From London's Sky-Diving Queen Elizabeth to Beijing's Drummers, the Top 5 Opening Cer…

Let’s be honest. Second only to the wonder that is the entire world coming together under one united force is an Olympic games’ opening ceremony. 

Host countries have the great responsibility of setting the tone for the rest of the games with their own expertly planned ceremony, welcoming international athletes and audiences alike with a three-hour spectacle that is meant to inform, awe, and inspire. The opening ceremony offers countries a chance to explore its culture and traditions through a global lens, and more often than not, pushes each years’ host to go bigger and better than ever before. 

The 2016 Rio Games definitely held its own (i.e. Gisele Bündchen‘s runway-inspired appearance) when stacked up against its predecessors, but we’ve rounded up the top five opening ceremonies in Olympic history. They all deserve a gold medal in our books! 

5. 2004 Athens: 

The 2000 Summer Games in Sydney set the bar extremely high for Athens, who emerged as the underdog when political and economic turmoil struck the country amid its Olympic preparations. Athens’ opening ceremony proved they were a forced to be reckoned with, relying on an intricate dance performance that featured ancient Greek statues to life and an epic Olympic ring demonstration set ablaze. Not to mention Bjork‘s dreamlike performance, which surely helped cement the country’s status as an Olympic powerhouse.

4. 1996 Atlanta: 

Looking back at this particular opening ceremony, it’s the late Muhammad Ali‘s surprise appearance that makes it one of the most unforgettable. One of the greatest and most heralded sportsmen, well, ever, the pugilist lit the Olympic flame in front of an adoring nation to officially mark the start of the 1996 Summer Games. At the time, the athlete was just beginning to show signs of his struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.

And then there was the unimaginably inspiring Kerri Strug and her Magnificent Seven team of Olympic gymnasts. Pass the tissues, please. 

3. 1984 Los Angeles:

Jet packs, people. Jet packs. An otherwise simplistic opening ceremony when compared to today’s modern day masterpieces (it was the 80s, after all), the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic opening ceremonies reached peek “Amurica” when a man flew into Olympic Stadium on a jet pack. Talk about setting the standard. The 1984 games was also the birth place of the signature musical theme for the Olympics, brought to light when 84 pianists performed a stunning rendition of composer John Williams‘ “Olympic Fanfare and Theme.”

2. 2012 London: 

With Oscar winner Danny Boyle at the helm, a performance from a Sir Paul McCartney, a reading from J.K. Rowling, a helicopter drop-in from a sky-diving James Bond and Queen Elizabeth II, it’s no surprise London’s opening ceremony was the most watched in 50 years. Described as one massive inside joke, the pop culture extraordinaires behind the ceremony offered a cheeky satire of light-hearted British stereotypes. And did we mention the queen’s beloved corgis also made an appearance? Yep, that happened. 

1. 2008 Beijing: 

The Chinese’s overarching statement when the 2008 Beijing opening ceremony concluded? Bow down to us. Nothing, and we mean nothing, has come remotely close to holding a candle when it came to the sheer scope and grandeur of this games opener’s precision. And remember that little pretty huge PR disaster that witnessed organizers replacing their star child singer with a lip-syncing, slightly more camera-friendly girl? Well, we forgot all about that when more than 2,000 drummers came together in total unity for a masterful performance. 

After last night’s opening ceremony in Rio, Olympic diehards will surely be counting down the days until the closing ceremony. After all those sporting events, that is.