Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony introduces all 50 sports with human pictograms

Only in Japan.

Guan Zhen Tan | July 24, 2021, 02:52 PM

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One particular performance segment during Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony is generating plenty of buzz.

Several performers, clad in full white, blue, or a combination of the two colours, re-enacted the official pictograms of the 50 Olympic sports during the ceremony.

Viewers may recall technical similarities to Kasou Taishou (Chao Ji Bian Bian Bian in Mandarin), which in turn inspired by techniques used by Kuroko, or stagehands in Japanese theatre.

Making use of creative props, poses and a whole lot of ingenuity, the performers recreated the iconic symbols representing each sport.

Some of the more challenging ones were recreated using fingers and hands as well.

Here's a sampling of some of them:

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

One particularly ingenious one is when the audience was led to think that the stage crew didn't manage to set the stage up for the pictogram for sailing in time.

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

The camera then zooms into the logo on the polo shirt of the stagehand to reveal that it was the pictogram for sailing all along.

GIF via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video

Genius.

Top image via Entertainment - Mediacorp's Youtube video