Japan's Emperor Naruhito welcomed U.S First Lady Jill Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron in Tokyo, on Friday, to attend the Olympics Opening Ceremony.
Naruhito has received Biden and other foreign dignitaries at the Imperial Palace, which was the first time the emperor met with the first lady.
In a glorious evening, the sky over the National Stadium in Tokyo exploded in indigo and white as fireworks, marking the start of the massive ceremony.
The Olympics ceremony was postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hence, organizers were forced to take the unprecedented step of holding the Games without fans as fresh cases of Covid-19 continue to rise in Tokyo and outside it.
The opening video featured at the stadium recapped Japan's path to the Games and the challenges the world has faced since the selection of the Japanese capital as host in 2013.
[embed]https://twitter.com/Tokyo2020/status/1418528434955841538?s=08[/embed]
The video showed how in 2020 the coronavirus hit the world and the subsequent lockdown forcing the unprecedented postponement only four months before the Games were supposed to open.
The opening is taking place without the usual mass choreography, huge props and cornucopia of dancers, actors and lights associated with past celebrations.
On his part, Macron affirmed that Japan was right to hold the Olympic Games despite a rise in coronavirus infections, now at a six-month high.
“These Olympic Games had to be held,” he said. “The Olympics is the spirit of cooperation and we need it … in this time of COVID.”
About 11,000 athletes from 204 national Olympic committees are expected, along with a team of refugee athletes competing under the Olympic flag. The Games run until Aug. 8.
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