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1998 Winter Olympics opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics took place at Nagano Olympic Stadium, Nagano, Japan, on 7 February 1998. It began at 11:00 JST and finished at approximately 14:00 JST. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combined the formal and ceremonial opening of this international sporting event, including welcoming speeches, hoisting of the flags and the parade of athletes, with an artistic spectacle to showcase the host nation's culture and history. The Games were officially opened by Emperor of Japan Akihito.[1]

1998 Winter Olympics opening ceremony
Date7 February 1998 (1998-02-07)
Time11:00 – 14:00 JST (UTC+9)
LocationNagano Olympic Stadium, Nagano, Japan
Coordinates36°34′47″N 138°09′56″E / 36.579722°N 138.165556°E / 36.579722; 138.165556
Filmed by1998 Olympic Radio and Television Organization (ORTO '98)
FootageNagano 1998 Opening Ceremony - Full Length on YouTube

Alan Tomlinson, Professor in Leisure Studies at the University of Brighton, argued that the main theme of this opening ceremony is Peace and Harmony. While elements of Nagano's religious and sporting culture are shown throughout the ceremony, it is shown alongside examples of a hopeful wish in a world peace at the end of the 20th century.[2][3]

Officials and Guests edit

Dignitaries from International organizations edit

Host country dignitaries edit

Dignitaries from abroad edit

Proceedings edit

Bell to Symbolize Purification edit

At exactly 11am JST, a bell at Zenkō-ji temple was rung, by a man who was a teenager during World War II, and was in training to be a kamikaze pilot when the war ended. The bell that was rung was cast in 1667, and reverberates as a symbol of Nagano. It was rung to confer blessing on the opening ceremony.[2]

Raising of Onbashira to Consecrate Sacred Ground edit

Onbashira — or "sacred pillars" in the Japanese — are large wooden fir posts which stand at the corners of local shrines in Nagano Prefecture. They are brought down from the surrounding mountains to purify the earth. At this ceremony, hundreds of people performed the Satobiki ceremony, where four 12 meter high onbashira are erected at the two entrances of the stadium. The logs are raised with ropes by hand, and while they are being raised, a ceremonial group of log bearers ride the logs and sing and perform other feats, while numerous men and women sustain a consistent chant. Barry Davies — the commentator for the BBC broadcast showing stated that the chants were "plaintive" being a "prelude to much hard work."[2] Finally, each post unfurled a yellow steamer which were to call the gods that lived in the trees.

Dohyo-iri Ceremony edit

33 Sumo Wrestlers chosen from all over Japan entered the stadium to perform the Dohyō-iri ring purification ceremony, which while practiced in the Edo Period, it is one that can be traceable back to an 8th century text.[4] Then Yokozuna Akebono Tarō, eight-time Sumo Grand Champion, and 38 other wrestlers also enter the stadium, totaling the 72 wrestlers.[5]

During this act, it was announced on the Stadium loudspeakers that the Emperor of Japan Akihito, and his wife, Empress Michiko arrive with IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and other dignitaries.

Then Akebono performed the Yokozuna dohyo-iri ring purification ceremony, the symbolic calling of the attention of the gods and expelling the evil spirits from the competition venue. It is more intricate than the normal dohyo-iri ceremony.[5][4]

Children of Nagano Welcome the Athletes edit

Giant straw Dōsojin, which appear in Shinto folklore in Ōoka village arrive in the stadium. 150 primary school aged children, local participants of the "One School, One Country" initiative, arrive dressed as Yukinko, traditional straw winter coats and hats. After some dancing, the children take off their straw coats, showing knitted sweaters of country flags representing the 72 nations competing in these Winter Games.[6] Each child will march with their country during the Parade of Nations, and will appear also during the lighting of the Olympic Flame.

