RIO DE JANEIRO – After I sat down in my second-row seat in the upper deck of the Maracana for the Opening Ceremony, what I saw made me smile.

Yes, the Opening Ceremony, with its messages of celebrating diversity, acceptance and saving the planet, was great, the last of which seemed over the top in one aspect. But, I’ll get to that in a minute.

What made me smile was the media guide’s description of the night’s event: “We want to change some paradigms about the Olympic ceremonies. We replaced the high-tech approach, the dependence on major electronic and mechatronic effects with an analogue inventiveness, making the most of the low-tech spirit, the richness of Brazilian popular culture and the energy and passion of thousands of volunteers.”

I thought it was a great way to spin their budgeting problems. It didn’t matter how much money they had or how they phrased the description because the ceremony was a thing of beauty. Sure, I haven’t been to an Opening Ceremony before to have a comparison. But there’s nowhere else I would have wanted to spend those four hours.

The Opening Ceremony called for togetherness, accepting others and celebrating what makes people different:

• This was shown through people dressed in different colors dancing together on the field after being initially divided;
• It was highlighted when the Refugee Olympic Team made the penultimate entrance to a standing ovation;
• In “a gesture in favor of tolerance,” according to the media guide, the Parade of Athletes featured five transsexuals carrying placards of different countries;
• And then there was the Olympic Laurel winner, Kipchoge Keino, calling for the basics of humanity for all: food, shelter and education.

But there was one thing I didn’t expect: a science class broke out. Charts and maps of global warming showed how places such as Brazil and Florida may see their coastlines move inland due to rising sea levels. For a second there I thought Al Gore had hijacked the show’s production.

From an environmental standpoint, the idea of having each athlete plant a seed to create an Athletes’ Forest was an effective way to get the point across while making an impact.

Finally, there was Gisele Bundchen making the last catwalk of her career, with nary a mention of Tom Brady, her husband, in the media guide. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for the announcer to inevitably say the words “Tom Brady.” They were never uttered. That, too, made me smile.

— Frank Gogola | @FrankGogola