Tokyo Olympics: Wildest detail in opening ceremony

A special touch 57 years in the making was perhaps the coolest part of the opening ceremony in Tokyo.

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July 23, 2021 - 11:49PM

Matildas beat New Zealand two-one in Olympic opener

The opening ceremony capped off another day in Tokyo as the Olympics kick into full gear.

Cate Campbell and Patty Mills did a fine job flying the flag for Australia, though their partnership wasn't the only cool thing of the night.

The Olympic rings on show inside the stadium were carved out of wood from trees that grew out of seeds overseas athletes brought with them when Tokyo last hosted the Olympics in 1964.

Friday was a quieter day on the sporting front as the ceremony took centre stage, but there were still plenty of interesting updates from Japan.

Keep reading to catch up on all the highlights, and join us again on Saturday as we keep you up to date with everything happening on the ground in Tokyo.

Updates

You can catch all the highlights from the opening ceremony over here, but this hidden detail was too cool not to share.

A special touch 55 years in the making.

Chaos at QLD border

Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics. Picture: Facebook

Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics before competing after the draw set him on course for a possible match-up against an Israeli opponent.

Nourine was set to face Sudanese judoka Mohamed Abdalrasool on Monday for his first bout, and would have taken on Israeli Tohar Butbul in the next round.

Speaking to an Algerian television station late Thursday, Nourine said his political support for the Palestinian cause made it impossible for him to compete against an Israeli.

“We worked a lot to reach the Olympics… but the Palestinian cause is bigger than all of this,” he said, adding that his decision was “final”.

Reports in Israeli media cited Nourine as saying "we will not recognise the Israeli flag and we will not stain our hands with it".

Nourine's coach Amar Benikhlef said the Algerians "were unlucky with the draw". "We got an Israeli opponent and that is why we had to withdraw," he said. "We made the right decision."

It is not the first time that Nourine has withdrawn from competition to avoid facing an Israeli opponent, after he pulled out of the 2019 world championships in Tokyo.

Iranian judokas have also come under fire for refusing to compete against their Israeli counterparts.

– with AFP

Naomi Osaka has sent the rumour mill into overdrive.

Naomi Osaka was supposed to open the tennis at the Tokyo Olympics but the Japanese superstar may be in line for a bigger role.

An 11th-hour decision to postpone her match from Saturday to Sunday has increased speculation she will be Tokyo's Cathy Freeman.

Osaka is the most famous athlete Japan has produced and the highest-earning female athlete ever.

Find out if she does in our live Opening Ceremony blog.

Premier defends lockdown tweet

Buildings around the Olympic Village are plastered with flags from countless nations, but the Australian team opted to instead fly a unique banner from their balcony.

Team Australia has acknowledged the people of Tokyo for their hospitality and bravery with a banner reading: "Thank you from the bottom of our heart".

'Thank you from the bottom of our heart.' A lovely message from @AUSOlympicTeam to the people of Tokyo ahead of the #Tokyo2020 opening ceremony tonight. https://t.co/2cVDxSLXph
— Kieran Pender (@KieranPender) July 23, 2021

Police presence to be increased

The International Olympic Committee has given Australian rugby sevens player Sharni Williams the all clear to don a rainbow headgear in support of the LGBT+ community, The Herald Sun reported.

"As the saying goes and as I’ve always said, Rugby is a game for all," Williams posted to Instagram last month.

"It’s where I first felt comfortable and accepted for who I was. That inclusivity plays a big part in why I still choose to play rugby today.

"Visibility and awareness is an important part of making the world of sport a better and safer place for members of the LGBTQI+ community.

"So I’ve teamed up with Gilbert to create this amazing rainbow headgear that shows my pride in being part of this incredible community. Hopefully this encourages others in the sporting world, young and old, to get out and wave their pride loudly also."

When asked earlier this year for her thoughts on Israel Folau's European contract, Williams bluntly responded, "I don’t know who you are talking about".

Folau infamously lost his contract with Rugby Australia after claiming "homosexuals were destined for hell unless they repented their sins".

The Australian women's rugby sevens team will be defending their title next week having won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

'No policy' on vaccine passports

The ranking round for the men's individual archery event is underway at Yumenoshima Archery Park.

There are three Aussies competing – Ryan Tyack, David Barnes and Taylor Worth.

Rapid testing annouced for Sydney

Sometimes that's just how the chips fall.

Australia has drawn the short straw in tonight's Opening Ceremony after being demoted by officials to 38th on the event runsheet.

The athletes in green and gold will enter the arena in Japanese alphabetical order, after El Salvador and just before Austria.

Sticking true to ancient tradition, Greece will be first to enter the stadium. They will then be followed by the refugee team.

"The host nation Japan will be last in. France (hosts in 2024) will be second last. Word is the ceremony is incredible but keep the tissues nearby!" Daily Telegraph reporter Julian Linden said from Tokyo.

For everyone back home watching the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony tonight, Australia has been shuffled back to 38th place for the parade of nations – after El Salvador and just before Austria – because the order is based on the Japanese alphabet
— Julian Linden (@julianlinden) July 23, 2021

Rugby squad relaxes in Olympic village

🏏 It wouldn't be the Australian village without a game of backyard cricket to settle in!#TokyoTogether #Aussie7s #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/7I8IjxbKm8
— AU 7s (@Aussie7s) July 23, 2021

Aussie sculls duo Amanda Bateman and Tara Rigney have placed third in their heat, edging out Germany to progress alongside Lithuania and the Netherlands. They have now automatically qualified for the semi-final on Monday.

Australia squeezed through in the Men's Quadruple Sculls shortly after, placing second in their heat behind the Netherlands.

Hanson fumes at Matildas photo

Controversial Australian politician Pauline Hanson has fired off at the Matildas for posing with the Aboriginal flag in Tokyo in an incendiary press release.

The pic was taken after Australia downed New Zealand 2-1 at Ajinomoto Stadium on Wednesday.

The Queensland Senator said the photo of Australia’s Olympic women’s soccer team posing with the Indigenous flag was "a slap in the face to all Australians".

Ms Hanson accused the team of "hijacking" the sporting event to display their own "token PC gestures to inflame division" in her clearly divisive press release.

The #Matildas holding the Aboriginal flag in their opening match at the #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/daCa16JmWo
— IndigenousX Pty Ltd (@IndigenousXLtd) July 21, 2021

“Athletes in the Australian Olympic team are there representing all Australians on the biggest of international stages,” Senator Hanson said in a Thursday press release. “Indigenous flags don’t represent all Australians. There’s only one flag which truly represents all of us.

“Taxpayers don’t shell out millions of dollars to send Olympic teams to represent two nations. We’re one nation, Australia, indigenous and non-indigenous alike."

Then, in a double negative, Ms Hanson said: "Australians are sick and tired of their favourite sports being ruined by politics."

the Matildas are Australia's national women's soccer team. it is the Olympics. the flag they are holding is the Indigenous flag. it's a Wednesday, they're in Tokyo, where the Olympics are being held
— Vince Rugari (@VinceRugari) July 21, 2021

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