Japanese artist Ryoko Moriyama joined the school children to perform a medley of two songs from the 1996 Andrew Lloyd Webber/Jim Steinman musical Whistle Down the Wind: the titular song and “When Children Rule the World”, sung in both Japanese and English.[7]

Parade of Nations edit

2,302 athletes from 72 countries and regions participated in the competition,[8] including 814 female athletes and 1488 male athletes. Both the number of participating delegations and the number of athletes participating in the competition were the most ever at the time.Three National Olympic Committees were sending delegations to compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time in history: Azerbaijan, North Macedonia and Uruguay.[9]

Opening Addresses edit

NAOC President Eishiro Saito delivered a speech in Japanese, welcoming everyone. IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch delivered a speech in English, calling for athletes to "observe the Olympic truce."[10] His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Japan Akihito declared the games open in Japanese.[2]

"ここに,長野における第18回オリンピック冬季競技大会の開会を宣言します。" – "I hereby declare the opening of the XVIII Olympic Winter Games in Nagano."

— His Majesty the Emperor Akihito

Olympic Flag and Anthems edit

After a fanfare, the Olympic Flag was carried around the stadium by eight former Japanese Olympians: Chiharu Igaya, Yukio Kasaya, Akitsugu Konno, Yoshihiro Kitazawa, Hatsue Nagakubo-Takamizawa, Yuko Otaka, Seiko Hashimoto, and Hiromi Yamamoto. During the raising of the Olympic flag, the Olympic Hymn was sung in Japanese by the Nagano Children's Choir.

The Japanese National Anthem, Kimigayo, was played by Gagaku musicians.

Torch relay and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron edit

 
The cauldron used during the games is now used as a monument to the games.

At the end of a 49-day torch relay across Japan, the Olympic flame is carried into the stadium by Chris Moon, an Landmine Survivors Network member and an activist and advocate for banning anti-personnel landmines. He is accompanied by the local Nagano children featured earlier wearing their flag sweaters. There is also a reprise of the theme song, When Children Rule the World. Moon hands over the Olympic torch to Masako Chiba, bronze medalist for the Women's 10,000 metres at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics in Athens,Chiba presented the Olympic Flame to the Imperial Couple in the royal box, with the Emperor and Empress applauding her. Chiba passed the torch to Japanese Team that was the current Olympic Champions on Team Event in Nordic Combined: Takanori Kono, Masashi Abe, and Reiichi Mikata, then they passed for the runner Hiromi Suzuki, winner of the Women's marathon at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics who runs upstairs while surrounded by local Nagano children. The last torchbearer was Midori Ito, Olympic silver medalist of the Ladies' singles at the Figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, and the first asian figure skating to won the World Championiships in 1989, who lighted the cauldron.Ito was wearing a special kimono personifying the Japanese goddess Amaterasu.[5] The music played during this sequence is Un bel dì, vedremo aria from the opera Giacomo Puccini's "Madame Butterfly".[12]

Olympic Oaths and Dove Balloons edit

Japanese men's Nordic combined skier Kenji Ogiwara took the oath on behalf of all 1998 Olympic athletes in Japanese, while the officials' oath was taken by figure skating referee Junko Hiramatsu in Japanese.

1,998 balloons in the shape of doves were released from the stage of the stadium.

The Grand Chorus edit

The finale of the opening ceremony featured a choral performance of the 4th movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 ("Ode to Joy"), conducted by Ozawa Seiji, joined by choruses from the five satellite locations in Beijing, Berlin, Cape Town, New York City, and Sydney; The New York Times described the sequence as having been "the first time that images and sounds from around the globe were united in a simultaneous live performance."[13][2][14]

Performers edit

Nagano Prefectural Culture Hall: Ozawa Seiji, Tokyo Opera Singers, Nagano Winter Orchestra. Sopranos: Izabela Labuda, Claudia Waite, Altos: Zheng Cao, Ruth Peel, Tenors: Anthony Dean Griffey, Gwyn Hughes Jones, Baritones: Denis Sedov, Kevin Short.[15]

Following the performance of Ode to Joy, a flyover was done by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force performance squadron Blue Impulse, leaving smoke trails in the colors of the Olympic Rings behind them as they flew over the Olympic Stadium.

