The London Olympic Games are only days away from beginning and from what we have been hearing the Olympic Stadium is going to transform into a countryside at the opening ceremony. The set – one of the largest ever built – will feature meadows, fields and rivers, families eating picnics, sports being played on the village green and real farmyard animals, etc.
A bird's eye view over the Olympic Stadium a couple of days ago on the Guardian revealed details of the London 2012 opening ceremony, with a representation the river Thames dominating the centre of the arena.
Also on show before any athlete has performed will be a village cricket team; a model of Glastonbury's Tor (Hill), known for the world-famous music festival; and a parade of nurses. Each of the four nations in the United Kingdom will be represented by their national flower -- the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and flax from Northern Ireland. And finally the opening scene promises real grass, real plows, real soil and, clouds that would supply "rain" if there is none on the night in order to ensure an authentically British atmosphere.
Nonetheless... the opening ceremony will never have the sophistication, glory and spirit of the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. In just less than 10 minutes... mythology and the history of the games were revealed to the world from the place that gave birth to them.
We did not need to set up pastures, import clouds that make rain, invest in super light shows, or extravagant fireworks, all we needed was one drummer, a dream for excellence and the beat of an athlete's heart.. or simply put lots of good old Hellenic Olympic spirit.
Beat that London!
Editor's Note - Hellasfrappe is in the belief that the Olympic Games are too commercialized. They should really be held in Greece all the time. Greeks should demand that they return the Olympics to Ancient Olympia, where they were held from 776 BC to 394 AD because that is where the true Olympic spirit lies and that is why these games were formulated in the first place. Surely the Greek Government could run the competition each four years, as its ancestors did, with less corruption than the present Olympic movement?It can become Greece’s future. Tourism and games. And while we are at it... why not bring back the four Panhellenic games: the Pythian Games at Delphi, the Nemean Games at Nemea, the Isthmian Games at Corinth and the Olympic Games at Olympia? A series of four relatively small games held each two years in Greece would be a fantastic addition to Greece’s tourist potential and help protect and discover its rich ancient history. Just a thought...
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