Part 2 - LA84 Foundation

13. Opening, Closing and
Victory Ceremonies
404
24. Some 1,100 students of Tongdaemun
Commercial High School from the Seoul
Olympics emblem on the floor of the Main
Stadium.
25. President and Mrs. Roh Tae Woo and
IOC President and Mrs. Juan Antonio
Samaranch applaud the athletes as they
march into the stadium.
26. Spectators cheering on their
countries' athletes.
27. The Olympic flag was borne by eight
Korean medalists of prior Games,
including Yang Chong-mo, Yoo In-tak,
Kim Won-ki, Shin Joon-sop, Cho Haejong,
Choi Ae-young, Yoon Soo-gyong
and Suh Hyang-soon
other dignitaries and sports leaders
from home and abroad.
The huge electric Scoreboard was
projecting "The Opening Ceremonies,
Games of the XXIVth Olympiad, Seoul
1988" in Korean, English and French.
Prelude (pre-ceremony events)
A resounding sound of drum beating
echoed throughout the Olympic
Stadium without a break. It was the
entry of the Dragon Drum Procession.
The sound was created by a drummer
clad in an ancient military uniform as
he hit a huge drum, 480 kilograms in
weight and 2.2 meters in diameter, on
a carriage pulled by 470 students of
Kyonggi Commercial High School. The
sound signalled the heartbeat of the
young people who would run and jump
and symbolized the march of the five
billion world citizens toward a better
future.
The Dragon Drum Procession entering
through the North Gate was led by
students of Toksu Commercial High
School holding 1,200 small-sized,
traditional Korean drums, and 1,252
students of Chong-ui Girls High
School who also carried small-sized
drums. The sound of the Dragon Drum
opened both the events preceding the
official Opening Ceremony of the 24th
Olympiad as well as the Games itself.
The sound of the drums was engulfed
in a thunder of applause and cheers
the 100,000 spectators created, and
the stadium was inundated in a wave
of excitement.
The drum beating sound opened the
events at the stadium, but actually the
first stage of the Olympic events was
the Han River, the source of life for
Seoul. The Han River Parade was
launched for 10 minutes before 10:30
a.m. by 457 ships carrying 1,846
people, from the Yongdong Bridge to
the Chamshil Quay. The Dragon Drum
Boat had sailed in the very vanguard
of the parade and had entered the
Olympic Stadium upon reaching the
nearby waters.
24
The Dragon Drum Procession
marched slowly around the track. With
the final three drum beats, the sun
which had been on top of the 29meter-tall
"World Tree" skyrocketed,
and the World Tree also soared into
the sky. At the same time, the 80,000
balloons on the track flew over the oval
roof of the Olympic Stadium. In the
place where the World Tree had formerly
stood appeared the Olympic
cauldron, an octagonal pole standing
22 meters high. The flame stand was
5.5 meters in diameter and the pole
was 0.75 meters in diameter. Then the
Dragon Drum Procession disappeared
through the South Gate.
For four minutes from 10:50 a.m.
"Heaven, Earth and Man" was performed
by 44 Korean nymphs and 44
Greek maidens, expressing the joy of
communion of heaven and earth, and
the East-West unity. At 10:54 a.m.,
1,525 modern dancers, who are
students of Sejong University, Seoul
Junior College of Arts, Tongdaemun
Commercial High School and Seoul
Girls Commercial High School, poured
into the stadium. After dancing elegantly,
they lay on their backs on the
green ground facing the sky, forming
the word "WELCOME" in white letters.
They were welcoming all those who
were on hand at the Olympics, from
the VIPs to athletes, delegates and
spectators. The music employed free
pentatonic scales and appeared to be
Western-style, but in fact contained
many elements of Korean folk music.
Particularly noteworthy and joyful was
the tune of a traditional Korean folk
song "Dear Bird, Bird, Blue Bird"
which was inserted into the music by
the sound of chime in the middle of
the composition.
The seats behind the Olympic cauldron
were deemed the worst since
those sitting there were blocked from
seeing the stage, but during the
performance of the "Greeting the
Sun" the seats turned out to be the
best. The mass formation of the word
"WELCOME" could also be viewed
from any part of the stadium. These
reflected the spirit of egalitarianism
and the sense of beyond-the-limits
space. The time was already 11
o'clock.
The official ceremony
At 11 a.m., the 88 trumpeters who
were positioned on the southern wing
of the grand stand played the Olympic
Fanfare, and at 11:01, President and
Mrs. Roh Tae Woo entered the stadium
receiving welcome from the VIPs and
the 100,000 spectators.
Then the 1,100 dancers comprising
students of Seoul Girls Commercial
High School and Tongdaemun Commercial
High School, formed the Seoul
Olympic emblem, the five Olympic
rings, and the huge letters, "O-so-ose-yo,"
the Korean words meaning
welcome. The music changed from a
light march to a graceful waltz and
then to a bolero.
At 11:07 a.m., 300 women carrying the
Seoul Olympic emblem flags and
Olympic flags entered the stadium
through the South Gate along with the
Games Board of the Seoul Olympics.
The athletes were coming in.
Entering the stadium first to the tune of
the marches, adapted from the folk
songs of the world countries, was the
delegation from Greece, the cradle of
the Olympics. The delegations
marched into the stadium in order of
the Korean alphabet and the host
Korea was the last to come in.
When the announcer exclaimed
"Entry of Athletes," the audience blew
73,000 fifes, which had been placed in
their seats, in unison. A stronger feeling
of harmony warmed the stadium as
the fifes sounded "do," "mi," "sol,"
"do," the absolute pitches which serve
as a universal language for world
citizens.
The spectators welcomed and
encouraged the athletes, waving the
national flags, clapping, shouting
cheers and whistling. The athletes and
delegates in a variety of uniforms
responded to the spectators with
various gestures.
When the athletes and delegates completed
the entry and stood on the field
facing the VIP stand, SLOOC President
Park Seh-jik and IOC President
Juan Antonio Samaranch stepped
onto the platform on the center stage.
Park delivered a speech followed by
Samaranch's welcoming address.
Park's speech
"Mr. President and Mrs. Roh, distinguished
guests, ladies and gentlemen.
As we approach the very special
moment of the historic opening of the
Games of the Twenty-fourth Olympiad,
our hearts are filled with joy, as we are
those of the billions of members of the
global family who will witness this
magnificent event
"Our world has overcome numerous
obstacles to finally come together
here from the East and West, North
and South under the sky of Seoul. We
have leapt over ideological and
political barriers to share in a celebration
of Harmony and Progress
which we earnestly hope will endure
long after these Games are over.
"The Land of the Morning Calm is
about to become the arena for the
dreams and ideals of young men and
women from around the world. They
are here to share with us the strengths
and skills they have gained through
years of dedication to their goal.
"Such vigorous competition will lead
to harmony which will grow into
friend-ship and in this way, each
member of the global family will
receive the most precious of all gold
medals — the gold reward of love and
peace.