2026 Olympics Opening Ceremony - Mamma Mariah, Here We Go Again!

[Jammers]

Nessun Dorma seems to be the go to song for the opening of an Italian Olympics. Not the same without Pavarotti singing it though.

 

[Citlali]

Andrea Bocelli and Turandot, they are truly honoring figure skaters music choices

 

[Garden Kitty]

Bocelli in this setting more than worth sitting through the speeches. Beautiful

 

[Wyliefan]

Nessun Dorma seems to be the go to song for Italian Olympics. Not the same without Pavarotti singing it though.

The theme of "none shall sleep" probably resonates pretty well with athletes.

 

[rfisher]

Andrea Bocelli and Turandot, they are truly honoring figure skaters music choices

Sung well, Turandot gives me chills.

 

[MsZem]

How has Britschgi not skated to this yet??

 

[Citlali]

While I find the lighting the flame in another location kind of meh, I loved going to see the Olympic Flame in Paris, is not a bad idea, and it gives a lot of people the chance to see it

 

[Karen-W]

Oh, goodie, we're onto the "call for peace" section which means we're soon to be treated to yet another dire skating staple - "Imagine."

 

[Citlali]

Sung well, Turandot gives me chills.

Me too and even if it is a warhorse in skating, a clean powerful Turandot program makes me cry... Sadly is not always sung well and not always skated clean

 

[allezfred]

Hopefully JD Vance et al can learn something from this part of the ceremony.

 

[ilovesalchows]

I thought it was a dolphin, not gonna lie.

 

[MsZem]

Oh, goodie, we're onto the "call for peace" section which means we're soon to be treated to yet another dire skating staple - "Imagine."

The segment was cool, though.

 

[Spikefan]

I thought it was a dolphin, not gonna lie.

I was thinking whale.

 

[Garden Kitty]

I can hear the choreographer now: "we'll show those sports through the ages dancers"

 

[Rob]

Who was carrying the torch in the stadium? They mumbled something but I couldn’t make it out.

 

[allezfred]

Choke on the woke!

 

[Karen-W]

The segment was cool, though.

The dance part was pretty cool, and I didn't mind this bit from Charlize Theron.

Ooooo, commercial break. Maybe NBC is going to save us from the travesty that is whatever awful rendition of "Imagine" we're forced to endure at every Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Can you tell how much I hate that song?

 

[annie_mg]

Such a nice surprise to see Rebecca Andrade there!

 

[Lilia A]

Why wouldn't they let Pita wear his traditional opening ceremony attire? That's criminal, criminal I'm telling you.
But it was still nice to see him. And Rebeca Andrade.

 

[Wyliefan]

I like the feathered hats.

 

[Jammers]

For fuk sakes enough of moving like a robot get the flag raised.

 

[Andrea82]

Even Cecilia Bartoli now

 

[Garden Kitty]

I like the flag ceremony in Cortina. The background looks right in town which is fun.

 

[allezfred]

Cecilia Bartoli!

And Lang Lang on piano, obvs.

 

[Andrea82]

Skating judge Raffaella Locatelli doing the Olympic oath for the officials

They should have got the Chinese judges doing it...

 

[Karen-W]

Well, the Olympic Hymn is way too long for my liking and I nearly nodded off a couple times, but the singer was quite nice.

 

[Citlali]

Watch olympics every 2 years since childhood, and I never remember how the olympic hymn sounds... to me that is the mark of a bad anthem, couldn't they have made it catchy? Or at least memorable?

 

[allezfred]

the singer was quite nice.

Yes, one of the greatest mezzo-sopranos of our time was “quite nice”.

 

[Karen-W]

Watch olympics every 2 years since childhood, and I never remember how the olympic hymn sounds... to me that is the mark of a bad anthem, couldn't they have made it catchy? Or at least memorable?

Right?! I haven't been to a church service in ages but there are some church hymns that permanently embedded in my memory. This isn't hard - John Williams managed to compose a very memorable Olympic fanfare.

 

[Taso]

Watch olympics every 2 years since childhood, and I never remember how the olympic hymn sounds... to me that is the mark of a bad anthem, couldn't they have made it catchy? Or at least memorable?

I dont mind it, but because of documentaries on eastern bloc athletes in the 90s I once thought the anthem of the GDR was the Olympic hymn....