At long last, the International Animalia Convention began. Most of the day before the Opening Ceremony was dedicated to the setup for the events while the athletes for the games were finishing up their training. The evening was dedicated to the Opening Ceremony at the Claw Coliseum.
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The first part of the ceremony was called "Welcome to the Human World." It started with the central stage completely dark, representing the general ignorance of the animal kingdom. Then a barrel falls from the ceiling and lights a strip up on contact, which represented the release of the Animalia Virus. Then a performer depicting a feral Clara dramatized drinking from the stream and becoming Animalian. Then she sung the song that Tim Burton and Clara worked on as the performer representing Clara explores a small town and wondering at what she was seeing. Near the end of the song, she impacts a sign that says "Welcome to the Human World."
Next, there was suddenly light as various performers representing feral animals suddenly become Animalians as "Circle of Life" started playing, representing the outbreaks in Lyre and Lyre Zoo. These performers started clearing woods, partly, and a new civilization began taking shape in time to the music. Near the end of the song, the lights lit up a number of Animalians in cages, representing the Zoo, then Chilly began singing a song about wondering what it was like "Out There." During the song, cage doors were opened and the Animalians left them to aid in building the new society.
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The next segment of the Opening Ceremony was "Tides of Grief." It was a dramatization of the many things about human society that made Animalians sad. It helped many people understand why Animalians, uplifted ones in particular, wouldn't be soldiers, for example. It included Animalians doing an interpretive dance of the Black-Eyed Peas song "Where is the Love?".
The next segment, "Song of the Phoenix", was a dramatization of the creation of Project Phoenix and the many wonders it was capable of achieving. This message was the main part of the segment: "It is not the beginning of the end. It is the return to oneself, the return to innocence." It was then that Enigna's "Return to Innocence" began playing. It was also a celebration of individuality, the casting off of the chains of oppression, and the reclamation of the pure soul given to us when we were conceived. Through it all, Goldie, using a temporary dye made from kool-aid to appear as a phoenix, helped liberate many "captives" from chains such as drug addiction, insanity, or other similar things.
After this segment was "Tears of Mother Nature" which was similar to a part of the Rio Olympic Games which showed how the climate of the world had changed coming to this modern age and how the ecosystems of the world were paying for it, in a way.
The next segment was "The Dedication", where the purpose of the IAC was explained. It included speeches from both the President and the Catholic Pope about tolerance and acceptance. It also showcased a performance by Phil Colins of several songs, including "Son of Man", that made his music part of several recent Disney movies.
Next was the "March of the Kingdoms", based off of the March of Nations from the Olympic Games, except that the "Kingdoms" were actually various divisions of the animal kingdom. Those athletes who were originally part of Project Phoenix wore phoenix-shaped amulets to show that they were part of it.
The final part of the Opening Ceremony was called "The Fires of Purity". It was their own version of the lighting of the Olympic Flame. It opened with Canary Diamond, wearing her new necklace, singing "One Moment in Time" while the IAC Brazier, resembling a stylized lily, representing purity, arose from the floor. Next was the entrance of the Olympic Flame from the previous games, it being lit in a smaller torch held by a red-tailed hawk Animalian, symbolically representing how the IAC was the direct descendant of the Olympic Games, then the red-tailed hawk Animalian taking flight, completing a circuit of the stadium, then lighting the flame, signaling the opening of the IAC.
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The very next day was the start of the games, with an announcement over the new PA system preceding the start of each event. While the majority of the events were considered elimination rounds, they were still a lot of fun for spectators to watch and Animalians to perform. The common response for those who didn't get to move on was, "I did my best and I have no regrets."