Paris Olympics opening ceremony leaves some wet and bewildered

The much-anticipated opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics left many in both awe and confusion.

The ceremony, held outdoors on the Seine River, garnered mixed reactions from spectators, according to PMN Olympics Correspondent James Nokise.

“I don't know what I've just witnessed,” Nokise told Pacific Grandstand host Willie Poching on 531pi this morning, reporting from a rainy Paris.

“People are confused, they are bewildered, but mostly they are cold and wet.”

The decision to use boats for the parade of nations was aimed at bringing the event closer to the public and resulted in an eclectic mix of vessels.

“Some countries had big boats, some countries had tiny boats. Some countries were all shoved together on one boat,” said Nokise.

“As our Pacific people know, ‘boat’ can mean anything. And to the French, there was many different types of (boats), we were sort of confused. There was no official boats.

“There was a very sad situation where Sāmoa was on a big boat and American Sāmoa was on the same boat next to them, and then they were just too far away from each other and everyone was wondering ‘are these people related at all?’

“Gabon looked like they were a fishing dinghy from Tauranga. It was just a big aluminium-looking - and big is the wrong word - it looked like a dinghy. It was a tiny thing. America looked like they had half a cruise ship and France as well.

“Shout out to the Marshall Islands because they had a tiny boat, but they're used to that. Kiribati, small boat, but they're used to it, they know how to make a lot with a little,” he said.

Nokise said the happiest athletes he’d seen were the surfers in Tahiti, where their Olympics tournament is being held.

“It was when they cut to Tahiti and you saw all of the smiling, happy surfers on the sunny beach waving at the camera and then it cut straight back to a dark boat on a river full of people who were like, ‘yay’.”

Nokise said it was a privilege for everyone present for “the last opening ceremony to be outside of a stadium - they’re never going to do this again”.

Adding to the surreal scene, the environmental conditions of the Seine River had been a contentious topic leading up to the Games, with concerns about pollution and safety.

Nokise said despite assurances from local officials, the river’s condition remained a point of debate during the event.

Watch the full interview with PMN Olympics Correspondent James Nokise here:

Flying Fiji 7s dominant

The Rugby Sevens kicked off earlier in the week, before the official opening.

Nokise said there had been strong performances of the Pacific nations, particularly Fiji, who looked poised for success.

“Fiji looked like the dominant team, the team to beat right up until they played Ireland last night,” he said. “The Fijians at the end of that match collapsed on the ground, (as if) they were in a final, and I'm talking about the fans and players.

“It was the most tense sevens rugby match I have seen in some time. But when you're a champion, you find a way to win.

“Fiji hasn't been in form. They have found form at just the right time. Some of their play has been breathtaking.”

Fiji plays Australia next in a semi-final match at 2am Sunday, New Zealand time.

Nokise said it was the first time the Sāmoan 7s team had been at the Olympics and “it looked a bit like that in the first game and a half that they played”.

“I think probably frustrating for Sāmoan fans, certainly for coach Brian Lima. I talked to him a few times,” he said. “The Sāmoan team looked very strong towards the end. They actually only had one try scored against him in their last couple of games, really lifted their game on the defence.

“A bit of the flare was coming back in as well. They really starting to look like the Sāmoan team that's well known internationally,” said Nokise.

The Sāmoan team secured a ninth-place position after beating Japan 42-7.

Passion and resilience

Nokise also highlighted the passion and resilience of the Sāmoan camp, particularly after it was announced that their boxing coach, Lionel Fatu Elika, had passed away at the Olympics village on Friday morning, 26 July.

Sāmoa Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee President Paua Talalaleiei Punga said in the press statement that “Lionel was one of Sāmoa’s top boxing coaches and a great believer in the Olympics”.

“Our thoughts and those of the entire Sāmoan sporting community are with Lionel’s family, his boxers, and friends. He will be greatly missed,” said Paua.

Nokise said there was going to be a lot of passion in the Sāmoan boxing team going forward.

“I popped down to the Athletes village a couple of days ago. Oceania teams are actually all in the same building. So New Zealand has its own building. Australia has its own building, but all the Oceania teams are actually staying together.

“And so that's lovely for our athletes to have that kind of Pacific connection. People can tease each other, people can loosen up a bit. And yeah, there's that sharing of culture,” Nokise said.

“The main thing I'm looking forward to is not so much any particular sport, it's seeing some of the youngest athletes, the teenagers from the islands getting their chance to get in front of this biggest of stages.”

Nokise said there was an intense security presence in Paris with military and armed police.

PMN's Olympics coverage is proudly brought to you by the Pasifika Medical Association Group.

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