The plan was to follow on with what was presented in the Rio 2016 closing ceremony, where then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dressed up as Mario in the handover segment.Īccording to the leak, the following artists, musicians, actors and cultural franchises were to appear in the ceremony: According to reports from Shūkan Bunshun, the original program would include numerous references to J-pop and video games with the creative team led by MIKIKO before it was scaled back.

Reports from Inside the Games and Kyodo News in January 2020 suggested that there would be a bigger focus on Japanese technology and its popular culture in this ceremony. Previous Olympic opening ceremonies in Japan, such as the 1998 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Nagano, mixed ancient Japanese cultural elements with themes of international peace. Before the announcement of barring spectators was made, ticket prices for the Opening Ceremony were expected to range between ¥12,000 and ¥300,000. Had the pandemic not happen, capacity of the stadium during the Olympic Games would have been 60,102, including account press and executive seating areas. The stadium was handed over to the IOC on 30 November 2019 for preparations. Construction of the new stadium began at the site on 11 December 2016. Demolition of old National Stadium was completed in May 2015. The new National Stadium, called Olympic Stadium during the Games, served as the main stadium for the opening ceremony. Dentsu's creative director for these ceremonies, Kaoru Sugano, resigned in January 2020 over harassment claims. In July 2019, he mentioned that his involvement will be in partnership with the Japanese advertising company Dentsu. Balich was involved as producer of the ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics, 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics, and has done other international ceremonies such as the 2019 Summer Universiade and the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.

Marco Balich of Balich Worldwide Shows, is the Senior Adviser to the Executive Producer. īetween July 2018 and December 2020, Mansai Nomura, an actor in traditional Japanese theater, was the chief creative director. The Olympic opening ceremony is to introduce the themes and concepts of the four ceremonies, including peace, coexistence, reconstruction, the future, Japan and Tokyo, the athletes and involvement. The document was based upon feedback from experts and opinions of the Japanese public and includes the foundational elements for the positioning and overall concept of the four ceremonies. The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG) gave the first report of preparations in December 2017, with the release of the 'Basic Policy' document for the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies. For the first time in an Olympic opening ceremony, a moment of silence was observed in honor of Israeli athletes and officials murdered in the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics. They also showcased cultural points of Japan such as Japanese theater, video games, and variety shows, such as Kasou Taishou. The theme of the Olympic Ceremonies is Moving Forward, referencing the global COVID-19 pandemic, with the opening ceremony theme being the Tokyo 2020 motto United by Emotion, which the organizers intended to 'reaffirm the role of sport and the value of the Olympic Games.' They focused on responses to the pandemic by the athlete community, including themes of lament, waiting and hope, and to congratulate front-line workers in the athlete community. The ceremony marked the 125th anniversary of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens-the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games. The majority of the artistic spectacle was pre-recorded, with live segments performed with a small VIP audience and performers adhering to social distancing. 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 opening ceremony of the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 23 July 2021 at Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, and was formally opened by Emperor Naruhito.

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