Olympic Opening Ceremonies Essay Example

Introduction

The opening ceremonies at most of the world Olympic Games provide a tremendous and intricately spectacular show, highlighting an extraordinary explosion of music as well as color that allows the host countries the chance to display their distinctiveness. Moreover, while benefiting differently from the Olympic Games, several states also experience many challenges: politically, economically, and socially. In particular, whereas nations showcase their rich diversities during these games, they also conceal significant cultural problems such as enslavement and violence against indigenous people.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony

The games were declared open in a remarkable style of fifth August 2016 as the host city Rio de Janeiro welcomed the world into the incredible weeks of the Olympics events. The opening ceremony happened in Brazil's iconic Maracana arena. The ceremony exhibited the country's rich and exciting history as well as culture. For instance, laser-lit performers and fireworks presented the world with a befittingly arresting moment, before Paulinho da Viola performed a heartbreaking acoustic version of Brazil's national anthem. While the Pop took center stage, the voices of favelas, capoeira, samba, as well as Brazilian music filled the air.

However, the country's history is complicated and painful, and the majority of the historically sidelined groups on stage felt the ceremony crushed the reality. In particular, the opening ceremony failed to paid homage to important themes, including the mass enslavement of Afro-Brazilians as well as violence towards Brazil's indigenous groups. In this case, the explicitly cheerful tone was perceived by many as throbbing to watch. The country masked over the agony, and deep-seated suffering of its communities have experienced due to public neglect and mistreatment for nearly a century. One poignant and evident example was the contrast between the colorful background of the stadium and a large number of enforced ejections of citizens across the city. Furthermore, efforts to resolve and acknowledge these systemic problems that exist in Brazil protracted throughout the opening ceremony. To a higher degree, the occasion only showed the parts of the nation's history and culture, which would be agreeable for the visitors to see.

To permanently resolve these issues, the government has to address the conflicts between Brazilians and the indigenous people. There is a need to treat all people equally while ensuring the safety of every citizen. For future Olympic Games, there is also need to offer sufficient funds and resources to avoid forced evictions of persons.

Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony

Opened on 7th February 2014, the opening celebrations marked the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. It adopted a historical theme, depicting Russian accomplishments such as St. Petersburg foundation, industrialization, as well as space exploration. It also demonstrated the country's great authors and composers as seen through the 13 distinct parts and dreams of a teenager named Lyubov.

Though it was startling, with numerous instances of endless self-glorification, the host country did not use the opportunity to address its culpability in civilian and minority suffering. Instead, these important themes were neglected, and only the image that Russia wanted to project to the world was emphasized. It was unfortunate, since this image - part accurate, part delusional, and part aspirational, portrayed quite a lot regarding present-day Russia. Most importantly, it was disappointing that international coverage of this opening ceremony fixed on two things: the transformation of a country into an Olympic ring, and the state's uniqueness.

Works Cited

Olympic Channel. Sochi Opening Ceremony. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRlCcOdmuHg. Accessed 18 July 2018.

Olympic Channel. Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_qXm9HY9Ro. Accessed 18 July 2018.