Not what was envisioned, but Olympics underway with evocative ceremony in Tokyo

Team Ireland flagbearers Kellie Harrington, right, and Brendan Irvine carry the tri-colour during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games opening ceremony. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

It felt like a microcosm of the country as a whole. Outside the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on Friday night, legions of fans gathered in their thousands - smiling, waving, wanting, craving a piece of an event they had sacrificed so much to host.

The majority were in bouyant mood for the opening ceremony, but among them at one crossroads was a cluster of locals shouting their disdain, waving their 'NOlympics' flags, chanting into megaphones, the noise carrying into the arena as the serene open sequence began.