The Tokyo Olympics officially kicked off in Japan on Friday, and while the opening ceremony had serious sparkle, the gravity of the past year also took center stage.
The moments represented the isolation of the past year-and-a-half, and were extra meaningful to Tsubata: she’s also a nurse who treated COVID-19 patients at a hospital outside of Tokyo through the pandemic.
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In speeches before the lighting of the cauldron, Tokyo Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto and International Olympics Committee president Thomas Bach gave passionate speeches about all that Olympic athletes overcame through the pandemic, urging unity among countries as the world remains divided.
“Today is a moment of hope,” said Bach. “This is the unifying power of sport. This is the message of solidarity, the message of peace and the message of resilience. This gives all of us hope for our further journey together.”
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And for the lighting of the Olympic cauldron, essential workers were again honored: as various Japanese athletes carried the torch through the stadium, they briefly passed the flame to Dr. Hiroki Ohashi, a family physician who treated COVID-19 patients onboard a cruise ship last year, and nurse Junko Kitagawa, who has also taken care of many sick with COVID-19.
“The organizers and creators have taken pains to place this ceremony in its time,” said NBC’sSavannah Guthrie, “match the moment, remember that we’re in a pandemic and remember the people that have worked so hard to make this moment possible.”
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics beginning July 23 and the Tokyo Paralympics beginning August 24 on NBC.
source: people.com
