1998 Nagano Opening Ceremonies - Lighting of the Cauldron

[mlc2005]

LOVE Midori ITO!!!!!

[twintowersbabe]

I remember this well. I was 19. I fancied the pants off Chris Moon. I wrote a letter to him and got a reply back! I was starstruck at the time to get a letter from someone who carried the Olympic Torch. I heard he's doing a major trek across the desert, I think he did it last year. I heard rumours back in 1998, that Princess Diana was going to carry the Olympic Torch for her charity with landmines - but she passed away the year before so I think that why Chris Moon did it for her. xx

[PinoThePizzaman77]

The best Winter Olympics,together with 2006 in Turin.

[PinoThePizzaman77]

@PinoThePizzaman77:And Vancouver 2010 of course.

[HiroyukiNishino]

It's so interesting how even if it's only been 12 years there's a sort of "old-fashioned/retro" feel to this already. I sincerely hope Japan hosts the Olympics again, sometime while I'm alive.

Although... "Chris Moon represents the sadness of the past century." I don't think that's very nice. Maybe it wasn't worded properly.

[HattieLovesCattie]

Bless her hear.You can see Midori Ito trying hard not to cry there.

[shimajiro1962]

I was relieved to know the video and the audio were normally transmitted from Japan to the United States.

[skorber]

the children are singing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 :)

[tripleaxell]

was that tara lipinski at 5:52?

[jmahrky]

yes it was in fact:)

[Y37347]

yep

[pakkmann]

I find the inclusion of Chris Moon to be one of the most moving Olympic Ceremony moments ever. His book is great if you are interested.

[marlboroap]

Non avevo mai visto! debbo dire che è stata emozionante questa accensione della fiamma olimpica! un omaggio anche all'Italia con le musiche di Puccini!!!! Grazie Nagano!

[socalazn168]

Very artistic and symbolic, but not very exciting.

[dephynishun]

....yay................

[cham0rro]

not a very exciting caulron lighting by western standards, but very symbolic for the japanese. it was their olympics to host. so i think they did a good job. atlanta's cauldron lighting was not very exciting also.

[djcloudstrife]

the atlanta caludron lighting wasn't exciting too- by western standards

[soloyuymaxwell]

Waa~! XD Asian children are so cute! -Squeeshes them-

[ERTHA2724]

boring

[stevenscollege]

I found that quite downbeat, shouldnt the music be inspirational rather than tragic for the lighting of the cauldron and those kids were just corny I would have booed them.

[julius923]

Sounds like your pretty rude...dude. Will you be booing your own olympics?

[stevenscollege]

Oh lighten up it was a joke, well the booing bit was a joke, I was right about the music though they should have got John Williams to do them a nice inspirational anthem.

[julius923]

I guess we would have to remove the conducting baton and replace it with a chopstick.

[pteleos]

very plain and beautiful ceremony!

well done Japan

[xtickledpink92x]

Those snow children outfits look ultra plush and comfy. Buy me one, please.

[MCEProd22]

The lone olympics not to air on nbc in the last 12 years why?

[apodino]

That was beofre the IOC awarded the winter and summer in blocks, they did it by olympics. CBS did the Winter olympics in 1992, 1994, and 1998. Its been exclusively NBC since.

[CamilleNadia]

Such a shame there was such a huge time difference--you knew the results of the night's events by the time you got up in the morning.

[tjwillburn12]

snow children?

whatever.

[TheBlooturkey]

This is a stupid question, but does anyone know the song the ukikos or whatever they're called sing?

It's so cute and addictive!

[ikarus360]

It's a japanese version of ''When childen rule the world'' by Andrew Lloyd Webber

[apodino]

I remember this song from the Ceremony in Nagano. Its a beautiful song.

[KenStah85]

Not a bad way to light the cauldron of the last Olympics of the 20th century. This, Muhammad Ali in Atlanta, the Skijumper in Lillehammer, and the archer in Barcelona more than made up for that atrocity in Sydney when the cauldron malfunctioned.

[akawhippy]

they sound so adorable

[bgdrewsif]

Your comment and user name are crude and vile... but this is a bizzare and ultimately, unenergetic opening ceremony... and overall it was a forgetable olympics.

[BurningGold]

Chris Moon. My father takes his son to school every day and knows him well. Today, i met him at my place of work.

I cried when i wached this video. he is Truly a Hero. and i am honoured that he knows who i am.

[mellowboy23]

well that song eas really corny, but Midori Ito lighthing the cauldron with Puccinni's Madama Butterfly in the backgroud was amazing

[capsgm2002]

I taped this for my class when I was in 6th grade. This is one of my favorite memories of the Opening Ceremonies and I found that tape not too long ago. That corny song is still stuck in my head!

[Kipnepi]

LOL, mine too capsqrn2002! I found myself singing that humming that song years and years afterwards! h3lls4int, ITA with what you said about these ceremonies!

[h3lls4int]

the nagano ceremony, although it was not the most spectacular, it carried a powerful message of peace and to stop once and for all the war that made suffer much people on the 20th century (it was the last olympics of that century). the song was composed by a british composer, the same one who did ''friends for live'' on barcelona 92)

interesting, please try to post more of the ceremony someday (specially the ode to joy)