Top moments from the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

It was an Opening Ceremony that mixed tradition, technology and a message of hope as the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 got underway.

From an awe-inspiring drone display to Japan's tennis superstar Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron, it was a four-hour long affair of excitement and beauty that all took place at the Olympic Stadium in the capital.

Let's look at the top moments from the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Olympic flag and Japan's flag enter before stirring rendition of Japan's national anthem

It took a year longer than any of us had anticipated, but finally the Olympic flag has been carried into Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium. Being led in by eight children, the flagbearers including two-time Olympic weightlifting champion MIYAKE Yoshinobu, Sydney 2000 women's marathon champion TAKAHASHI Naoko, Youth Olympic Games medallist TABATA Momoha (curling) and DOHI Keita (sport climbing) along with rescue worker ASA Mizuki and percussionist SAKAI Hibiki.

As members of the Self-Defence Forces raised the national flag, the national anthem Kimi Ga Yo, was performed by one of Japan's most renowned singers MISIA. Performing in a white dress with a hem full of rainbow colours, the 43-year-old gained praise across social media for her powerful voice.

The Parade of Athletes to the theme of famous Japanese video games

Entering in order of the host nations language, some of the 11,289 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees, including the IOC Olympic Refugee Team, who will be competing at the Games, were welcomed into the stadium by the songs of famous Japanese video games including Final Fantasy's Victory Fanfare, Sonic the Hedgehog's Star Light Zone and Pro Evolution Soccer's eFootball walk on theme.

The athletes didn't shy away from the spotlight with Ireland stopping and bowing when they came out, Uganda’s and Dominican Republic's delegations danced their way into the stadium while Portugal's flagbearers judoka Telma Monteiro and triple jump athlete Nelson Evron spun their nations flag around and France's Samir Aït Saïd did a backflip.

And of course, Tonga's Pita Taufatofua reprised his role for a third Olympic Games but he had competition from Vanuatu's Rio Rii who also appeared shirtless.

From emblem block to drones

As athletes settled into their position around the field, performers from of all different backgrounds rearranged 45 boxes into a flower. They turned the arrangement inside-out to form the Tokyo 2020 Emblem.

Then came the jaw-dropping moment. As 1,824 drones appeared and formed the same emblem, it slowly rose above the stadium to form the shape of the globe. The drone display could be seen shining bright in the Tokyo night sky.

Imagine...

Fifty years ago, in the spring of 1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-wrote the critically acclaimed anthem 'Imagine'.

Reimagined for the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony by the legendary composer Hans Zimmer, the song was performed by singing superstars John Legend and Keith Urban, alongside the Suginami Junior Chorus, Alejandro Sanz, Angélique Kidjo, Mike Knobloch and the drummers of TAIKOPROJECT.

Keeping up with the pictograms

With 50 pictograms representing all the disciplines at Tokyo 2020, pantomime performers attempted to recreate every single one.

The lighting of the Olympic Cauldron

After 121-days across 47 of Japan's prefectures, the Olympic flame arrived at the stadium. Approximately 10,000 people carried the flame on its journey and as the final torchbearers made their way around the stadium to its final destination the Olympic cauldron, tennis superstar Naomi Osaka was given the duties to light the cauldron.

In a similar way to how the Tokyo 1964 cauldron was lit 57 years ago by YOSHINORI Sakai, Osaka climbed up the stairs to a sphere which opened like a flower to embody hope and vitality.