80 French athletes present at the ceremony

The stadium, as expected, was empty… but the Olympic Games are still the Olympic Games! So when at about 8:30 pm local time the French delegation entered the Olympic stadium in Tokyo, all the athletes present in the group inevitably felt a wave of intense emotion. It’s an unforgettable moment in the life of an athlete to take part in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, to enter a stadium along with all the world’s greatest champions! The 80 French athletes came in the wake of the massive American delegation and just ahead of the impressive Japanese contingent, the fact that the host country benefits from the automatic qualification of a large number of teams explaining the presence of so many Japanese athletes. The two flag bearers of the French team – the judoka Clarisse Agbegnenou and the gymnast Samir Aït Saïd – served as a sprightly vanguard for the French team as they marched into the stadium. 

Samir Aït Said’s back somersault

Samir Aït Said, fully recovered after dramatically breaking his leg at the Rio Games, performed a spectacular back somersault to set the tone of a dynamic and joyful arrival of the French team, warmly applauded by the few Japanese – all volunteers – present in the stadium. Indeed, the French were particularly successful in creating an unreservedly joyful atmosphere both before and during the ceremony.

They then listened to the moving speech delivered by Seiko Hashimoto, Director of the Organizing Committee, followed by Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, before witnessing the lighting of the Olympic flame by one of the luminaries of Japanese sport, the tennis player Naomi Osaka. This brought to an end a ceremony that will remain marked by the image formed by drones gathered over the roof of the Olympic Stadium.

And now, let the Games begin!   
 
 

Photo copyright: KMSP