Four years ago, Beijing opened the 2008 Olympics with the most epic and costliest ceremony in Games history. Even if times weren’t austere, London could never have matched the Chinese spectacular.
So will Beijing’s spellbinding mix of choreography, pyrotechnics and lasers ever be topped? Well, arguably, yes. In fact, you could say that it didn’t even surpass something that had been around for a while before it.
And “What would that something be?” you might ask. The Arirang Mass Games, that’s what.
Not heard of it? Well that’s not surprising. It’s the opening ceremony for a two-month long annual gymnastics and artistic performance festival held in North Korea, which let’s face it, isn’t exactly a country we hear too much about.
Celebrating Kim Il-sung, the late “Great Leader”, it takes place in the world’s largest stadium – the Rungrado May Day Stadium in the capital Pyongyang.
On the face of it, the Mass Games are a stunning 90-minute show of synchronised gymnastics, dance, and acrobatics performed by more than 100,000 participants set to powerful music and effects.
But under the skin, they’re a highly politicised tribute to North Korea’s incumbent government and a celebration of its ideology. There’s no western sporting philosophy here. Participants don’t compete against one another for a prize. Instead they work in unison to bring joy and hope for themselves and the audience.
This year’s games begin tomorrow (August 1) and are scheduled to finish on September 9. With the recent change in leadership (Kim Jong-un replacing his deceased father Kim Jong-il) and next year marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, there are whispers the games will be replaced with something new.
So this could be the last chance to see the Arirang Games. The good news is tourists are welcome to attend. The bad news is North Korea is a seriously challenging place to visit and unless you have your travel already planned, it may be too late to get the paperwork done in time to make it to this year’s event.
