Canadians take part in Opening Ceremony of Tokyo Olympics

The Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics was filled with fireworks, dancing, and a medley of songs from iconic Japanese video games.

A stark difference at this year’s celebration was the lack of fans and only a limited number of athletes participated in the parade due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Flag-bearers Miranda Ayim and Nathan Hirayama led a group of about 30 to 40 Canadian athletes in the parade of more than 200 nations.

#TeamCanada is here 🤩🇨🇦👋#OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/xGYdrMZCB1

— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) July 23, 2021

Ayim is set to make her third straight Olympic appearance in women’s basketball and Hirayama will be making his Olympic debut as co-captain of the men’s rugby team.

The duo’s entrance makes history as this was the first time that two athletes from different sports led Team Canada together.

Canadian athletes were donning outfits by Hudson Bay which included a lightweight and water-resistant jacket, and a t-shirt made of fast-dry, lightweight jersey.

In total, about 5,700 athletes took part in the parade.

A wooden set of Olympic rings was the centrepiece of the stadium.

They were crafted from pine and spruce trees that grew from seeds that athletes were asked to bring to the 1964 Tokyo Games. Some of the seeds came from Canada.

Time for some fireworks to celebrate the athletes after all countries have entered the Olympic Stadium 🎇🎆#OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/KtArD673QT

— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) July 23, 2021