Neds is not a sponsor of the Olympic Games, any Olympic Committees or teams.
The Tokyo games get underway tonight and what could possibly go wrong?!?
To celebrate the opening ceremony, we’ve compiled a list of some of the all-time co*k ups and epic fails that only an Opening Ceremony of the games has to offer over the years.
For good measure, we’ve thrown in a few fails from World Cups, Commonwealth Games and of course, AFL & NRL Grand Finals
The Dove is the Symbol of Peace.
However, at the Opening Ceremony of Seoul 1988, the lighting of the Caldron resulted in Doves being burnt to a crisp.
Since Nikki Webster welcomed the world to Sydney 2000, Opening Ceremonies have made it a tradition to tell the story through the eyes of a child.
Eight years later, Beijing followed suit and introduced 9 year-old Lin Miaoke to sing “Ode to The Motherland”
Turned out she was the Milli Vanilli of Opening Ceremonies as she was lip-syncing a recording of 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, who according to The Washington Post was found “not suitable” for children by Chinese Authorites .
Two years later, at the Vancover Winter Games, the Olympic Cauldron Lighting was meant to have four pillars.
Only three could get up.
At least no doves died in the lighting of it.
We can laugh at Canada’s fail, but we should thank our lucky stars that the Cauldron eventually moved in Sydney!
You’d think the Russians would be able to pull off an epic Opening Ceremony.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t hack into the fifth Olympic ring at the opening of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games.
But for all the glitz and glamour that any Opening Ceremony has to offer, this Austrian athlete falling down during the parade of nations in Sochi is classic slapstick that can’t be beat.
It’s not just the Olympics that have produced some epic Opening Ceremony fails.
Far from it.
Diana Ross missed an easy penalty while singing at the USA ’94 World Cup Opening.
What about the time the Queen’s Baton got stuck at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games opening?
That one would go down as the second worst penalty miss of the tournament after Roberto Baggio’s errant attempt in the final.
Or back at Brisbane 1982, the kids on the ground formed the shape of Australia…but forgot to include Tasmania.
The locals have never forgotten.
The NRL brought out Billy Idol to sing at the 2002 Grand Final.
Then the power went out on stage.
He had to…START AGGGAAAAIIIIINNNN.
And of course, when you think Epic Failure in Entertainment of Openings of Major Sporting Events look no further than the AFL Grand Final
Did someone say Meatloaf?
Or the horrible Goal Umpire Chorography Act back in 1993
And poor old Maroochy Barambah struggling with Waltzing Matilda in the same year.
At least Maroochy didn’t just give up like UK X-Factor contestant Karen Harding at the 2016 FA Cup Final
And, of course, Angry Anderson in the Batmobile
(It was technically half-time, but any excuse will do)