Even though we are at the halfway point of Summer 2021, in Tokyo, Japan the 2020 Summer Olympics are finally underway. After having been postponed a whole year because of COVID-19, the 2020 Summer Olympic games have become one of the most widely controversial games ever. The postponement of the games, along with heated public opinion as to whether they should be held at all, was just the first major issue. It wasn’t long until more issues centering around the fact that there would be no fans in attendance to the controversy over the choice to vaccinate arose.

Individuals from several teams tested positive for COVID-19, soon accumulating to almost 80 people within the Olympic Village becoming sick. Then there was the heightened news about making this year’s Olympics the “cleanest” ever in terms of drug enhancement. American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who was considered to be in a gold medal position, was banned after testing positive for marijuana. Protest over political and social issues have also greatly clouded the 2020 Olympics.

The Olympic planning team knew that they had a lot to overcome in making the games successful. With this in mind, the overall theme of the Olympic games was declared “Moving Forward” with the opening ceremonies titled “United by Emotion”. Despite all the upheaval surrounding the games, more than a billion people were expected to watch the opening ceremonies being held at Tokyo Olympic Stadium on Friday, July 23, 2021. Every year the Olympic opening ceremony marks a joyous collaboration that recognizes the strength and determination of all the athletes, the people who help and support them, and the countries they represent.

The details of the opening ceremony are always kept secret, but audiences have come to expect much fanfare. During the 2018 Winter Olympic opening ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea, audiences were mesmerized by an elaborate drone show. Setting a new world record, Intel used 1,218 Shooting Star drones to paint the sky with images that represent the Olympic Games and their global impact. For many around the world, this was the first time they had seen a drone show. This event became a catalyst for drone shows at major celebrations around the world. So while the details of this year’s opening ceremony were never released, it came as no surprise that HIOKI Takayuki and NOMURA Mansai, the creative teams behind the opening ceremony, included drones in the show.

This time, Intel deployed 1,824 Shooting Star 3 drones to dazzle the competing teams present and all the spectators tuning in worldwide. The show came to an end with young Japanese preformers gathered around the Olympic flag being stretched out in the center of the stadium alongside this year’s Olympic emblem. As the music came to a crescendo, the kids raise their arms to the sky where thousands of drones formed the blue and white checkered Tokyo 2020 Olympic emblem. The drones begin to rotate, mesmerizingly, and morph into a rotating image of the globe.

When broken down, it is not all that complicated of an image for drones to make. As far as drone shows go, this was a bare-bones, simple presentation. But it was the simplicity of the show that held its power. Accompanied by John Lennon’s anthem “Imagine”, the two images, the Olympic emblem, and the globe, showed that the concept of bringing the world together through sport should be simple. Regardless of all the controversies surrounding the 2020 Olympics, the world could “Move Forward” and become United.