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Nagano Games Get Under Way (February 7)
The final Winter Olympic Games of the twentieth century were kicked off in an Opening Ceremony held on Saturday, February 7, in Nagano City's Minami Nagano Athletic Park. The 1998 Games, the eighteenth Winter Olympics, are the biggest ever: the 16 days of action will see 2,339 athletes from 72 countries and regions compete in a total of 68 events. Competition will take place in Nagano City and four other towns and villages in the prefecture.The Opening Ceremony began at 11:00 in the morning, as the great bells of Zenkoji, and old temple in the city, rang out. The Ceremony was livened up by the raising of eight huge pillars, called onbashira, and by a dohyo-iri purification ritual carried out by Akebono, a sumo grand champion. The 50,000 people in the audience then watched as 150 children from Nagano dressed as yukinko ("snow sprites") danced in old-fashioned snow costumes, taking them off to reveal the flags of all the Olympic participants.
The team from Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, was the first to enter the stadium; all the other teams followed in alphabetical order. The 166 athletes of the biggest-ever Japanese team were led by flag-bearer and speed skater Hiroyasu Shimizu. Juan Antonio Samaranch, the head of the International Olympic Committee, spoke of children as being the leaders of the future, and urged the people of the world to work together to make it a better, peaceful place. The Emperor of Japan, in attendance together with the Empress, declared the Games officially open.
It has been 26 years since the last Olympic Games were held in Japan--the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo. Nagano has worked hard to prepare for the Games since the city first bid for them 13 years ago. During that time, the number of sports to be played has increased, requiring organizers to build new facilities and move events to other towns. Now at last the Games are really under way, and Nagano is welcoming the people of the world to its festival based on three ideas: the participation of children, coexistence with nature, and peace and friendship. (Shinano Mainichi Shimbun)
Former Olympic skater Midori Ito lights the Olympic cauldron. (Shinano Mainichi Shimbun)