THE Olympic Stadium crowd erupted in guffaws as the bare-chested, grass-skirted Fiji flag-bearer Josateki Naulu entered the stadium to the tune of the Bee Gees' hit Stayin' Alive.
Naulu led the Fiji contingent during the parade of the nations at the opening of the Olympic Games 2012 on Friday night in London.
The flame is alight and the whole of Great Britain is burning with Olympic pride and passion.
The whimsical nature of the theatrical segments permeated the parade of athletes, perhaps setting a new lighthearted tone to the Games.
To the rhythmic beats of the Pet Shop Boys and Adele, 10,490 athletes from 205 countries marched into the stadium before a crowd including more than 100 heads of state and 79,900 visitors.
The parade of nations featured most of the roughly 10,500 athletes — some planned to stay away to save their strength for competition — marching behind the flags of the nations taking part. It was a moment to savour, an event to treasure.
The would-be heroes of the Games took centre stage, Greece had the lead, as the spiritual home of the games, and Team Great Britain was last, as host.
Prince William and his wife, Kate, joined in thunderous applause that greeted the British team, which marched to the David Bowie track Heroes.
A helicopter showered the athletes and stadium with 7 billion tiny pieces of paper — one for each person on Earth.
Both Bahrain and Brunei featured female flag bearers in what has been called the Olympics' Year of the Woman. For the first time at the games, each national delegation includes women, and a record 45 per cent of the athletes are women.
"This is a major boost for gender equality," said the International Olympic Committee president, Jacques Rogge.
"Character counts far more than medals. Reject doping. Respect your opponents. Remember that you are all role models. If you do that, you will inspire a generation," Rogge said.
The queen then said: "I declare open the games of London, celebrating the 30th Olympiad of the modern era."