The Closing Ceremony of the
1964 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...
took place on October 24, 1964, in the
National Olympic Stadium in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
The athletes from each country entered informally, despite plans to have a formal entrance. There did not appear to be any backup plan to sort athletes into their respective countries, and as a result the athletes rushed the field, sometimes arm in arm or riding piggyback, in a disorganized and chaotic spectacle.
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
had just declared independence from
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...
on that day and proudly marched under a newly made placard, but other placards were nowhere to be seen. The Japanese television networks were praised for covering the event live without losing their professional demeanor.
[BSスペシャル『青春TVタイムトラベル』 第4回 プレイバック・東京オリンピック（NHK衛星第2テレビジョン／1992年12月26日放送で土門自身が振り返ってコメントしている）]
When order was restored, the officially regulated ceremony was held, overseen by IOC president
Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage (; September 28, 1887 – May 8, 1975) was an American sports administrator who served as the fifth president of the International Olympic Committee from 1952 to 1972. The only American and only non-European to attain that p ...
. The athletes stood in a circle holding lights, and the large display above the field changed to read "SAYONARA". The national anthems of Greece, Japan, and Mexico as the next Olympic host country were played. As the closing ceremony completed with fireworks, the audience sang ''
Hotaru no Hikari'' (the tune of
Auld Lang Syne).
The
Showa Emperor
Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
was in attendance.
Anthems
*
Japanese national anthem
is the national anthem of Japan. The lyrics are from a ' poem written by an unnamed author in the Heian period (794–1185), and the current melody was chosen in 1880, replacing an unpopular melody composed by John William Fenton eleven years ...
*
Greek national anthem
*
Olympic Hymn
french: Hymne Olympique, italic=no
, alt_title =
, en_alt_title_2 =
, image = Olympic Hymn title.jpg
, image_size =
, alt =
, caption =
, prefix = Official
, country = the Olympic Games and ...
*
Mexican national anthem
The "Mexican National Anthem" ( es, Himno Nacional Mexicano, nah, Mexihcaletepetlacuicalt), also known by its incipit "Mexicans, at the cry of war" ( es, Mexicanos, al grito de guerra), is the national anthem of Mexico. The anthem was first u ...
References
External links
Official video of excerpts from closing ceremony
{{DEFAULTSORT:1964 Summer Olympics closing ceremony
Ceremony Closing
Olympics closing ceremonies
Ceremonies in Japan