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From the Olympics Toword Tomorrow
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Nagano Olympics get under way, Japan loses on rink
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The 18th Olympic Winter Games got under way Saturday in a gala opening ceremony that featured ancient rites and a satellite link-up with five choirs around the world.
Emperor Akihito declared the games open before a packed stadium of some 50,000 at Minami Nagano Sports Park and millions of television viewers overseas and yokozuna Akebono performed sumo's ''dohyo-iri'' ring purification ritual.
Akebono's performance and that of some local villagers who erected four gateways to prepare the grounds for the competitors was well-received by the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members, while others in the worldwide audience found the presentation a little too exotic to fully comprehend.
And, despite her esoteric garb, everyone understood the meaning when Midori Ito, an Olympic silver medalist in figure skating in 1992, ignited the Olympic cauldron.
The symbolic flame of the Olympics will burn throughout the 16-day winter games -- the largest in Olympic history.
The climax of the two-hour ritual, bringing together the youth of the world, featured a rousing rendition of Beethoven's ''Ode to Joy,'' featuring choruses in Beijing, Sydney, Berlin, False Bay near Cape Town, South Africa and New York.
The good feelings in Japan, generated by the opening ceremony, however, degenerated into disappointment as Japan struggled in a 3-1 opening loss to Germany in a first-round contest in the men's ice hockey tournament.
Japan drew even 1-1 early in the third period at the Big Hat arena, the main venue for the men's ice hockey tournament, but let the game slip away in the final 10 minutes.
In other first round action, the former Soviet republics of Belarus and Kazakstan notched wins while Austria squandered a 2-0 lead, but held on for a draw with favored Slovakia.
In Hakuba, Fritz Strobl posted the fastest time during the final men's downhill training run as the Austrians solidified their claim on the first Alpine Olympic gold medal of the games.
Fog, however, threatens to postpone Sunday's race on the Happo-one slopes which had been the object of a prolonged dispute between Olympic organizers and the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Nagano was largely in a festive opening the Olympics that they won seven years ago in Birmingham, England.
The only smudge on the day's activities was a protest march through downtown Nagano staged by citizens' groups opposed to the expense of the Olympics and what they charge has been the environmental damage caused by the games.
The festivities began early as thousands of people lined the streets in front of city hall to catch a glimpse of popular TV personality Hikaru Nishida as she began the Olympic torch relay from the government building to the Olympic Stadium.
At Zenkoji Temple in the northern part of the city, Motoichi Godo tolled the ancient temple bell at 11 a.m., signaling the start of the 16-day festival and the beginning of the opening ceremony across town.
''Thanks to good weather, the bell pealed in the clearest tone I have ever heard,'' said the 69-year-old Godo, who has been on the bell-ringing job for 27 years.
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Copyright 1998 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun