What It’s Like to Be at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

Those who are fortunate enough to be in the business of sports-related travel know how privileged we are to access some of the best sports events in the world. And at SportsTravel, the ability to cover the Olympic Games in person is one of the most special privileges of all.

That includes the access we received in Milan to the Opening Ceremony, which had all the hallmarks of a classic Olympic Games start with some twists that struck gold — and some that were best kept off the podium from an on-site experience.

I’ve been fortunate to be at several Opening Ceremonies at past Games. But here’s a first-hand look at what it was like to attend the Opening Ceremony in Milan.

The first thing you had to do was plan early. Gates for the event opened about four hours before the 8:00 p.m. local start. Many spectators, myself included, took the city’s metro subway line to a stop just steps from San Siro Stadium.

After leaving the station, you passed the obligatory pop-up merchandise store before you had to enter security lines. And nearly everyone was taking selfies or asking for their photos to be taken with the hulking stadium in the background. You could guess nationalities based on language, of course, but it was also fun to see the variety of clothing that gave it away as well. (I had never seen Kazakhstan spelled Qazaqstan, but I do feel it should be spelled that way from now on…)

At security, media were able to get in with just about anything, including laptops and cameras. But regular spectators were scrutinized on their belongings, with some even asked to turn over their lipstick. Once inside the perimeter, there were concession stands in a paved area outside the stadium, although not nearly enough of them. As the hours got closer to the start of the ceremony, lines were quite long to get one of a handful of relatively affordable items on the menu. This being Italy those items included calzones – the first time I’d seen that on an Olympic menu. There were also stands for Corona Cero non-alcoholic beer, for those who wanted to feel healthy even if they weren’t in Olympic share.

First Look at Staging

Once inside, you were taken away by the scope of the staging. And while no one knew exactly how the evening was going to unfold, there were immediate hints. Parked in the middle of the circular main stage were four large statues. Well, the heads of statues, which left one wondering if beheading was somehow going to be a theme for the night.

There also appeared to be several bright-colored toothpaste tubes dangling from corners of the stadium, which later revealed themselves to be paint tubes.

About two hours before the ceremony, a DJ kept the festivities going, screaming — mostly in Italian — in an effort to get some energy into the place. The music was a mix of Italian- and English-spoken pop songs. (I didn’t have anything by the Eurythmics being played on my bingo card, but he managed to get some of their music in as well.)

At 7:50 p.m., there was an announcement that the ceremony was about to begin, drawing cheers from the audience. Another announcement at the five-minute mark brought even louder cheers.

And once the ceremony began, it felt much like it does on television, although television viewers really do get the best angles to watch. At San Siro, despite it being a storied soccer stadium, the only projection screens were tiny squares in the far corners, not enough to see from most seats. There were temporary screens brought in mid-field above the long end of the stadium, but they, too, lacked what North American fans are used to experiencing. (Let’s just say I’ll never complain about the two “small” screens at Mile High Stadium that face our Broncos season tickets).

Right at the start of the ceremony, those paint tubes activated and spilled their paint of colored ribbon down below, a very clever artistic touch that played well on site.

All the early elements of the ceremony, including the bobble head figures of opera greats Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and Gioachino Rossini and a dramatic Mariah Carey (who gave me Glinda the Good vibes from “Wizard of Oz”), were stunning to see in person.

A Parade of (Some) Athletes

On site, the parade of nations was an interesting live experience, as there were no commercial breaks where we’ll be right back while random countries march in.

The nations just keep coming and coming — until they don’t. With events so spread out this year, some of the athletes marched in Cortina or the other two mountain areas also hosting events hours from Milan. It was a wonderful touch for the athletes. But in Milan, it felt a bit awkward hearing the country announced only to see a person carrying the sign of that country’s name with no athletes marching behind them. On television, everyone marched seamlessly. From an in-person experience, the well-intended gesture was a bit off without athletes present.

The Olympic speeches by the assembled dignitaries, which sometimes get cut on television, were actually heartfelt and added to the feeling that the Games truly can inspire and unite. And the ceremonial raising of the Olympic flag was another high point as those flag bearers seem to walk even slower and more dramatically in person than they appear on TV.

Bocelli Hits the Right Notes

For me, the pinnacle moment of the evening came when Andrea Bocelli sang “Nessun Dorma” as the Olympic flame entered the stadium. I can’t recall personally feeling so emotional during another Olympic ceremony as the music and light show peaked with the flame marching across the main stage. It was perfect.

In fact, it would have been the perfect end to the ceremony itself. On site, the actual ending was a bit anticlimactic. With the cauldron lit off site, spectators were left to watch that part of the proceeding on the tiny screens, which took a bit of the air out of the room.

And when the Olympic rings over the main stage sizzled with giant sparklers as the cauldrons were lit elsewhere in Milan and Cortina, those like myself hoping for a dramatic fireworks display over the roof of the stadium were left a bit short.

When the rings finished sizzling, an announcer rather abruptly declared the event over. And within five minutes, all the lights in the stadium were on, revealing the remnants of the Opening Ceremony production strewn across the stage and its surroundings.

A Tough Way Out

One final challenge was the departure from the stadium, which was bottlenecked. I was in line back at the metro stop with longtime friend of our TEAMS Conference and SportsTravel, George Washington University sports management professor Lisa Delpy Neirotti, as we waited in a long horde of people to enter the station. Security let in 400 people at a time, and there was a countdown clock above the turnstiles as you moved through them.

It took an hour to get through those turnstiles, and I was shocked when I looked at my watch to discover it was 1:30 a.m. and I still had an hour of commute left to my hotel on the other side of the city.

But the thing about the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games is that I didn’t mind a bit. Regardless of the experience outside the stadium or your expectations going in, the event remains one of the most complex-choreographed productions I’ve ever witnessed. And it’s a moment where the cliches of the Olympic movement serving as an inspiration really do strike a chord.

When I eventually made it to my hotel room, I didn’t feel exhausted or spent. I was elated and ready to continue my Olympic adventure. Because it’s not lost on me what an extreme privilege it is to be here.