Montréal 1976
The Opening Ceremonies
The opening ceremonies of the first Olympic Games on Canadian soil took place in
Montréal, on July 17, 1976. The opening of the Games of the XXI Olympiad
was conducted before 73,000 thrilled spectators that had gathered in the Olympic
Stadium. The entrance of Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, the
Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Andrew elicited a strong reaction from the crowd.
The impressive parade of the 94 participating delegations took place to the
sound of music entitled March of the Athletes. Following tradition, the
Greek delegation came first, and the Canadian delegation, representing the host
country, brought up the rear. The names of the participating countries appeared on a display board
in illuminated letters, in French and English, as they entered
the stadium. There were more than 500 people in the Canadian delegation. The
delegations took their place on the central lawn, facing the tribune of honour.
There were a total of 10,000 athletes and escorts.
An impressive parade of 94 delegations...
The speeches were delivered, in French and English, in accordance with tradition, by
the President of the OCOG, Roger Rousseau, and by the President of the IOC, Lord
Killanin, after which the Queen declared the official opening of the Games of the XXI
Olympiad. The olympic anthem, written by Spirou Samara, signalled the entrance of the
olympic flag into the stadium. It was carried by eight athletes and four escorts,
symbolizing the ten provinces and two territories of Canada. The flag was hoisted
while a choir of Canadians of Greek origin sang the olympic anthem.
Three cannons in the Olympic Park fired an official salute. To draw attention to
the 80th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games, 80 young girls released pigeons.
The young girls also represented the retinue of virgins that, according to ancient
tradition, accompanied the athletes as far as the gate of the stadium. Next was the
entrance of the olympic torch, carried by two young runners -- Sandra
Henderson of Toronto and Stéphane Préfontaine of Montréal
-- in place of the usual single torchbearer. They symbolized the country's
bilingual character. In fact, this was a first in the history of the modern Olympic
Games; the tradition of watching a former champion enter the stadium alone has since
been abandoned. The cauldron placed in the centre of the stadium was lit.
Students from schools in Montréal and its suburbs, representing Canadian youth,
and gymnasts from various countries performed a ballet together. A judge and an athlete,
weightlifter Pierre Saint-Jean, took the oath, followed by the Canadian national anthem.
To the applause of the crowd, the opening ceremonies came to an end, and the competitions
of the XXI Olympiad began.
Closing Ceremonies
The Games of the XXI Olympiad ended on the evening of August 1, 1976, in the presence of
the President of the IOC and Jules Léger, Governor General of Canada. As fanfares
rang out, 500 white-cloaked schoolgirls, forming a huge rectangle on the central lawn,
performed a choreographic routine before turning their cloaks inside out to form the
colours and rings of the olympic flag.
To the strains of the March of the Athletes, played in a style that evoked the chants
of Canada's First People, a group of 75 Aboriginal people in full dress entered the stadium
in arrowhead formation. To underscore the brotherly unity of olympic sports, the athletes entered
without being grouped separately by nationality. They were accompanied by over 500 Aboriginal
people in festive costumes, and entered the five rings formed by the young women; they then
erected tents in the colours of the olympic rings.
The President of the IOC then declared the closing of the Games. The olympic flag was lowered
as the farewell song was sung. Eight athletes, led by four others, carried the flag out of the
stadium. The olympic flame went out, signalling the end of the Montréal Games. The
announcer revealed the location of the next Games -- Moscow. On giant screens,
live from Moscow, dancers and singers performed a short number and presented a gigantic candle
on the screen. The crowd in the Olympic Stadium then waved lit candles or light sticks as a
gesture of friendship. The XXI edition of the Olympic Summer Games came to an end.
Further Research
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