Anthems edit

Legacy edit

Alan Tomlinson,[16] argues that Peace and Harmony is this opening ceremony's theme. While elements of Nagano's culture are shown throughout the ceremony, the main theme shown is how the world is more unified and harmonious at the last Winter Olympics of the 20th century. This is best seen in the massed choir that marked the beginning and the end of this ceremony, with satellite choirs at key symbolic locations of peace. It is also seen through at the flame's entrance by emphasizing the work of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Since the 2000 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, the theme of universalism bringing peace in Olympics opening ceremonies have been dropped for more nationalistic displays, as seen in the 2002 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ "Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics - results & video highlights". International Olympic Committee. 2017-11-08. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Tomlinson, Alan (1 January 2005). "Picturing the winter Olympics: The Opening ceremonies of Nagano (Japan) 1998 and Salt Lake City (USA) 2002". Tourism, Culture & Communication. 5 (2): 83–92. doi:10.3727/109830405774791465. S2CID 59142832.
  3. ^ Paquette, Jessica. "The Top 10 Opening Ceremonies in Winter Olympics History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  4. ^ a b NAOC 1998, p. 28.
  5. ^ a b c . No. 7 February 1998. The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  6. ^ NAOC 1999, p. 121.
  7. ^ NAOC 1998, p. 32.
  8. ^ "Japan and the Olympics: Asia's First Olympic Host" (PDF). Web Japan. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  9. ^ Tajima, Atsushi (2004). ""Amoral universalism": mediating and staging global and local in the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games". Critical Studies in Media Communication. 21 (3): 241–260. doi:10.1080/0739318042000212710. S2CID 144344757.
  10. ^ "Winter Olympic Games Are Underway". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  11. ^ Masumoto, Naofumi (1998). "Cultural aspects of the opening ceremony of 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games". Journal of the Philosophy of Sport and Physical Education. 20 (2): 45–53. doi:10.9772/jpspe1979.20.2_45. ISSN 0915-5104.
  12. ^ NAOC 1999, p. 125.
  13. ^ Strom, Stephanie (7 February 1998). "THE XVIII WINTER GAMES: OPENING CEREMONIES; The Latest Sport? After a Worldwide Effort, Synchronized Singing Gets In". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  14. ^ Frey, Jennifer; Sullivan, Kevin (7 February 1998). "A Warm Welcome at the Winter Olympics". Washington Post. from the original on 2002-02-18. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  15. ^ NAOC 1998, pp. 50–52.
  16. ^ . University of Brighton. Archived from the original on 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2019-04-12.

Bibliography edit

  • Official Report of the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, Vol. 2. The Organizing Committee for the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, Nagano 1998. 1999. ISBN 4-7840-9826-7. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  • The Opening Ceremony media guide : the XVIII Olympic Winter Games. Nagano: NAOC. 1998. Retrieved 1 November 2020.

External links edit

1998, winter, olympics, opening, ceremony, opening, ceremony, 1998, winter, olympics, took, place, nagano, olympic, stadium, nagano, japan, february, 1998, began, finished, approximately, mandated, olympic, charter, proceedings, combined, formal, ceremonial, o. The opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics took place at Nagano Olympic Stadium Nagano Japan on 7 February 1998 It began at 11 00 JST and finished at approximately 14 00 JST As mandated by the Olympic Charter the proceedings combined the formal and ceremonial opening of this international sporting event including welcoming speeches hoisting of the flags and the parade of athletes with an artistic spectacle to showcase the host nation s culture and history The Games were officially opened by Emperor of Japan Akihito 1 1998 Winter Olympics opening ceremonyDate7 February 1998 1998 02 07 Time11 00 14 00 JST UTC 9 LocationNagano Olympic Stadium Nagano JapanCoordinates36 34 47 N 138 09 56 E 36 579722 N 138 165556 E 36 579722 138 165556Filmed by1998 Olympic Radio and Television Organization ORTO 98 FootageNagano 1998 Opening Ceremony Full Length on YouTube Alan Tomlinson Professor in Leisure Studies at the University of Brighton argued that the main theme of this opening ceremony is Peace and Harmony While elements of Nagano s religious and sporting culture are shown throughout the ceremony it is shown alongside examples of a hopeful wish in a world peace at the end of the 20th century 2 3 Contents 1 Officials and Guests 1 1 Dignitaries from International organizations 1 2 Host country dignitaries 1 3 Dignitaries from abroad 2 Proceedings 2 1 Bell to Symbolize Purification 2 2 Raising of Onbashira to Consecrate Sacred Ground 2 3 Dohyo iri Ceremony 2 4 Children of Nagano Welcome the Athletes 2 5 Parade of Nations 2 6 Opening Addresses 2 7 Olympic Flag and Anthems 2 8 Torch relay and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron 2 9 Olympic Oaths and Dove Balloons 2 10 The Grand Chorus 2 10 1 Performers 3 Anthems 4 Legacy 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External linksOfficials and Guests editDignitaries from International organizations edit nbsp International Olympic Committee IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and Maria Teresa Samaranch Salisachs Members of the International Olympic Committee nbsp United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan Host country dignitaries edit nbsp Japan NAOC President Eishiro Saito Emperor Akihito Empress Michiko Dignitaries from abroad edit nbsp Luxembourg Grand Duke Jean nbsp Monaco Sovereign Prince Rainier III nbsp Norway Crown Prince Haakon representing the King of Norway nbsp United States Founder of International Campaign to Ban Landmines and American political activist Jody Williams nbsp South Korea Prime Minister Kim Jong pil nbsp Belarus President Aleksander LukashenkoProceedings editBell to Symbolize Purification edit At exactly 11am JST a bell at Zenkō ji temple was rung by a man who was a teenager during World War II and was in training to be a kamikaze pilot when the war ended The bell that was rung was cast in 1667 and reverberates as a symbol of Nagano It was rung to confer blessing on the opening ceremony 2 Raising of Onbashira to Consecrate Sacred Ground edit Onbashira or sacred pillars in the Japanese are large wooden fir posts which stand at the corners of local shrines in Nagano Prefecture They are brought down from the surrounding mountains to purify the earth At this ceremony hundreds of people performed the Satobiki ceremony where four 12 meter high onbashira are erected at the two entrances of the stadium The logs are raised with ropes by hand and while they are being raised a ceremonial group of log bearers ride the logs and sing and perform other feats while numerous men and women sustain a consistent chant Barry Davies the commentator for the BBC broadcast showing stated that the chants were plaintive being a prelude to much hard work 2 Finally each post unfurled a yellow steamer which were to call the gods that lived in the trees Dohyo iri Ceremony edit 33 Sumo Wrestlers chosen from all over Japan entered the stadium to perform the Dohyō iri ring purification ceremony which while practiced in the Edo Period it is one that can be traceable back to an 8th century text 4 Then Yokozuna Akebono Tarō eight time Sumo Grand Champion and 38 other wrestlers also enter the stadium totaling the 72 wrestlers 5 During this act it was announced on the Stadium loudspeakers that the Emperor of Japan Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko arrive with IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and