After A Rough Run-Up, Rio Aims For An 'Awesome' Opening Ceremony

Two of Brazil's greatest strengths — its dazzling culture and its flair for spectacle — will power the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics on Friday night. Organizers will unleash samba drums, singers and dancers in a show designed to thrill a global audience and silence the criticism surrounding the preparations.

To pull it off, producers had to figure out how to move thousands of athletes and hundreds of performers in and out of a stadium whose field presents a unique problem. As one official explains, "There is no entrance."

We'll dig into that later. For now, let's focus on the positive.

"I hope that the Opening Ceremony will be a drug for depression in Brazil," film director Fernando Meirelles says in material provided to the media in Rio de Janeiro.

The Opening Ceremony's highlights will range from singers such as the legendary Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil to MC Soffia, age 12. -  NPR

After A Rough Run-Up, Rio Aims For An 'Awesome' Opening Ceremony

Rio Throws A Party For The World, Kicking Off The 2016 Olympics