IOC explains Taiwan-China opening ceremony marching sequence

Olympic officials clarified the marching order of teams at the opening ceremony, that saw Chinese Taipei come out before China on Friday night in Tokyo.

International protocol takes the "T" of Taipei when sorting the names of participants at gatherings, Tokyo Organising Committee spokesperson Takaya Masa explained, and following the alphabetical order of sounds in Japanese, that put the team from the self-governed island that Beijing claims, ahead of China in the parade.

China is always very sensitive about international recognition of Taiwan.

At the climax of the ceremony tennis star Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic flame. Spokesperson Takaya said that with the choice of Osaka, organisers hoped to convey "new images" of the Tokyo Olympics and Japan.

And with a tropical storm forecast to hit Japan, Takaya and his fellow officials said they are ready to reschedule events, citing a change already made to rowing, bringing Monday's events forward to Saturday and Sunday.