In the build up to their opening ceremony, someone in Rio said ”Athens was classical, Beijing was grandiose, London was smart – ours is going to be cool”. Having just watched it, I think that prediction was spot on. I began watching it last night, but the urge to go to bed got too much (hey, I’m a lightweight) so I caught up with it this morning (I fast forwarded through the athletes’ entrance). It struck me as magnificent. I’m not going to compare it to London or any other ceremony, as it was uniquely and totally Brazilian. The stadium was amazing, the dancing incredible. I thought the best bits were the floor of the stadium which doubled as a screen, and the sculpture behind the olympic cauldron, which made my jaw drop it was so beautiful. I was mildly disappointed there was nothing comparable to Happy And Glorious – no stand-out, stunning moment to capture my imagination and obsess over – but that’s fair enough. It was a great opening ceremony, at the start of what promises to be a great olympic and paralympic games.