Ukrainian discus thrower Mykyta Nesterenko got the Olympic athletics programme under way on a rainy morning, but there was a paltry crowd scattered around the 60,000-capacity stadium to watch him.
Four years ago the ear-splitting roar from a packed house that greeted home favourite Jess Ennis as she began her ultimately glorious quest for heptathlon glory was one of the iconic moments of the London Games.
London was unique in selling out its morning sessions, with empty seats the norm in all previous Games. Yet Rio organisers will still be concerned at the pictures beamed around the world showing swathes of empty seats for the Olympics' premier sport.