The Olympic opening ceremony happened, and it was… well, somewhat uneventful. 

Due to pandemic precautions, fewer than 1,000 spectators viewed the opening ceremony from inside Tokyo’s National Stadium. While 10,000 athletes paraded through Rio’s 2016 opening ceremony, fewer than 5,700 athletes walked in Tokyo. 

On the bright side, Japan selected tennis star Naomi Osaka to light the opening ceremony cauldron. 🔥 🙌

US Shooting Chief Executive Matt Suggs shared: 

“Normally, the thrill is seeing all the people in the stadium when you enter and waving to friends and family.”

Andrey Kryukov, secretary-general of Kazakhstan’s Olympic committee, commented on past ceremonies: 

“Usually it’s more powerful. We are happy that the Olympic Games are still happening. This is the most important thing.” 

Hey, half-Olympics is better than no Olympics! 😁 Here are some streaming options and an event calendar for 2021’s Tokyo Games. 📺Â