Naomi Osaka called lighting the Olympic flame ‘greatest athletic achievement’ she will ever have after she formally opened the Tokyo Games

• Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka was given the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron.
• Lighting the flame in the Olympic stadium formally marked the beginning of the 32nd Olympics.
• In a tweet after the ceremony, Osaka called lighting the flame her "greatest athletic achievement."
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka said that lighting the Olympic cauldron during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony is the "greatest athletic achievement and honor" she will ever have in an emotional tweet shortly after the event.

Osaka was selected to represent the whole of Japan in lighting the torch, officially signalling the beginning of the games, an honor previously carried out by the likes of Wayne Gretsky and Muhammad Ali.

Tweeting after the event, Osaka wrote:

-NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) July 23, 2021

The 23-year-old waited at the foot of an artificial volcano before having the torch she was holding lit.

The tennis star then jogged to the base of the volcano and a single spotlight illuminated her in the stadium.

After some music, the doors to the volcano slowly opened before Osaka climbed the newly revealed stairs and lit the cauldron, marking the official opening of the games.

Osaka succeeded Brazilian long-distance runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima who lit the cauldron at Rio 2016.

The tennis player has consistently made headlines as one of sport's most iconic figures in 2021.

She dominated the news by pulling out of the French Open in June over mental health concerns, while she's also become the cover star of Vogue Japan and Sports Illustrated.

Olympics kicks off in a sombre mood

The Tokyo Olympics officialy began with the opening ceremony on Friday and did so with the backdrop of an empty stadium.

While protests went on outside, inside the ceremony focused on resilience in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony started with a scene to emphasize that the athletes were alone, but together, during the pandemic.

Following the performance, the Parade of Nations began with Greece leading the way as it always does.

Countries, appearing in alphabetical order in the host country's language, began parading through the empty stadium including a reappearance of an oiled-up Tongan taekwondo star Pita Taufatofua.

Japan, as host, brought up the rear to mark the end of the parade, just leaving the cauldron to be lit.

A short performance which saw the emergence of the Olympic torch concluded with Osaka lighting the cauldron and officialy starting the games.