Team Canada officially welcomed to Rio’s Olympic Athletes’ Village
The Olympic village opening ceremony is an informal affair with a tinge of national sentimentality.
Athletes have been at the village for more than a week already, but the official opening always marks the flag raising of the Olympians’ country, to announce to the rest of the village that they have truly arrived. Here’s a glimpse into how it all went down on Tuesday, when the Canadian flag went up in Rio’s Olympic village:
The talk
Team Canada receives a talk from chef de mission Curt Harnett ahead of its march to the Olympic village welcoming ceremony on August 2, 2016.
Chef de mission and three-time Olympic medallist Curt Harnett let Team Canada know prior to the march that he believes “this is the strongest Canadian Olympic team yet” in his mind and that he expects great things from this group at Rio 2016 before the team marched out of its quarters.
The march
Team Canada begins to march toward the Olympic village welcoming ceremony on August 2, 2016.
Snaking their way through the buildings housing their neighbours and rivals, Canada marched toward the welcoming stage, led by its men’s volleyball players, some of whom decided to flex their muscles for the photographer, who was clearly unprepared for the full gun show.
The rings
Team Canada marches past the Olympic rings en route to the village welcoming ceremony on August 2, 2016.
Given Canada’s location at the village, the march took the red and white (many in black) to the ceremony past the Olympic rings. Here’s another look below at the village’s most coveted feature posted earlier on Team Canada’s Instagram.
The arrival
Team Canada arrives at the Olympic village welcoming ceremony on August 2, 2016 (Jason Ransom/COC).
Impressively clad in their Hudson’s Bay Team Canada uniform, the men and women of the maple leaf nation arrived on scene for their flag raising and a bit of entertainment.
The Dancing
Team Canada greeted by Brazilian dancers at the Olympic village welcoming ceremony on August 2, 2016 (Jason Ransom/COC).
Like school children on a field trip, Canada’s soon-to-be Rio Olympians took in the spectacle at the village opening ceremony featuring Brazilian dancers who put on a colourful, global show, and a few of weren’t shy to take part…
Team Canada greeted by Brazilian dancers at the Olympic village welcoming ceremony on August 2, 2016 (Jason Ransom/COC).
The flag
The maple leaf goes up at the Olympic village welcoming ceremony on August 2, 2016 (Jason Ransom/COC).
Finally it was time for the maple leaf to fly at the Olympic village welcoming ceremony to make Canada’s inclusion official. Unfortunately, a malfunction (the flag was caught between the cords) kept the maple leaf from flying alongside the Olympic emblem and the colours of participating nations Angola, Fiji and Malaysia, though the meaningful gesture wasn’t lost on anyone as O Canada accompanied the flag’s raising.
While that concluded the formal affair, Olympians continued the festivities on their own.
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Olympic Games Opening Ceremony will be on August 5 at the Maracana, featuring the Parade of Nations that will see Team Canada march out for the world.
Team Canada’s Olympian count at the moment stands at 314 athletes.
