Francesca Rudkin: The Olympics were a well-timed distraction during a grim week

So, just how crazy was that Olympic Opening Ceremony yesterday morning?

It was bonkers - in a fabulous way. When the idea for an out-of-stadium opening was originally floated, it was deemed logistically impossible for so many reasons, from losing athletes in the Seine to security concerns.  

But this weekend, the French reminded us you can dream big, challenge the status quo, attempt the unimaginable, and pull it off.  

Big sports stars and singers turned up and shone – but there was also magic in a heavy metal band performing while attached to a building filled with headless Maire Antoinettes, a mechanical horse riding up the Seine, zip lines across the river, the Olympic flame caldron floating beneath a hot air balloon. There was also a fashion parade, dancers and acrobats and a parquor masked torch bearer.

It was many things; stunning, tacky, moving, fun, a little nuts, clever and overly packed.   

As France showed off its capital city, culture, architecture, and history brilliantly, I sometimes forgot what I was watching – but then we’d head back to the Seine where excited athletes cruising in an odd assortment of barges and boats – some large, some worryingly small – brought us back to why we were there. For a sporting competition which aims to unite the world.  

Apart from an Olympic flag being raised upside down, this tour through the heart of Paris went off without obvious incidents. There would have been some hugely relieved city and Olympic officials by the end of it all.  

It felt like a made for TV show – I don’t know what it would have been like for the athletes taking part? Did they miss the roar of a crowd when walking into a stadium? Regardless, they will always be able to say they took part in the most ambitious Olympic opening ceremony ever.  

You can just imagine the LA Organising Committee for the 2028 Olympics watching the show thinking - Oh damn.  

The Opening Ceremony was a bit of a spirit lifter at the end of a grim week in New Zealand.  

I don’t think anyone could read or listen to the reports of the Abuse in Care Royal Commission without feeling horrified and moved. 6 years in the making, it’s a relief to see all members of Parliament rise to the occasion and commit to righting these horrors of the past.  

At first, I was disappointed to hear brave victims who have battled to be heard for so long will have to wait until November to get an official apology. But the more I hear about the magnitude of the abuse, the cost of that abuse, the impact of that abuse, and the different organisations that dished out and protected the abuse, the more I realise this is not a quick apology to make.  

How do we right the wrongs? How do we hold people to account? How do we compensate for what was taken from these people? How do we respect those who have already passed – many buried in unmarked graves?  

This travesty must be dealt with once and for all. It must be done right, and it must leave no stone unturned. How do we navigate it? Maybe we continue listening to those victims who finally have a voice and take guidance from them. It’s the least we can do.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talks'b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
So, just how crazy was that Olympic opening ceremony yesterday morning?
It was bonkers in a fabulous way. When the idea
for an out of stadium opening was originally flighted, it
was deemed logistically impossible for many reasons, from losing athletes
in the scene to security concerns. But this weekend the

(00:33):
French reminded us you can dream big, you can challenge
the status quo. You could attempt the unimaginable, unimaginable and
pretty much pull it off. Big sports stars and singers
turned up and they shone. But there was also magic
in the heavy metal band performing while attached to a
building filled with headless Marie Antoinette's, a mechanical horse riding

(00:54):
up the scene, zip lines across the river, the Olympic
flame floating beneath a hot air balloon. There was also
a fashion parade, dancers and acrobats, and a parkhour masked
torch bearer. It was many things. It was stunning, tacky, moving, fun,
a little nuts clever and overly packed as France showed

(01:15):
off its capital city, its culture, its architecture and history
very very well. I sometimes forgot what I was watching,
but then we'd head back to the scene where excited
athletes cruising in an odd assortment of barges and boats,
some large, some worryingly small, brought us back to why
we were there for a sporting competition which aims to
unite the world. Apart from an Olympic flag being raised

(01:37):
upside down, this tour through the heart of Paris went
off without obvious incidents. There would have been some hugely
relieved city and Olympic officials. By the end of it all.
It felt like it was made for TV, didn't it.
I don't know what it would have been like the
athletes taking part. Did they miss the roar of a
crowd when walking into a stadium? Regardless, they will always

(01:58):
be able to say they took part in the most
ambitious Olympic opening ceremony ever. You can just imagine the
Allay organizing Committee for the twin eight Olympics watching they think, going,
oh damn. I mean they even include included a menage tois.
The opening ceremony was a bit of a spirit lifter
at the end of what has been a grim week

(02:20):
in New Zealand. I don't think anyone could read or
listen to the reports of the abuse in Royal in
Care Royal Commission the Abuse and Care Royal Commission would
without feeling horrified and moved. Six years in the making.
It is a relief to see all members of Parliament
rise to the occasion and commit to writing these horrors

(02:40):
of the past. At first, I was disappointed to hear
brave victims who have battled to be heard for so
long will have to wait until November to get an
official apology. But the more I heard about the magnitude
of the abuse, the cost of that abuse, the impact
of that abuse, and the different organizations that dished out
and protected the abuse, the more I realize this is

(03:03):
not a quick apology to make. So how do we
right the wrong? How do we hold people to account,
How do we compensate for what was taken from these people?
And how do we respect those have already passed, many
buried in unmarked graves. This travesty must be dealt with
once and for all. It must be done right and
it must leave no stone unturned. So how do we

(03:24):
navigate it? Maybe we continue listening to those victims who
finally have a voice and take guidance from them. It
is the least we can do.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
For more from the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin. Listen
live to News Talks it Be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.