Before we jump into the opening ceremonies, let's cover QISE-adjacent stories.
Tokyo is having zero luck in the PR department. The Japanese public made it clear in surveys that QISE should have been cancelled due to the pandemic (more than half replied "dame" aka "impossible"), and there are been actual protests. Japanese rarely protest anything in public--to the point that there is not a word that directly translates to "no"--so this is a problem.
In addition, the head of the local organizing committee was given the boot after making derogatory comments about a popular Japanese female entertainer. Now, we just learned that the director of the opening ceremony was shown the door after it came to light that he made fun of the Holocaust in a comedy routine.
(By this point, shouldn't all HR departments include a team that scans the social media accounts of any potential high-end hires BEFORE they are hired???)
In other breaking news, former Japanese PM Abe (the guy who dressed up as Mario in the Tokyo video presentation at Rio) is skipping the opening.
But enough of that--
Mike Tirico, NBC's QISE quarterback, co-hosted the live opening ceremonies with Today's Savannah Guthrie. This makes sense since it began when the Today show would normally air. The lack of an audience in the stands makes the show seems like a dress rehearsal. As always, the hosts over-explain the artsy presentation.
After a tap dancing/woodworking session, the march of the athletes began, all masked of course. Meanwhile, NBC breathlessly covered the US team arriving by bus--they also cut away from the march to interview US athletes (as if they won't be available throughout the games). The QISE Committee decided to include two flag-bearers for each country, which proved to be awkward for some.
And then--the QISE oaths were spoken during a commercial. Ugh! We did get to see kids moving boxes, though. The drones were cool, the international song was a tear-jerker, and the cauldron changed from a ball to a flaming metal flower. Otherwise, it was QISE SOP.
After a break for a delayed Today show, the pre-show began. This is normally a one hour affair, aired a day or two earlier--just to test the cameras and kick the tires. This time, NBC went for a Super Bowl-sized 3 hour show. Rebecca Lowe, NBC's afternoon host, introduces us to one of the main broadcast sets, which emphasized teak. We also go virtually to the venues, some of which are spread across the country, as well as a rundown of all the various NBC properties involved. We preview marquis events--swimming, gymnastics (including the abuse scandal), track and field--as well a discussion of Japan's muddled response to the pandemic. There's a mini-doc (narrated by Tom Selleck) about the Fukishima nuclear disaster and baseball. All in all, a hodgepodge--which could be a good definition of QISE itself.
Tonight was a repeat of the opening ceremony, now with extra filler.
Tomorrow--actual sporting events, including Water Polo, 3x3 Basketball, Soccer, Swimming, Gymnastics, and Volleyball. Talk to you then.