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1988 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

"Seoul 1988 opening ceremony" redirects here. For the Paralympics opening ceremony, see 1988 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony of the 1988 Summer Olympics took place at Seoul Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, on 17 September 1988 at 10:30 KDT (UTC+10). The official song of this game was "Hand in Hand", which was performed by Koreana. The Games were officially opened by President of the Republic of Korea Roh Tae-woo.

1988 Summer Olympics
opening ceremony
Part of 1988 Summer Olympics
Date17 September 1988 (1988-09-17)
Time10:30 – 13:47 KDT (UTC+10)
VenueSeoul Olympic Stadium
LocationSeoul, South Korea
Coordinates37°30′57.1″N 127°04′22.1″E / 37.515861°N 127.072806°E / 37.515861; 127.072806
Filmed bySeoul Olympic Radio and Television Organization (SORTO)
FootageSeoul 1988 Opening Ceremony - Full Length on YouTube

Ceremony

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Opening

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The ceremony was the last one at which doves were released. Since 1920, doves had been released at Olympic opening ceremonies. For the 1988 Olympics, birds were trained for a year in preparation for the event. The birds were supposed to fly around the stadium in circles until they reached the rim of the stadium and flew off in five directions. However, the birds flew erratically and landed all over the stadium, including on the cauldron where the Olympic Flame was to be lit. When Olympic Torch bearer Sohn Kee-chung approached and lit the flame, some of the doves did not leave and were burnt alive.[1][2] The outcry in response led to the replacement of the live birds with inanimate objects or human actors.[2]

This is also the first Summer Olympic ceremony since 1976, and the third consecutive after the 1988 Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies in which, in addition to Korean, announcements were made in French as well as English. This became standard for future Olympic Ceremonies.

Parade of Nations

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See also: 1988 Summer Olympics national flag bearers

The flag bearers of 160 National Olympic Committees entered the stadium, ordered by the Korean alphabet, and behind them marched the athletes.

It was also the last parade that involves East Germany, Soviet Union, West Germany and Yugoslavia, and the only parade of South Yemen, which ceased to exist a few years later.

Opening

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SLOOC President Park Seh-jik delivered a speech in Korean, welcoming everyone. IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch delivered a speech in English and French. President of the Republic of Korea Roh Tae-woo declared the Games of the XXIV Olympiad in Seoul opened in Korean.

나는 제24회 근대올림픽대회를 경축하면서 서울올림픽 대회를 개최하는 것을 선언합니다. – In celebration of the XXIV Modern Olympic Games, I declare that the Seoul Olympic Games will be held.

— Roh Tae-woo, President of the Republic of Korea

Anthems

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Dignitaries in attendance

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Most countries were represented by governmental-level representatives, and only a few world leaders came to the ceremony.

Dignitaries from International organizations

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Host country dignitaries

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Dignitaries from Abroad

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References

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  1. ^ Leyden, Peter (17 September 1988). "One of the burning questions of the Olympic Opening..." UPI. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b "When messengers of peace were burnt alive". Deccan Herald. Olympics 2004. Archived from the original on 29 August 2004. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  3. ^ "노태우대통령 내외 올림픽 개막식 참석[윤종보]" [President Roh Tae-woo attended the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games [Yoon Jong-bo]] (in Korean). Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. 17 September 1988. Retrieved 25 April 2023.

Bibliography

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