Part 2 - LA84 Foundation

13. Opening, Closing and
Victory Ceremonies
Securing of Materials for the Ceremonies
Type
Opening Ceremonies
Closing Ceremonies
For Practice Only
Total
400
Costumes
14,845 Items,
69 Kinds
3,763 Items,
16 Kinds
21,005 Items,
5 Kinds
39,613 Items,
90 Kinds
Special effects by pigeons
The flying of pigeons en masse at the
time of the hoisting of the Olympic
Flag contributed greatly to the visualization
of the Olympic spirit and to
enhancing the festive mood of the
ceremonies.
The 2,400 white pigeons symbolizing
the 24th Olympiad were flown by 30
emergency personnel from the upper
parts of both the left and right exits
across from the headquarter seats.
Congratulatory flight
Five A37 jet planes made a congratulatory
flight and formed the five rings of
the Olympic Games to the delight of
spectators.
Electric scoreboard
During the Opening and Closing
Ceremonies, an electric Scoreboard
which can produce a 14.412m x 9m
surface in color or a 17.28m x 10.56m
surface in black and white was in operation.
The electric board was effective
in visualizing the spirit of the Opening
and Closing Ceremonies. It added
flavor to the performances on the
ground and helped the spectators
understand the progress in different
sports.
The electric board showed the relay
broadcast of the host broadcaster, the
video-taped references, its own relay
broadcast, the slide projector screens,
computer graphics and other special
pictures and explanatory notes in
black and white. The board also functioned
well for the introduction of
events and performances, explanations
about the staged works, presentation
of foreign language translations,
and in spotting unexpected happenings
and events.
Gun salute
Five gun salutes were made by five
105mm howitzers from the elevated
ground adjacent to the Chamshil Quay
at the time of lowering the Olympic
Flag and extinguishing the Olympic
Flame during the Closing Ceremonies.
Lighting
During the Closing Ceremonies which
were held after sunset, the lighting
played an important role together with
the sound, electric Scoreboard and the
fireworks. Ninety-five locally-made
large-output machines turned the
circular stadium into an eye opener for
the world as a whole. It was a nice
Accessories
35,166 Items,
74 Kinds
8,474 Items,
26 Kinds
1,200 Items,
1 Kind
44,840 Items,
101 Kinds
Ornaments
93,453 Items,
78 Kinds
2,084 Items,
25 Kinds
39,345 Items,
27 Kinds
134,882 Items,
130 Kinds
Equipment
2,761 Items,
30 Kinds
102 Items,
1 Kind
2,683 Items,
31 Kinds
opportunity to boast the high-level
lighting technology of Korea to the
outside world. The production staff
was led by Yun Jae-dok, director of
lighting department at Munhwa Broadcasting
Company, and Lee U-yong,
former lighting director of the National
Theater. The lighting equipment was
operated by militarymen after education
and training.
13.3.3
—————————————–
Parachuting Demonstration
The parachuting demonstration was
designed to make the Opening
Ceremonies a three-dimensional
festivity. The diverse beautiful colors
and the magical arts of the sky divers
provoked an enthusiastic applause
and cheers from the spectators.
The SLOOC discussed the parachuting
demonstration with the International
Parachutists Association (CIP) in
August 1987, and decided the CIP
participation in the Opening Ceremonies.
In April 1988, it was finally agreed
that 52 parachutists from the CIP
member countries and 22 Koreans
would appear in the demonstration.
The SLOOC was to take care of the
parachutists from the CIP during their
stay in Korea, and the CIP would
finance other expenses relating to the
parachutists' participation in the Seoul
Games.
The demonstration was planned to
take place at the same time with the
performance of Cha-il (Tent) Dance on
the ground. The parachutists demonstrated
the precise landing within a
tiny circle on the stadium field and the
free-style landing on the designated
spots on the stadium. The precise
landing was demonstrated by 44
parachutists. The sky divers formed
the five Olympic rings using costume,
apparatus and smoke in the air above
the Olympic Stadium.
The 44 parachutists who performed
the precise landing comprised 22
Koreans and 22 from the CIP. Of the
30 parachutists who performed the
ring jump, 23 were from the United
States of America, four were from
France, two were from Canada and
one was from Switzerland.
13.3.4
International Folk Dance Troupes
—————————————–
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies
of the Seoul Olympic Games were
brightened by the performance of folk
dance troupes from 13 nations around
the world. Their performance also
contributed to confirming the Olympiad
to be a festival of world citizens
and a meeting of harmony.
The International Cultural Society of
Korea began to seek ways of having
foreign folk dance troupes at the Seoul
Games in February 1987. In June of
the same year, it selected a group of
foreign troupes, and in April 1988,
finalized the list of 12 troupes for the
Opening Ceremonies and one troupe
for the Closing Ceremonies. The
SLOOC had the authority over the
duration of performance, the composition
of the choreography and the
music production. At least one drill
was required for the troupes before the
Games' opening. The maximum number
of performers from one country
was limited to 50.
Content of performance
Post-Opening Ceremonies
Performance (One World):
When Konori, a Korean traditional
chariot game, symbolizing reconciliation
and harmony ended and "One
World" was about to begin at 1:23
p.m., mascots of the previous
Olympic Games appeared in each
group of 24. They included dogs,
beavers, bears, eagles, Hodori and
Cobi. Then came out 359 dancers
from 12 countries with unique
movements who presented a variety
of folk dances.
The Official Closing Ceremony:
At 8:03 p.m. when the Seoul mayor
returned the Olympic Flag to the IOC
president and when the IOC president
was going to hand the flag over to the
Barcelona mayor, the Spanish dance
by the Barcelona Dance Troupe and
the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Company's
Changgo (hourglass drum)
Dance were joined together, creating a
sharp contrast and an unusual
harmony.
13.3.5
Costumes, Equipments and
Accessories
—————————————–
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies
necessitated costumes, ornaments,
accessories, and equipments. The
SLOOC worked out a list of such
necessities, the kinds and quantity in
March 1987, based on the scenario,
though the demand for such materials
was likely to change before the
Games' opening. The list was formed
separately for the real ceremonies and
for the drills and rehearsals.
After fixing the kinds and quantity of
the materials, the SLOOC selected
four art and costume directors in a
meeting of the Advisory Committee. It
was also decided through consultations
with the art directors that five
assistants would be employed and an
art room would be operated to design
the intra-stadium decorations and the
equipments and accessories.
In September 1987, the designers were
asked to work out draft designs of the
equipments and accessories by
December of that year in cooperation
with the choreographers of the works
concerned. From December 1987