
Share
6th August 2016
01:40am BST

(Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)[/caption]
The ceremony didn't shy away from the role of slavery in Brazil's past:
https://twitter.com/sweetadelinevt/status/761721480371703810
Or as one wag put it:
https://twitter.com/JonathanRWarner/status/761702808877985792
Then we got the emergence of the cities in Brazil, represented by visual trickery - WITCHCRAFT, one might say - in the stadium:
https://twitter.com/behlul_official/status/761705426903760901
https://twitter.com/wiwibloggs/status/761704553658060801
https://twitter.com/Rio2016_en/status/761704969691074564
https://twitter.com/Herdotie/status/761705896300965888
We had the funny little flight segment:
https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/761705642528735233
Then we got GISELE walking for bloody ages:
https://twitter.com/andymannion77/status/761706964523094017
https://twitter.com/Tweet_Dec/status/761706393950879744
Followed by "the voice of the favelas":
https://twitter.com/wiwibloggs/status/761706895367348224
https://twitter.com/The_Dolphin_Pub/status/761707577365426176
There were sound issues on BBC, apparently, but RTE showed them up:
https://twitter.com/MazzyK/status/761710692697341952
It all certainly looks pretty:
https://twitter.com/feistyfrank/status/761712830424944640
What followed was a segment comprising lots of different types of Brazilian dance:
https://twitter.com/SEisenhammer/status/761708184109256705
https://twitter.com/Hotdesigner/status/761708556534083585
https://twitter.com/jaybusbee/status/761709432493531136
https://twitter.com/vulture/status/761728250221559808
https://twitter.com/TechnicallyRon/status/761709310321852416
The main stage eventually cleared and we got some serious/drab stuff about climate change and global warming, narrated by Judi Dench:
https://twitter.com/scottygb/status/761710201061990406
https://twitter.com/DaftLimmy/status/761710844422066180
https://twitter.com/mike_mccahill/status/761710578490601472
https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedCanada/status/761709902779731968
Then it was time for the athletes:
https://twitter.com/Rio2016_en/status/761711319657619458
SO many athletes:
https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/761711773372252160
https://twitter.com/callumfosberry/status/761711292226871296
https://twitter.com/GeneralBoles/status/761711806708588549
https://twitter.com/AKiiDaL/status/761727244981112833
HON IRELAND!
https://twitter.com/olympiccouncil/status/761717371102978048
Paddy Barnes leading the way:
https://twitter.com/barrabest/status/761726874309582848
https://twitter.com/olympiccouncil/status/761728703118381060
https://twitter.com/JOEdotie/status/761728267607011328
https://twitter.com/ozdale/status/761726799856283648
https://twitter.com/JonathanRWarner/status/761727260219015172
https://twitter.com/JustHelens/status/761726659410132992
Andy Murray led Team GB out into the stadium:
https://twitter.com/TelegraphSport/status/761724294590234624
https://twitter.com/GeneralBoles/status/761724832555958272
https://twitter.com/MarumGo/status/761724373418074112
Looking dapper, Rafa!
https://twitter.com/FirstpostSports/status/761726967649603584
But, y'know what, as much as we take the piss and moan about how long the ceremony is, a massive global event like this is an incredible thing to behold:
https://twitter.com/MJRgrs/status/761699012923777024
https://twitter.com/ambettano/status/761719065845067776
https://twitter.com/TomFarrey/status/761728623686606848
And at least we get to watch the thing without a delay and annoying ad breaks, unlike the poor Americans:
https://twitter.com/TonyOrtega94/status/761717552045228032
And after all that, we can look forward to Japan's staging of the Games in 2020:
https://twitter.com/GeneralBoles/status/761719360008380416
Finally, it got us thinking what an Opening Ceremony would be like if Ireland ever staged the Games.
https://twitter.com/Herdotie/status/761702753353732096