WATCH: 1,800 Drones Put On A Dazzling Display At Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremonies

• Tokyo used a dazzling drone display to light up the night sky at the Olympic opening ceremonies.
• The views from outside the stadium may have been even cooler than those from inside.
• Click here for our complete Tokyo 2020 guide and ‘WHO TO WATCH’ list!

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are officially underway in 2021! It has been an arduous process to get to this point, but the opening ceremonies are complete.

While there was a somber nod to the COVID-19 pandemic, with one athlete working out on a treadmill in the middle of the stadium, it was an otherwise uplifting event. Fireworks rang out across the night sky, the parade of athletes marked a resounding message of hope and the Japanese capital did a solid job.

The highlight of the event came with an incredible drone show.

Dazzling drone display.

Tokyo, known well for its advancements in technology, lit up 1,824 drones above the Olympic Stadium.

PyeongChang used a similar display at the 2018 games, but Japan one-upped South Korea. At first, the drones created crazy pictograms.

And then appeared the Tokyo 2020 logo.

Shortly thereafter, the logo began to dissipate and transformed into a globe. A side view of the transition is mesmerizing.

The resulting display was remarkable and sat just atop the stadium roof.

As the globe rotated, it made for a phenomenal display.

Videos and images from around Japan’s capital city depict the drone globe from a distance. It may be even cooler from afar.

Even though the fans were limited to select VIPs, performers were at a minimum and Olympic teams had a capacity on the number of athletes who could march in the parade, the Opening Ceremonies were impressive and the drone show was at the forefront.

South Korea set the bar high with its technology and Japan raised the ball. Will it be topped in coming years?