Giant video screens showed Canadian snowboarder Johnny Lyall sliding down a mountain slope , with the dates and locations of previous Winter Olympic games were recalled in voiceover . As the 1988 games in Calgary were mentioned , Lyall passed through a row of torchbearers in the shape of the Canadian symbol : the maple leaf . This concluded with Lyall leaping through a set of Olympic Rings , while snow and ice exploded off them and into the stadium , and him welcoming the crowd . This was referenced in the Rio 2016 Paralympics opening ceremony , when wheelchair stunt performer , Aaron " Wheelz " Fotheringham rode down a ramp , jumped through a large numeral " 0 " and landed a backflip into an air cushion , for the countdown 's conclusion
Rio 2016 Paralympics opening ceremony
2016 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony
2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony