107th IOC Session - LA84 Foundation

156
Guests were welcomed with a Japanese tea
ceremony in the entrance hall, and local groups
put on exhibitions of clay dolls, puppets, and
ikebana (flower arrangements) to give participants
a taste of Japanese and local culture. On
display in the windows of the hall were pictures
painted by local schoolchildren on the theme of
the Olympics. Before the ceremony began, a
message was written in calligraphy and an ikebana
arrangement was displayed on the stage in
the main ceremony hall.
The opening ceremony of the IOC Session
was divided into three parts. Acting as master of
ceremonies was NAOC Director General
Makoto Kobayashi. The ceremony was conducted
in Japanese, English, and French.
Young violinists put on
a Suzuki Method
performance (opening
ceremony, IOC Session).
Programme
Part 1: Artistic Programme “Welcome to
Nagano” (approx. 20 min.)
• Traditional puppet drama Ningyo Joruri by
the Imada Ningyo Joruri group
• Traditional noh dance Ran-no-Mai by
Hideo Kanze
Part 2: Ceremony (approx. 50 min.)
• Playing of Japanese national anthem by
children from the Talent Education
Research Institute (Suzuki Method)
• Welcoming address by NAOC President
Eishiro Saito
• Address by JOC President Hironoshin
Furuhashi
• Address by IOC President Juan Antonio
Samaranch
• Presentation of the IOC Olympic Prize endowed
by Parke-Davis
• Declaration of the Opening of the Session
by His Imperial Highness the Crown
Prince of Japan
• Singing of the Olympic anthem by the
Nagano City Children’s Choir
Part 3: Artistic Programme “To the People of
the World” (approx. 20 min.)
• The Nagano Winter Orchestra under the
direction of conductor Seiji Ozawa played
the composition “November Steps” by
Toru Takemitsu