The Rio Farce, Very Early Day 1: Cleaning Up After the Open

Popped into the PSN/online coverage of the Opening Ceremony (PDT feed, obviously!!) right as the USA athletes entered the stadium after my nightly business.

Ceremony is still being broadcast, and, as of writing, it's the samba party and it's almost 12:20 AM PDT on Day One.

Some comments:

• NBC got (rightly!) annihilated for it's coverage of the Opening Ceremony, including constant cutaways to the USA team in the infield (what a shock!) and the female commentators openly drooling at the oiled-up Tongan flag-bearer.  ("Mmmm, slow that down...")  (He was justifiably hot, and it's somewhat good to at least see some equality, but professionalism went completely out the window on that one.)  #NBCFail
• An uneasy official opening to the Games by the interim President of Brazil.  Many in the crowd jeered as he opened the 32nd Games in Portugese.
• A tweet I felt compelled to send after the one team which even I stood up and applauded when the feed came to the second-to-last team in the parade...

@RefugeesOlympic Well deserved. Tonight, you took your proper place among the youth of the world. Perform well in Rio. #WorldIsWatching

— Michael Falkner (@darkstar7646) August 6, 2016

• There have been at least a couple ugly tweets I read...  One calling the ROA team a distraction, which I completely shot down.
• Kip Keino, the Kenyan Olympic distance champion now the head of the Kenyan Olympic Committee, given the first Olympic Laurel for service to the Olympic community.  Well deserved.  (NBC then cut his speech from the broadcast.)
• The torch is now on the stadium in the PDT feed.  Gustavo Kuerten, the former world #1 in tennis, exulting as he carries into the stadium and hands to Fortenzia, one of the greatest Brazilian women's basketball players.
• And then, de Lima.  We are sorry Pele could not do it, but we are so happy that a most Olympic of replacements could be found.  
• A most unique flame setup -- a work of art unto itself, an infinite spiral representing the life in the world which feeds the Olympic movement.  The flame, much smaller and only the centerpiece to something larger.

And the #NBCFail of the Opening Ceremonies ends in the west, 12:30 AM PDT Day 1 -- only four hours before competition officially begins.

• One huge question, and a MASSIVE #NBCFail if they actually did this in the Opening Ceremony and NBC edited it out:  Was there an Olympic Oath by the athletes or judges for these Games?
• Yep.  NBC FAIL!!!!!  According to Inside the Games, the Athlete's Oath was taken by two-time sailing gold medalist Robert Scheidt.

There may be many other things.  But with some business to do this morning and a 4:30 AM start to rowing competition, I'm hitting bed.

NOW.