The long wait is finally over. After seven years of anticipation, London is finally ready for its third Olympics, which will be formally declared open today in a once shabby area of its eastern part with a grand opening ceremony.
Oscar winning film director Danny Boyle will unveil the details of an extravagant opening to nearly two billion television audience worldwide after they were kept secret for months.
The Olympic Stadium at Stratford will be packed with at least 62,000 spectators, 16,000 athletes, 10,000 performers, who all are eagerly waiting to be thrilled with the pomp and grandeur of the $42 million ceremony.
The date coincided with the 90th birth anniversary of Boyle’s late father and in his honour, Boyle promised to make it to a live film, something which would be worth watching even from the heaven.
The theme of the spectacular is ‘Isles of Wonder,’ inspired by a passage from William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Tempest.’ Other than these, very little details were revealed.
It was already hailed as Britain’s most closely guarded secret, a glimpse of which was only available in a pre-opening dress rehearsal on Wednesday. But fans invited to sneak through the event were told save the surprise that was to come.
Games volunteers and troops were given tickets for the pre-opening show but they had to promise not to reveal anything not even to their parents and the media guessing in the following period only suggested that they have kept their words.
The reason for putting in so much efforts in saving the surprise for the three-hour long ceremony, which starts at 9:00pm local time, however is not very hard to understand.
For any modern Games, opening ceremony is a tradition, one that usually gives an impression of the hosts nation’s taste and ability.
The British prime minister, David Cameron, summed up the expectations while speaking to a pre-Games press conference at the Olympic Park on Thursday.
‘I have had some presentations and I have always felt the tingling feeling in my spine and the hair standing up on my
neck with the treatment they are giving it,’ said Cameron.
‘We have to celebrate what is great about the past, but also what Britain is capable of in the future. I would have thought the difficult thing is to pack in all that is great about our country, but I’m confident they have done a good job.
‘There are one or two moments that will be spine-tingling and I’m sure people will be moved by them.’
The tradition of opening ceremony began with the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1986 although it bore only the slightest resemblance to the recent ceremonies, which by far the most watched event of any Games.
The ceremony has some protocol events that will go hand in hand with splendour, raising the curtain for an sporting extravaganza, which the expected to keep the world captivated for coming 16 days.
-With New Age input
