London shows glamour in advance, takes on Olympic mantle with wonderful party
We Are The Champions, says London. The city shows glamour in advance, takes on Olympic mantle with wonderful party. Pop stars, choirs, dancing policemen and a boisterous singalong to “We Are The Champions.” After the orderly precision of the Beijing Olympics, organizers gave the world a first look Sunday at what they hope will be the fun of London 2012.
About 40,000 flag-waving people gathered in front of Buckingham Palace for a party to celebrate the hand over from Beijing, as the British capital got its first chance to show what it hopes will be a quirky, personal and fun approach to the games.
As music played from a huge stage erected next to the ornate gates of Queen Elizabeth II’s official London residence, even the police indulged in a brief, embarrassed dance when invited to by the master of ceremonies—a sight difficult to imagine in China.
The spectacle was short of the scale and coordination that has wowed athletes, officials and fans alike in Beijing over the past two weeks. But in terms of conveying what London has to offer to visitors when the Olympics arrives, the show did its job. Even the summer weather lived up to its reputation, providing warm sunshine and cooling showers in equal measure.
“Every city has had its big twist on the games, what they have that’s different to every other county,” said swimming star Michael Phelps, who was at the London show. “The Olympic movement is about bringing the world together. I’m not sure what that difference will be but I’m looking forward to seeing what it is and how this city develops.”
London organizers have long known they would be unable to match Beijing in terms of scale, not least because London’s Olympic budget is less than half of its predecessor’s.
But Sunday’s show—with its occasional awkward pauses, high spirits and relentless audience participation for dance-offs, competitions and the wave— suggested London is set on providing a total contrast to what has been described as Beijing’s “no-fun games.”
Even if that means mustering self-deprecating laughter at its shortcomings.
“We will draw on our wit, flair, imagination and ingenuity to build on what we’ve all witnessed in Beijing and deliver a fantabulous Olympics in what I consider to be not only my home, but the home of sport,” London mayor Boris Johnson said from Beijing. “Sport is coming home.”
In a city with a long history of music hall entertainment, it was appropriate the crowd was entertained by some of British television’s most popular entertainers.
While big screens showed Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and football star David Beckham live at the official ceremony in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium, less internationally recognized names such as operatic quartet Il Divo, boyband McFly and Will Young—the first winner of Britain’s Pop Idol TV show—took to the stage in central London.
“I can’t believe they’re really here,” 14-year-old McFly fan Lisa Evans said. “This is the best thing about the Olympics.”
Organizers have promised to hold a more relaxed Olympics, which was already on display in Beijing when Johnson was unable to contain his excitement as he prepared to receive the Olympic flag from IOC president Jacques Rogge. After saluting the crowd, Johnson stood clenching and unclenching his fists in a “give it to me” gesture as he waited to grab the flag.
The London crowd laughed appreciatively at the mayor, who is depicted in the British media as the latest in a long line of lovable bumbling figures of fun.
“The next Summer Games return to a country which I frequently boast has either invented or codified just about every major world sport,” Johnson said.
But some of the biggest cheers from the London crowd didn’t have anything to do with what was unfolding in their own Olympic city. They were reserved for Beckham’s appearance in Beijing.
Pop stars, choirs, dancing policemen and a boisterous singalong to “We Are The Champions.” After the orderly precision of the Beijing Olympics, organizers gave the world a first look Sunday at what they hope will be the fun of London 2012. Editing by Alice Lee
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