Best, Worst Uniforms From 2016 Olympic Opening Ceremony

So he led the American team into Maracana Stadium on Friday for the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics.

Brazil’s interim President Michel Temer declared open the first Games ever in South America.

Waving signs that read “No to the Olympics!” and “Temer out!”, protesters gathered outside the luxury Copacabana Palace Hotel where many Olympic team members are staying.

Hoping the ceremony would be “a drug for depression in Brazil”, event organizer, Oscar-nominated film director Fernando Meirelles, was determined to depict an honest view of his country, the good and the bad. It was simple, classy and effective. There were ominous moments from the darker side of Brazilian history, from slavery to the creation of mega-cities, and lectures about carbon levels, the Earth’s temperature and protecting the environment.

Brazil’s rainforests came next, followed by the arrival of the Europeans, Africans, those from the middle east and the Orient.

Here’s a look from the ground floor from Team Canada’s volleyball player John Perrin.

One of them is 18-year-old Yusra Mardini.

A video of Alberto Santos-Dumont, a pioneer of powered flight, cruising over the Rio night sky was a nice touch as the Maracana cleared the way for a sprinkling of stardust.

Dressed in a shimmering gown from controversial designer Alexandre Herchcovitch, Brazil native Gisele Bundchen sashayed across the Maracana Stadium to The Girl From Ipanema in what was her swan song as a runway model.

Even though Brazil’s creative team didn’t have almost the budget of host countries in years past, they still shared a memorable display that brought together all the disparate threads of the country into one magical moment. It was officially party time.

Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee president, acknowledged in his brief speech that this is a “very hard time in Brazil history” but added: “We have always believed in you”.

Overall, the atmosphere in the Maracana Stadium was celebratory, as a succession of actors, dancers and musicians raced through routines meant to showcase Brazil’s culture, diversity and history, even finding time for a brief lecture on environmental issues.

On behalf of all 11,288 competitors (6,182 men; 5,106 women), a Brazilian athlete will pledge an oath that they won’t take banned drugs – a promise likely to ring false to many fans after the scandal of government-orchestrated cheating in Russian Federation.

One man was decked out in apparel that donned the Brazilian flag, a couple from Texas was there to volunteer, and United States undercover agents were walking around monitoring the area in an effort to keep Americans safe.Although I didn’t actually have tickets to the opening ceremony (they cost upwards of 2,000 USA dollars!), I was able to watch it on a TV in one of Rio’s many bars.

They were more than willing to forget the economic problems plaguing their country as well as the criticism from many over the cost of staging one of the world’s largest and most expensive sporting events.

Following Temer, IOC President Bach tried to smooth things over with his speech. “The world is watching so we are here to denounce the coup”, said one demonstrator, Iraci Franca, 57, a nurse.

“Here is our Olympic answer: the 10,000 best athletes in the world, competing with each other, at the same time living peacefully together in one Olympic Village, sharing their meals and their emotions”.

They were cheered on by Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin, who is also the Singapore National Olympic Council president. However, legendary footballer Pele, who was widely expected to light the Olympic cauldron, pulled out a few hours before due to ill-health.

Brazilian marathoner Vanderlei De Lima did the honors of lighting the cauldron, getting his golden moment 12 years later than he might have.

Music was a prominent theme of the opening ceremony, with samba among the genres represented.