Russian and Argentine Delegations Receive Cold Welcome from Crowd During Parade of Nations
The Olympic Games organizers' fear that boos would break out were eased as soon as the parade of nations began. Nearly two hours long, the audience cheered on almost the entire 207 delegation participants.
Boos emerged, quickly drowned out by applause, for the Argentine athletes, due to the rivalry between the two countries, and for Russia, whose participation in the Olympics was compromised after doping accusations were revealed over the last few months.
Beyond that, the climate was one of fraternity. Like a samba runway, instead of the traditional Olympic round, every delegation was led by a cyclist who rode a bike adorned with plants and flowers.
To the sound of diverse rhythms, which ranged from marching music to funk, the teams covered almost 100 m from one end of Maracanã to the other.
The German delegation, fifth in line, received the first massive burst of applause.
Shortly after, the Argentines appeared, led by basketball player Luis Scola, Athens 2004 Olympic champion.
For a moment, there was booing, but it was immediately drowned out by supportive cries from the stands.
If there were mixed sentiments towards Argentina, the other South American nations -primarily Chile, Colombia, Venezuela and Uruguay -were received warmly by the approximately 50,000 member audience at the stadium.
With greats such as Rafael Nadal (tennis) and Michael Phelps (swimming) as flag-bearers, Spain and the United States, respectively, were the first to receive a general ovation.
Other countries well-received by the audience were Canada, Italy, Great Britain, Japan, Portugal and Palestine.
The responsibility to bring the parade to a close rested on Brazil. Penathlete Yane Marques, a bronze medalist at the London Games, led the country's flag through the delegation's party.
Leading the Olympic flag serves as an ode to the host country. Torben Grael, Marta, Emanuel, Oscar Schmidt, Joaquim Cruz and Sandra Pires received the honor, alongside doctor Rosa Célia Pimentel and Ellen Gracie, the first woman to serve as minister in the Supreme Federal Court.
Translated by SUGHEY RAMIREZ