Editing 1976 Summer Olympics (section)

== Opening ceremony ==
{{external media|float=right|width=250px|video1=[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AsJOKRjqMbM&index=62&t=0s&list=WL 1976 Montreal Olympic Opening Ceremony]}}
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[[File:Stephane Prefontaine, Sandra Henderson 1976b.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Préfontaine and Henderson lighting the Olympic Flame]]

The opening ceremony of the 1976 Summer Olympic Games was held at the incomplete [[Olympic Stadium (Montreal)|Olympic Stadium]] in [[Montreal]], Quebec on Saturday afternoon, July 17, 1976, in front of an audience of some 73,000 in the stadium and an estimated half billion watching on television.<ref>[http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=3056,3514006&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL Cérémonie d'ouverture]. City of Montreal website (in French)</ref>

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R0716-0111, Montreal, XXI. Olympiade, Cierpinski, Reimann, Stadtmüller.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|East German athletes [[Waldemar Cierpinski]], [[Hans-Georg Reimann]] and [[Karl-Heinz Stadtmüller]] at the Olympic Village]]

Following an air show by the [[Canadian Forces]] [[Royal Canadian Air Force|Air Command]]'s [[Snowbirds (aerobatic team)|Snowbirds]] aerobatic flight demonstration squadron in the sunny skies above the stadium, the ceremony officially began at 3:00 pm with a trumpet fanfare and the arrival of [[Elizabeth II]], as Queen of Canada.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZqPL9FOHI0 Video of the ceremony ]. Youtube</ref> The Queen was accompanied by [[Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin|Michael Morris]], Lord Killanin, President of the International Olympic Committee, and was greeted to an orchestral rendition of '[[O Canada]]', an arrangement that would be used for many years in schools across the country, as well as in the daily sign-off of TV broadcasts in the country.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqmXyWbrD0I CBC sign-on, sign-off video from 1987]. Youtube</ref>

The queen entered the Royal Box with her consort, [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]], and her son, [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Prince Andrew]]. (Her daughter, [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Anne]], was an equestrian competing at Great Britain equestrian team. Prince Philip was also president of the [[International Equestrian Federation]] (FEI) at the time of the 1976 Summer Olympics.) She joined a number of Canadian and Olympic dignitaries, including: [[Jules Léger]], Governor General of Canada, and his wife, [[Gabrielle Léger|Gabrielle]]; Prime Minister [[Pierre Trudeau]] and wife, [[Margaret Trudeau|Margaret]]; [[Robert Bourassa]], Premier of the province of Quebec; [[Roger Rousseau]], chief of the Montreal Olympic Organizing Committee (COJOM); Sheila Dunlop, Lady Killanin, wife of the IOC President; Mayor of Montreal, [[Jean Drapeau]], and his wife, Marie-Claire.

The parade of athletes began moments later with the arrival of the Greek team, and concluded with the entrance of the Canadian team. All other teams entered the stadium according to French alphabetical order (as the host city main language). The ceremony was marked by the adorning of [[Israel]]'s flag with a black mourning ribbon, in memory of the eleven athletes and coaches killed by Palestinian terrorists at the [[1972 Summer Olympics|previous Summer Olympic Games]] in [[Munich]] four years earlier. Although most would eventually boycott the Games in the days to follow, a number of African delegations did march in the parade. Much of the music performed for the parade was arranged by [[Victor Vogel]] and was inspired by late Quebecois composer [[André Mathieu]].<ref>Arthur Takacs. [http://www.montrealolympics.com/takac.php Sixty Olympic Years]. montrealolympics.com</ref>

Immediately following the parade, a troupe of 80 women dancers dressed in white (representing the 80th anniversary of the revival of the Olympic Games) performed a brief dance in the outline of the Olympic rings. Following that came the official speeches, first by Roger Rousseau, head of the Montreal Olympic organizing committee, and Lord Killanin. Her Majesty was then invited to proclaim the Games open, which she did, first in French, then in English.

Accompanied by the Olympic Hymn, the Olympic flag was carried into the stadium and hoisted at the west end of the stadium. The flag was carried by eight men and hoisted by four women, representing the ten provinces and two territories (at the time) of Canada. As the flag was hoisted, an all-male choir performed an a cappella version of the Olympic Hymn.

Once the flag was hosted, a troupe of Bavarian dancers representing Munich, host of the previous Summer Olympics, entered the stadium with the [[Olympic symbols#Antwerp flag|Antwerp flag]]. Following a brief dance, that flag was then passed from the Mayor of Munich to the IOC President and then to the Mayor of Montreal. Next came a presentation of traditional Québécois folk dancers. The two troupes merged in dance together to the strains of "Vive le Compagnie" and exited the stadium with the Antwerp Flag, which would be displayed at Montreal City Hall until the opening of the [[1980 Summer Olympics]] in Moscow. Three cannons were then fired, as the 80-member troupe of female dancers unfolded special crates that released doves and ribbons in the five Olympic colours.

Another trumpet fanfare announced the arrival of the Olympic Flame. The torch was carried by 15-year-olds Stéphane Préfontaine and Sandra Henderson, chosen as representatives of the unity within Canada's linguistic heritage. This would also be the first time two people would light the Olympic flame, and Henderson would become only the second woman to do the honours. The duo would make a lap of the stadium and then climbed a staircase on a special dais at the centre of the stadium to set the Olympic flame alight in a temporary white aluminum cauldron. The flame was later transported to a more permanent cauldron just outside the running track to burn throughout the duration of the Games. A choir then performed the Olympic Cantata as onlookers admired the Olympic flame.

The "Youth of Canada" took to the track to perform a colourful choreographed segment with flags, ribbons and a variety of rhythmic gymnast performers. The flag bearers of each team then circled around the speaker's dais as Pierre St-Jean recited the Athletes' Oath and Maurice Forget recited the Judges' Oath, in English and in French, with right hand over the heart and the Canadian flag clutched in the left. Finally, a choral performance of "O Canada" in both French and English marked the close of the opening ceremony, as the announcers concluded with a declaration of the Games motto: 'Vive les Jeux de Montreal! Long Live the Montreal Games'.

The Montreal ceremony would be the first of its kind in Summer Games, as future Olympic ceremonies, beginning with the new Olympic Charter were reinforced before the [[1980 Summer Olympics]], would become more focused on the host country culture.