The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic situation which arose in early 2020. Now the games are scheduled from 23rd July 2021 to 8th August 2021. Now that the games have been postponed, many fans have become sad as many were expecting to enjoy visiting Japan or by streaming on their devices. Anyway, since we have some time for the Olympic Games to kick off, let’s check a few interesting stats.
Do you know who inaugurates or officially opens the Summer Olympic Games? Well, I know we have asked a difficult question. Even if you follow the Olympics, it’s difficult to have knowledge regarding this. So let’s get into this and know the protocol for inaugurating Olympic Games.
According to the protocol, the sitting president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes the speech and then invites the representative from the host country to officially open the Games. The person is supposed to be royalty, presidents, or their representatives.
Also Read: 2021 Summer Olympics Broadcasters Worldwide
List of people who have opened the Summer Olympic Games
Check out the list of people who have opened the Summer Olympic Games. This list includes names from the very first Olympic Games in Athens to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Year | Games | Host city | Officially opened by |
1896 | I Olympiad | Athens, Greece | George I |
1900 | II Olympiad | Paris, France | No official opening |
1904 | III Olympiad | St. Louis, United States | David R. Francis |
1908 | IV Olympiad | London, United Kingdom | Edward VII |
1912 | V Olympiad | Stockholm, Sweden | Gustaf V |
1920 | VII Olympiad | Antwerp, Belgium | Albert I |
1924 | VIII Olympiad | Paris, France | Gaston Doumergue |
1928 | IX Olympiad | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Prince Hendrik |
1932 | X Olympiad | Los Angeles, United States | Charles Curtis |
1936 | XI Olympiad | Berlin, Germany | |
1948 | XIV Olympiad | London, Great Britain | George VI |
1952 | XV Olympiad | Helsinki, Finland | Juho Kusti Paasikivi |
1956 | XVI Olympiad (equestrian) | Stockholm, Sweden | Gustaf VI Adolf |
1956 | XVI Olympiad | Melbourne, Australia | The Duke of Edinburgh |
1960 | XVII Olympiad | Rome, Italy | Giovanni Gronchi |
1964 | XVIII Olympiad | Tokyo, Japan | Hirohito |
1968 | XIX Olympiad | Mexico City, Mexico | Gustavo Díaz Ordaz |
1972 | XX Olympiad | Munich, West Germany | Gustav Heinemann |
1976 | XXI Olympiad | Montreal, Canada | Elizabeth II |
1980 | XXII Olympiad | Moscow, Soviet Union | Leonid Brezhnev |
1984 | XXIII Olympiad | Los Angeles, United States | Ronald Reagan |
1988 | XXIV Olympiad | Seoul, Republic of Korea | Roh Tae-woo |
1992 | XXV Olympiad | Barcelona, Spain | Juan Carlos I |
1996 | XXVI Olympiad | Atlanta, United States | Bill Clinton |
2000 | XXVII Olympiad | Sydney, Australia | William Deane |
2004 | XXVIII Olympiad | Athens, Greece | Konstantinos Stephanopoulos |
2008 | XXIX Olympiad | Beijing, China PR | Hu Jintao |
2012 | XXX Olympiad | London, Great Britain | Elizabeth II |
2016 | XXXI Olympiad | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Michel Temer |
2020 | XXXII Olympiad | Tokyo, Japan | Naruhito (expected) |
2028 | XXXIV Olympiad | Los Angeles, United States | TBD |
Who Will Open the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games?
It’s not yet official who will open the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, but it’s expected that Naruhito will have the honors. We will update you once the official news is out.
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