The best part of every leap year is finally upon us. The 2016 Olympic Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, begin on Aug. 5. and as always, they're bound to be filled with touching athlete backstories, the race for medals, and a legendary opening ceremony on Aug. 5. If you're afraid you won't be near a TV at that time, you'll want to know how to stream the 2016 Olympics opening ceremony, because if past events are any indication, this one will be bigger and better than ever. On the official NBC Olympics website, videos of the competition are being posted, but there's no option to stream the opening ceremony to your computer just yet.
However, NBC does have a live stream option that lets people with subscriptions to certain cable providers watch the network on their computers, so it's likely that if you login to the NBC website during the opening ceremony broadcast, you'll be able to stream it. Previously, the entire three-hour 2012 Olympics opening ceremony in London was uploaded to the official Olympics YouTube channel the same day it occurred, so there's a good chance the organization will do the same for 2016. For those who are watching it on NBC, the opening ceremony will be broadcast on a one-hour delay, according to ABC News, so plan accordingly, as that means the ceremony should air on NBC at 8 p.m. ET.
In addition to knowing how you can watch, you'll need to know what you're watching, too. Here's what you need to know about how the opening ceremony at Maracanã Stadium will go.
The Olympic Flame
This is one of the biggest symbols of the Games, a tradition that has existed since the Ancient Greeks competed in Olympia. According to NBC Olympics, this year's Olympic flame was lit on April 21 in Greece by using the rays of the sun — just like in ancient times — and arrived in Brazil in May.
Parade Of Nations
The part of the ceremony where people watching becomes its own sport. Greece is always the first country to enter (since it invented the games) and the host nation enters last, according to NBC Olympics. The rest of the countries march in alphabetical order according to the host country's language, so FYI: the United States will be entering during the letter E, since the country's name in Portuguese is Estados Unidos da América.
There's no word which athlete will be the flag bearer for the United States, but NBC Olympics has confirmed that tennis champion Rafael Nadal will carry the flag for Spain. Greece has named Sofia Bekatorou as the country's first-ever female flag bearer, according to Greek Reporter.
The Artistic Program
And this is when the host country gets to be creative in saying, "Welcome to our home." In 2012, Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle masterminded the London Olympics opening ceremony. This time around, City of God director Fernando Meirelles and Daniela Thomas will helm the opening ceremony with a cast of some 6,000 volunteers, according to the BBC, and, due to a financial crisis in Brazil, the ceremony will be on a tight budget.
The Olympic Oath
Athletes and judges from the host country recite the oath on behalf of the entire roster of athletes and judges at this edition of the games. According to Top End Sports, this is the oath:
"In the name of all the competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams."
There's no word on who will be reciting the oath for Rio.
Head Of State Declaration
The most prominent head of state dignitary declares the Olympic Games begun for the host nation, according to NBC Olympics. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth did so for the Summer Olympics in London and she became a meme for her facial expressions (see above).
Release Of The Doves
According to NBC Olympics, the release of the doves can be either literal or figurative. It is a tradition, but it hit a snag in 1988, when the doves were released too close to the Olympic cauldron. I'll let your imagination take it from there.
It sounds like there will be plenty to see during the Olympics opening ceremony on Aug. 5 and I can't wait to watch.
