Spain is in the running for the gold for proper mask wearing during the opening ceremony so far… Maskless Kyrgyzstan gets the last place. 
ETA: Tajikistan - boo. Not a mask in sight.
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Tonga. Oh my.
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Seriously??? This is the best RL could do for our team? Yuck. Fire RL and get a new designer to dress our guys.
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They’re so, so bad!
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I looked up the outfits and the denim jackets that the flag bearers wore have a cooling system integrated into them Sounded pretty neat.
I heard this morning that a Sports Illustrator sports writer that has been covering the Olympics since 1992 has a daughter that qualified for the woman’s swim team. So, he gets to go as a writer and see his daughter compete. The daughter told him that he is the parent/family representative for the whole US team.
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Some parents are coaches too so they get to go.
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I watched part of the opening ceremony live last night and watched the rest via recording today - thank goodness I could fast forward through the parade of nations! I did stop and play quite a bit - there sure are a lot of Americans with dual citizenship! The San Diego UT had a special section on all the local connections.
The concept of sharing the flag bearing was nice in principle but the actuality varied considerably between countries. Sometimes one person did most of the carrying and the other had their hand on the pole; in others it seemed one (usually the guy) wanted to wave it regardless of what it meant to the other handler. And pairing very tall and very short often looked awkward.
And yes, there were some definite issues with wearing masks. Apparently getting your mug on international tv is more important than following protocols. After Team USA entered and the camera was roaming around the athletes, you could see some of them grabbing their masks when they realized they were on camera. Some didn’t care.
And the USA uniforms - my initial thought was they were dressed like gondoliers at a fake Venetian resort, like the Las Vegas hotel.
Tokyo did a nice job with their performances - didn’t feel like I needed a constant narration to enjoy what I was seeing. Loved the Imagine medley and enjoyed the drone globe. The pictograph sequence was very clever.
When the torch lighting ceremony started, I had to pause and go play Torville and Dean’s stunning Bolero. I thought maybe they would skate out with the flame ;). And I decided that if we ever need to replace the fire pit, I want one with unfurling petals.
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My 90 year old mother mentioned to me today that she did not like “the song” that talked about no religion. I tired to explain to her that it was a John Lennon song and was meant for peace and harmony, but she wasn’t listening; all she hear was no religion. 
I will have to play her the song again; maybe she will get it!
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Good summary! 
You nailed the US uniforms description.
And yes, there were some definite issues with wearing masks. Apparently getting your mug on international tv is more important than following protocols. After Team USA entered and the camera was roaming around the athletes, you could see some of them grabbing their masks when they realized they were on camera. Some didn’t care.
I taught middle schoolers in person all this past year, so I was responsible for enforcing mask wearing. So I was really annoyed by those not wearing masks properly. For all those athletes who decided to wear their masks improperly or not at all, I kept wishing for a decontamination like they had in Monsters, Inc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvsU04Oj188
I enjoyed the opening ceremonies. Many recent ceremonies have been too long. I thought this one was just right.
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I was up early on the opening ceremonies day, and I caught a few minutes of it. I turned it off because I was sad that there was essentially no one in the stands.
We’ve been very fortunate to go to some Winter and Summer Olympics over the years, and we were all set to go to Tokyo last summer. In Winter 2020, I spent hours waiting in the queue to get tickets for events, and we had to unwind all of that last spring when the 2020 event was canceled.
I grew up loving the Olympics, principally because of Lake Placid in 1980. It was a dream to go to the Olympics, and I’m glad to have had those chances. Some of my memories: I remember being a couple of rows in front of Scott Hamilton and at the airport with Kristi Yamaguchi, as well as being close to Chelsea Clinton. That was the stargazer in me, but what I loved more than anything was all the fans from so many countries that we met.
For the athletes’ sake, I’m glad the Olympics have started. However, it’s so very strange this year, and that’s why I turned off the opening ceremonies in Tokyo a couple of days back. The reality of what we, meaning the whole world, are dealing with just hit me front and center.
Interesting that you mention Lake Placid. We were X-country skiing, when some man flew past us. We were awes by his speed. Turns out, he was practicing for olympics.
Kristi Yamaguchi was collecting for a charity at local ice hockey arena. My GF and I each made donations just to be within feet of her.
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The way NBC hypes up certain American athletes annoys me. On Saturday an American skateboarder was given the spotlight prior to the event. He didn’t medal, but another American did. The build up leading up to Katie Ledecky’s race today was so great, it was almost a disappointment that she did not win the gold.
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It is like… don’t count our chickens before they hatch. Really!! NBC coverage stinks.
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I saw the same skateboarding final 3 times, and I haven’t been watching all the time. Imagine the variety of sports they could show if they weren’t repeating things.
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Men’s volleyball is amazing! Watched women’s street skateboarding. Sorry not a fan.
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Watched too much street skateboarding happening in the parking lot behind out company’s building… until the guard rails were modified with some decorative leaves or pine cones or something like that to discourage “tricks.” 
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I don’t mind Ledecky coverage; she’s IMO the best American swimmer ever. She’s a distance swimmer who started adding in some mid distance (400M). She just broke the OR in the 1500 prelims this morning, and she was only doing a 2 beat kick trying to exert the least amount of energy. At full speed she could get out have a latte and check her email before anyone else touches the wall
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We are Olympic junkies. I have really enjoyed the 3x3 basketball and caught some surfing. I watch a lot online. Last night, after getting frustrated with the coverage, we just watched the feed from online of the US women’s gymnastics. The best part- no commentary.
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