KEY POINTS

  • Andy Murray leads Team Great Britain in the Rio 2016 Olympics opening ceremony.
  • Refugee Olympic Team receives great reception.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games' opening ceremony took place at the Maracana stadium on 5 August, Friday. More than 200 nations and over 10,000 athletes paraded in the Rio de Janeiro's stadium, which hosted the 2014 Fifa World Cup final.

Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, who won the bronze in the 2004 Athens Olympics, lit the flame. He is well known for a moment in the Athens Olympics when a spectator, laicized Irish priest Neil Horan, attacked him when he was leading the marathon. He was leading the race just before the attack, which saw him finish third and settle for a bronze medal.

The 2016 Wimbledon winner Andy Murray led Team GB and history was made when the Refugee Olympic Team became the penultimate team to take part in the parade before the host nation Brazil. They received a standing ovation at the Maracana.

IBTimes UK has collected some of the best tweets and reactions to the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Fireworks at the end! #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/ka6Qv7N9U5

— Badminton Updates (@badmintonupdate) August 6, 2016
Twitter

Crazy shot from the helicopter. #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/BMPOllxgzA

— Brian Sweet (@besweeet) August 6, 2016

The Lords of Winterfell!! #OpeningCeremony 🏅 pic.twitter.com/ByTUIwbvjG

— Lilian Klemz (@liliklemz) August 6, 2016

This #OpeningCeremony commentary by @nbc is like a third grader's report on the different countries. pic.twitter.com/NqGgT5b7vg

— Simi Sinha (@SimTara) August 6, 2016

I, honestly, have not heard of some of these countries, ever.#Rio2016

— MattLand, USA (@STLMattinals) August 6, 2016

#Rio2016 @BBC many of the African countries have a lot more than just minerals and wars.

— Alimatu Dimonekene (@TheAlima) August 6, 2016

Some of this commentary got me like: #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/j863G2AWaN

— Meghan Tankersley (@MegTank) August 6, 2016

Imagine watching a play & it stops every 3 mins & ppl run on stage & advertise products for 5 mins. It'd be just like the #OpeningCeremony

— hey.jay.hay (@JAMEYHASTINGS) August 6, 2016

This is me watching #OpeningCeremony I was expecting more.... pic.twitter.com/vI0atd0Dqx

— MVanVan (@MVanVan1003) August 6, 2016
Rio 2016 Twitter