Olympic Ceremony 2021 Order of Countries: When Is Team USA Appearing?

By Soo Kim On 7/23/21 at 3:00 AM EDT

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The U.S. is slated to be among the last three countries to appear in the parade of athletes at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony.

Speaking to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games said: "Teams from the upcoming host countries of the corresponding Games will now march immediately before the current host delegation, which traditionally closes the athletes' parade."

Back in December 2019, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that France and the U.S.—the host countries for the upcoming Olympic Games in 2024 and 2028, respectively—will march just before Japan, to promote the future games.

So Team USA will be followed by France's team before Japan's Olympic athletes conclude the procession.

This year's marching order breaks the tradition of the parade outlined by the official Olympic Charter, which states: "The delegations parade in alphabetical order according to the language of the host country, except for Greece, which leads the parade, and for the host country, which brings up the rear."

The IOC stated: "The aim of the change is to increase the special focus that future hosts already enjoy over the course of their Games preparations by giving them prominence in the stadium and among global audiences during opening ceremonies."

Greece leads the parade of athletes as it is the historic site where the ancient Olympic Games were held and where the first edition of the modern Games took place in 1896.

The IOC said it intends to have future host countries march last at upcoming Olympic Games opening ceremonies, Kyodo News reported in December 2019.

Flag bearers at the 2018 Winter Games. — Flag bearers pictured during the parade of athletes at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea. Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

In another break from historical tradition, the marching order for the parade of athletes will be based on the alphabetical order of the Japanese language, rather than English, which was used when Japan previously hosted the Olympics, according to Kyodo News and the BBC.

The marching orders at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo and the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano were based on the English language to reflect the country's international understanding, Kyodo News reported.

However, this year's break from tradition aims to highlight the Japanese language, placing it at the center of the annual parade, the news agency reported in October 2020.

Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics. — Team USA pictured at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Other Olympic Ceremony Protocols

The opening ceremony of the Olympics entails several elements, as outlined by Rule 55 of the Olympic Charter which outlines "the protocol that must be observed at the Opening Ceremony of the Games, including the wording of the opening words to be delivered by the representative of host country," the official Olympics website explains.

Below are some of the protocols that must be fulfilled.

Marching Rules

In addition to the marching order according to the language of the host country, athletes must march behind the flag of the country.

The Olympics website says: "Delegations should be treated equally! No single country must receive greater attention than any other. Each delegation is preceded by a board bearing its country's name, and by its flag. The usual practice is for the athletes to march behind the flag of their country, but there are sometimes exceptions."

Lighting of the Olympic Torch

The Olympic flame and the torch relay have become "two features of protocol that are inextricably linked" since the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, the website notes.

The flame is carried by relay from Olympia in Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held, to the Olympic stadium in the host city. The final torchbearer does a lap of the stadium before the flame is used to light the Olympic cauldron, which is extinguished only at the closing ceremony of the Olympics.

The Olympics website explains: "The Ancient Greeks considered fire to be a divine element, and they kept fires burning constantly in front of their principal temples.

"In ancient times, the flame was lit using the rays of the sun, to ensure its purity, and a skaphia, the ancestor of the parabolic mirror used today to light the Olympic flame," the website adds.

A 2021 Tokyo Olympics lighting ceremony. — The lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame at Machida Shibahiro, on the first day of the torch relay in the city of Machida in western Tokyo on July 9. Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images

Symbolic Release of the Doves

Doves are symbols of peace and after 1988, the opening ceremony has called for a symbolic release of the birds.

From 1936 to 1988, real pigeons were used for the ritual. But after the 1988 Summer Games in South Korea, the use of real birds was replaced by a symbolic release "following the unfortunate demise of several pigeons sitting on the edge of the Olympic cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the Games in Seoul," the Olympics website says.

This symbolic release now takes place after the parade of athletes and before the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

Official Opening of the Games

The host country's "Head of State" officially opens the Games by proclaiming: "I declare open the Games of ... (name of City) celebrating the ... Olympiad of the modern era (or the ... Olympic Winter Games)," as outlined in the Olympic Charter.

This is usually proclaimed by royalty and presidents, or their representatives, including a vice-president, a member of the royal family, or a governor-general, according to the Olympics website.

Raising of the Olympic Flag

Following the opening of the Games, the Olympic flag is raised. "The Olympic flag, unfurled horizontally, is brought into the stadium. The Olympic anthem is performed as the flag is raised to the top of the pole," the Olympics website says.

The flag must remain raised for the duration of the Games.