The 2016 ISIL Games: Opening Ceremony Pt.7

This should be read as a direct continuation of Part 6; http://watchitdie.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/the-2016-isil-games-opening-ceremony-pt6.html

The Lighting of the Olympic Cauldron: Probably the most exciting bit of IOC protocol is that every Opening Ceremony must feature the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. This marks the end of the Olympic torch relay in which the Olympic flame is brought from Greece where it is lit by the sun.

The Olympic torch relay has its origins in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It was invented by Adolf Hitler as a way to demonstrate the way the Nazi Reich would stretch across Europe. As with so many things from that games the IOC liked the idea so much they decided to keep it.

This final leg of the torch relay was begun by Gustavo Kuerten a famous Brazilian tennis player who won the French Open three times in 1997, 2000 & 2001. He is commonly known by the nickname "Guga."

Halfway across the arena floor Guga handed the torch to Hortência Marcari.

Sometimes known as "The Queen" Marcari is regarded as possibly one of the greatest female basketball players of all time. For Brazil she won the Silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

It then came time for Marcari to hand the torch to the person who would light the cauldron itself.

Initially this was supposed to be Brazilian footballing legend Pele. However like all men of conscience and substance he decided to boycott the ISIL games.

As such dubious honour fell to Vanderlei de Lima a Brazilian long distance runner.

Vanderlei de Lima is probably most well known for the time he was leading the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Suddenly he was attacked by reasonably well known attention seeking Irish irritant Cornelius "Neil" Horan - the former Priest rather than member of the band "One Direction."

Unable to recover following the attack de Lima could only manage a third place finish securing himself the Bronze medal.

In response to the good grace in which he took the attack that ruined his Olympic dream de Lima was also awarded the "Pierre de Coubertin" or "True Spirit of Sportsmanship Medal."

At the risk of giving away all of the Olympics' secrets the Olympic cauldron is actually fuelled by natural gas. This is of course a fossil fuel the burning of which releases Greenhouse Gases contributing to Climate Change.

With the need to defeat Climate Change being a key theme not only of this ceremony but these games the Rio cauldron was noticeably much smaller than any that has been used before. This was done intentionally to reduce the amount of fuel needed to keep it burning thus reducing the Greenhouse Gases it emits.

The cauldron itself resembled literally a cauldron or cooking pot. This was an intentional reference to the efforts that developing nations are making to reduce their Greenhouse Gas emissions.

In many developing nations it is common that people will live in a single roomed hut. At the centre of that hut you will a large wood burning fire both to heat the hut and to cook on. In an effort to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions there is a big effort to provide each household with a metal stove.

These work by using a small amount of fuel to heat the metal of the stove which in turn heats the room and provides a cooking surface. By reducing the amount of wood needed to produce the same effect these stoves reduce deforestation and Greenhouse Gas emissions.

After it had been lit the cauldron was lifted up to form the centrepiece of a vast golden kinetic sculpture by American artist Anthony Howe. This sculpture was intended to represent the sun.

The contrast between the fossil fuel burning cauldron and the natural energy of the sun was intended intended as a plea for the World to move away from Greenhouse Gas emitting fossil fuels towards non-polluting, renewable energy sources such as solar.

I have seen many pleas of this type in my time. This was by far the most beautiful.

Through its use of circles and orbs of different sizes the sculpture was also in keeping with the ceremony's central theme of geometry. Particularly the environmental impacts of Brazil's Brutalist system of economic and dormitory cities.

Constantly moving this kinetic sculpture also invoked a "Hypnowheel."  This was a reference to the 2012 London Olympics from which Rio was picking up the baton.

The London Olympic cauldron was supposed to resemble a campfire the sort of which you can spend hours hypnotically staring at. Throughout the host broadcasters studio coverage this campfire cauldron was shown constantly burning in the background.

This was intended to promote discussion about the way the TV has replaced the traditional fire around which families gather for social warmth. I think it was Winston Churchill who referred to TV as; "The idiot lantern."

Rio's cauldron sculpture picked up on this idea and used the contrast between families in developing nations gathering around a fire in single room huts and families in developed nations gathering around TV's to promote discussion about the ways in which we use energy and how that energy is produced.

The ceremony then ended with a mass firework display.

20:15 on 18/8/16 (UK date).