You probably have seen it courtesy of satellite TV, the grandiose opening of the 30th Olympic games of the modern era, the fireworks, the re-enactment of British history and the show of gusto.
Hours ago the Queen of England and Head of the Commonwealth officially declared the London Olympics 2012 which started at 9:00 p.m British time( 10:00 p.m. Nigeria time) opened using the traditional phrase: “I declare open the Games of London celebrating the XXX Olympiad of the modern era.”
It was time for the Britons to celebrate one of the world’s most anticipated event, one they last hosted in 1948, hosted in 1908 at its rebirth in the modern epoch.
The opening gala of the London Olympics did not try to compete, with Bejing’s better funded opening masterpiece, but instead it matched the opening of the Sydney millennial Olympic for creativity, infused in the performances was Britain’s unique sense of humour. The storyline also depicted the varying developmental stages and history of the tiny Island that once had a vast empire.
The opening of the 30th Olympiad was indeed vibrant, stimulating and eclectic.
The elegant display which cost British tax payers 27 million pounds and 2 years of rehearsals was the brainchild of a verve mind, that of Oscar winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).
The event started as the Big Ben chimed at an akward time -the first time in 60 years – to herald the beginning of the fiesta, then came the Queen and British iconic spy James Bond who parachuted down to the stadium from an helicopter.
This grand entry by parachutists dressed as the Queen and Mr Bond was made to concide with the entry of the real Queen of England who celebrated her 60th Jubilee few weeks back.
Alongside her husband, the Duke of Edinburg, Prince Phillips, Queen Elizabeth had driven from her Buckingham palace home to the stadium in East London, accompained by International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge.
After the chiming of the bell by the winner of last week’s Tour de France, Bradley Wiggins who was spotting his Yellow Jersey, the floor of the stadium was converted into a farmyard idyll to show Olde England with village scenes of a “green and pleasant land” as hundreds of performers in period costume strolled amid 70 sheep, 12 horses, 10 chickens, 10 ducks, nine geese, three cows, three sheepdogs and two goats.
A top-hatted Kenneth Branagh recited a verse from Shakespeare’s The Tempest before the idyllic rural scene burst into urban life in the most exciting part of the ceremony.
The stadium was then transformed into a harsh industrial landscape as six smoking factory chimneys pushed up out of the ground and thousands of performers erupted into displays of trade unionism, migration, social upheaval and protest movements.
The chimneys recreated the “dark Satanic mills” of the industrial revolution alongside marching trade unionists and a bedlam of different social groups as Boyle recreated Victorian England.
Ironworkers forged five huge iron rings, which rose into the air to form the Olympic symbol, glowing red and showering sparks.
At a time comedian and actor Rowan Atkinson made an appearance as a member of the London Symphony Orchestra during a Simon Rattle-conducted performance of Chariots of Fire creating characteristic comic havoc.
The opening ceremony was attended by well over 100 Head of States, US First Lady Michelle Obama and other dignitaries.
One unique thing about the event was that it was bereft of long boring speeches.
Naijalog report