The night of the Youth Olympics Opening Ceremony kicked off with a downpour; then it was showtime.
“Nanjing, ni hao! China, ni hao!” said IOC president Thomas Bach as he started his speech (see full transcript) before more than 60,000 people at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center Stadium, at the Opening Ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) last night in Nanjing, China. “You are sending a strong message to the world about sharing, learning and making friends,” continued Bach as he invited everybody to pick up their smartphones and “set a record for selfies.” (See photo).
At first, it had not seemed as though it would be a lucky night, as rain was pouring down. But an impressive team of workers took action and mopped up the arena, getting the area ready for the event.
The crowd joined in loudly using plastic hand clappers and following the directions of young and dedicated local volunteers on the stands.
One athlete per National Olympic Committee made up a parade of delegations. Shooters Yassuin Tahlek and Chimi Rinzin carried the flag for their countries, respectively the United Arab Emirates and Bhutan.
China's president Xi Jinping was there; the packed stadium erupted into cheers as Xi officially opened the competition. Li Xueyong, president of the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee (NYOGOC), came on stage with Bach to give a speech.
As six Chinese Olympians carried the Olympic flag and the Nanjing YOG torch into the stadium, it was time for the Olympic Oath, which Fan Zhendong, a table tennis player, Zhou Qiurui and Li Rongxiang took on behalf of, respectively, the athletes, the officials and the coaches.
Then, it was showtime. The performance, “Light Up the Future”, told the story of the invention of the armillary sphere, an astronomy instrument invented in ancient China. The show was meant to connect the civilization of the past and the young of the future.
A giant telescope emitted rays as several group performance were staged. Bronze ware and blue-and-white porcelain represented Chinese culture, whereas the Silk Road, a trade route between China and Europe, stood for the global attitude of the host country. Throughout the night, 1,600 fireworks were set off.
Finally, Zhang Liangying and Zhang Jie, two Chinese singers, Kim Soo-hyun, a South Korean star, and Molgun Galia, a Russian artist, sang the theme song, “Dianliang Weilai,” (“Light Up to Meet the Future”).
(Photo: Xinhua News Agency)