhibition, there was no opening ceremony at all. The organizers considered the celebrations held in Athens redundant, and the just-nascent Olympic traditions were immediately interrupted. However, in 1904, in St. Louis, the opening ceremony, albeit very modest, timed to coincide with the opening of the same World Exhibition, reappeared. The revival of Olympic traditions took place in London in 1908. Edward VII announced the opening of the Olympic Games, and for the first time teams from various countries marched with the flags of their own states in front of the king's podium, expressing their respect to him. Not all countries took part in the parade (for example, there was no delegation from Russia), but this is how the new Olympic tradition was born, which today is an integral and extremely interesting part of the opening ceremony for many spectators.

If we talk about the appearance of the Olympic flag, then for the first time it was raised at the VII Olympiad in Antwerp. The recitation of the Olympic oath also took place for the first time at the Games in 1918. So the ceremonial of the Olympic Games in Belgium almost completely coincided with modern Games. Only one thing was missing, the most important from the point of view of the modern viewer - the lighting of the Olympic flame, which appeared ten years later in Amsterdam. An employee of the local electric power company lit the first Olympic flame on the tower of the local stadium, not knowing that by doing so he revived a custom that had died out many centuries ago. Since then, the ritual of lighting the Olympic flame has been an integral, if not the most important attribute of the opening ceremony of the modern Olympic Games. IN Lately it is he who is played in the most unexpected way for the audience. Sometimes it is lit by simply bringing the torch to the bowl, sometimes they fly up to it. Or they can simply shoot with a lit arrow, as was the case in Barcelona in 1992.

If we talk about lighting the Olympic flame, then we should not forget about its delivery to the stadium. The Olympic torch relay appeared in 1936 at the Games in Berlin. Since then, it has also been an important part of the Olympic ceremony, which was finally formed at the XI Olympiad.

Gradually, an unofficial part of the Olympic ceremony began to take shape, namely theatrical performances that characterize the host country and the people living in it. And if, for example, at the Games in London in 1948, this part was extremely modest and short, then at the Olympics-80 in Moscow, almost 16 thousand people took part in the performance, which lasted more than three hours.

At various Olympiads, the most famous artists took part in the opening ceremonies: Montserrat Caballe, Celine Dion, Placido Domingo. Millions, if not billions of viewers, turn on their TVs to enjoy such an unusual and vibrant spectacle. And the organizers of the games invariably amaze the imagination with their originality. And when, it would seem, it is simply impossible to come up with anything better, they still find how to surprise the sophisticated viewer. That is why we are all looking forward to the opening of the London Olympics. How it will be this time, we will find out in four days. One thing is clear: no one will remain indifferent.