other dignitaries Then Akebono performed the Yokozuna dohyo iri ring purification ceremony the symbolic calling of the attention of the gods and expelling the evil spirits from the competition venue It is more intricate than the normal dohyo iri ceremony 5 4 Children of Nagano Welcome the Athletes edit Giant straw Dōsojin which appear in Shinto folklore in Ōoka village arrive in the stadium 150 primary school aged children local participants of the One School One Country initiative arrive dressed as Yukinko traditional straw winter coats and hats After some dancing the children take off their straw coats showing knitted sweaters of country flags representing the 72 nations competing in these Winter Games 6 Each child will march with their country during the Parade of Nations and will appear also during the lighting of the Olympic Flame Japanese artist Ryoko Moriyama joined the school children to perform a medley of two songs from the 1996 Andrew Lloyd Webber Jim Steinman musical Whistle Down the Wind the titular song and When Children Rule the World sung in both Japanese and English 7 Parade of Nations edit See also 1998 Winter Olympics national flag bearers 2 302 athletes from 72 countries and regions participated in the competition 8 including 814 female athletes and 1488 male athletes Both the number of participating delegations and the number of athletes participating in the competition were the most ever at the time Three National Olympic Committees were sending delegations to compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time in history Azerbaijan North Macedonia and Uruguay 9 Opening Addresses edit NAOC President Eishiro Saito delivered a speech in Japanese welcoming everyone IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch delivered a speech in English calling for athletes to observe the Olympic truce 10 His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Japan Akihito declared the games open in Japanese 2 ここに 長野における第18回オリンピック冬季競技大会の開会を宣言します I hereby declare the opening of the XVIII Olympic Winter Games in Nagano His Majesty the Emperor Akihito Olympic Flag and Anthems edit After a fanfare the Olympic Flag was carried around the stadium by eight former Japanese Olympians Chiharu Igaya Yukio Kasaya Akitsugu Konno Yoshihiro Kitazawa Hatsue Nagakubo Takamizawa Yuko Otaka Seiko Hashimoto and Hiromi Yamamoto During the raising of the Olympic flag the Olympic Hymn was sung in Japanese by the Nagano Children s Choir The Japanese National Anthem Kimigayo was played by Gagaku musicians nbsp Nagano City Children s Choir Olympic Hymn nbsp Gagaku musicians National Anthem of Japan 11 Torch relay and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron edit See also 1998 Winter Olympics torch relay nbsp The cauldron used during the games is now used as a monument to the games At the end of a 49 day torch relay across Japan the Olympic flame is carried into the stadium by Chris Moon an Landmine Survivors Network member and an activist and advocate for banning anti personnel landmines He is accompanied by the local Nagano children featured earlier wearing their flag sweaters There is also a reprise of the theme song When Children Rule the World Moon hands over the Olympic torch to Masako Chiba bronze medalist for the Women s 10 000 metres at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics in Athens Chiba presented the Olympic Flame to the Imperial Couple in the royal box with the Emperor and Empress applauding her Chiba passed the torch to Japanese Team that was the current Olympic Champions on Team Event in Nordic Combined Takanori Kono Masashi Abe and Reiichi Mikata then they passed for the runner Hiromi Suzuki winner of the Women s marathon at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics who runs upstairs while surrounded by local Nagano children The last torchbearer was Midori Ito Olympic silver medalist of the Ladies singles at the Figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville and the first asian figure skating to won the World Championiships in 1989 who lighted the cauldron Ito was wearing a special kimono personifying the Japanese goddess Amaterasu 5 The music played during this sequence is Un bel di vedremo aria from the opera Giacomo Puccini s Madame Butterfly 12 Olympic Oaths and Dove Balloons edit Japanese men s Nordic combined skier Kenji Ogiwara took the oath on behalf of all 1998 Olympic athletes in Japanese while the officials oath was taken by figure skating referee Junko Hiramatsu in Japanese 1 998 balloons in the shape of doves were released from the stage of the stadium The Grand Chorus edit The finale of the opening ceremony featured a choral performance of the 4th movement of Ludwig van Beethoven s Symphony No 9 Ode to Joy conducted by Ozawa Seiji joined by choruses from the five satellite locations in Beijing Berlin Cape Town New York City and Sydney The New York Times described the sequence as having been the first time that images and sounds from around the globe were united in a simultaneous live performance 13 2 14 Performers edit Nagano Prefectural Culture Hall Ozawa Seiji Tokyo Opera Singers Nagano Winter Orchestra Sopranos Izabela Labuda Claudia Waite Altos Zheng Cao Ruth Peel Tenors Anthony Dean Griffey Gwyn Hughes Jones Baritones Denis Sedov Kevin Short 15 Ernst Senff Choir at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin Germany Sydney Philharmonia Choirs at the Sydney Opera House Sydney Australia Boston Symphony Tanglewood Festival Chorus at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City United States China National Symphony Orchestra Chorus at the Shenwu Gate Gate of Divine Prowess of the Forbidden City in Beijing China Harmony Singers Princess Square Singers and the Cape Town Philharmonia Choir in False Bay Cape Point near Cape Town South Africa Following the performance of Ode to Joy a flyover was done by the Japan Air Self Defense Force performance squadron Blue Impulse leaving smoke trails in the colors of the Olympic Rings behind them as they flew over the Olympic Stadium Anthems editLegacy editAlan Tomlinson 16 argues that Peace and Harmony is this opening ceremony s theme While elements of Nagano s culture are shown throughout the ceremony the main theme shown is how the world is more unified and harmonious at the last Winter Olympics of the 20th century This is best seen in the massed choir that marked the beginning and the end of this ceremony with satellite choirs at key symbolic locations of peace It is also seen through at the flame s entrance by emphasizing the work of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines Since the 2000 Summer Olympics opening ceremony the theme of universalism bringing peace in Olympics opening ceremonies have been dropped for more nationalistic displays as seen in the 2002 Winter Olympics opening ceremony 2 References edit Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics results amp video highlights International Olympic Committee 2017 11 08 Retrieved 2019 04 09 a b c d e f Tomlinson Alan 1 January 2005 Picturing the winter Olympics The Opening ceremonies of Nagano Japan 1998 and Salt Lake City USA 2002 Tourism Culture amp Communication 5 2 83 92 doi 10 3727 109830405774791465 S2CID 59142832 Paquette Jessica The Top 10 Opening Ceremonies in Winter Olympics History Bleacher Report Retrieved 2019 04 14 a b NAOC 1998 p 28 a b c Nagano Olympics opening as largest Winter Games ever No 7 February 1998 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Archived from the original on 14 April 2019 Retrieved 25 September 2020 NAOC 1999 p 121 NAOC 1998 p 32 Japan and the Olympics Asia s First Olympic Host PDF Web Japan Retrieved April 17 2019 Tajima Atsushi 2004 Amoral universalism mediating and staging global and local in the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games Critical Studies in Media Communication 21 3 241 260 doi 10 1080 0739318042000212710 S2CID 144344757 Winter Olympic Games Are Underway www cbsnews com Retrieved 2019 04 09 Masumoto Naofumi 1998 Cultural aspects of the opening ceremony of 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games Journal of the Philosophy of Sport and Physical Education 20 2 45 53 doi 10 9772 jpspe1979 20 2 45 ISSN 0915 5104 NAOC 1999 p 125 Strom Stephanie 7 February 1998 THE XVIII WINTER GAMES OPENING CEREMONIES The Latest Sport After a Worldwide Effort Synchronized Singing Gets In The New York Times Retrieved 8 April 2019 Frey Jennifer Sullivan Kevin 7 February 1998 A Warm Welcome at the Winter Olympics Washington Post Archived from the original on 2002 02 18 Retrieved 2021 08 19 NAOC 1998 pp 50 52 Alan Tomlinson University of Brighton Archived from the original on 2021 11 16 Retrieved 2019 04 12 Bibliography editOfficial Report of the XVIII Olympic Winter Games Vol 2 The Organizing Committee for the XVIII Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998 1999 ISBN 4 7840 9826 7 Retrieved 26 September 2020 The Opening Ceremony media guide the XVIII Olympic Winter Games Nagano NAOC 1998 Retrieved 1 November 2020 External links editPortals nbsp Olympics nbsp Japan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1998 Winter Olympics opening ceremony amp oldid 1220202914, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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