Women’s World Cup begins with minute of silence after violent day – 07/20/2023 – Sport

A performance with dance and music from the native peoples of Oceania opened the Women’s World Cup this Thursday (20) at Eden Park, in Auckland, New Zealand, one of the host countries of the competition.

The opening show was rehearsed for eight months and also had a clip with the presentation of the 32 teams, dancers forming the World Cup logo on the lawn, presentation of the official song of the competition and the solemn entry of the trophy.

The audience of 40,000 people followed the ceremony excitedly and applauded a lot as the New Zealand team entered the field.

The 2023 Women’s Cup is the biggest in history, with 32 teams. Fifa (International Football Federation) expects the competition to have record audience numbers.

Ahead of the New Zealand-Norway match, fans, players and coaching staff held a minute’s silence to honor the victims of a gunman who killed two people and wounded five in Auckland on Thursday.

The serious incident even caused doubts about the maintenance of the opening of the tournament. A man opened fire on a building downtown and was one of the dead, according to local police.

The police ostensibly occupied the streets and cordoned off the area.

The country’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins stated that there was no threat to national security and that the tournament would go ahead as planned.

“Auckland residents and those watching around the world can be assured that the police have neutralized the threat and that they are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident,” the prime minister said. “The government has spoken with FIFA organizers and the tournament will go on,” he assured. “The safety of New Zealanders and the safety of our visitors are our priorities.”