London 2012 - The Olympic Thread

[Sebastian Michael]

Surprised nobody else has started one yet, so I'm doing so now.

Genuinely giddy with excitement about these Games and immensely looking forward to the Opening Ceremony tonight (the whisper I've heard so far is "amazing").

So it feels perhaps a little churlish to name a gripe (and I don't mean this discussion to be just about those, please share your joys and wonders too!), but mine is corporate coercion. For me the big fly in the ointment so far has been the behaviour of the principal sponsors, and LOCOG's extraordinary level of compliance.

That's why I'm venting my spleen now, in the hope I can then sit back and enjoy the Olympics:

http://sebastianmichaelon.blogspot.co.u ... k-for.html

[Penelope]

I'm not competitive - so not frightfully interested in the Olympics as such.

Why would you want to run a mile very, very fast? Don't they know we've invented the wheel?

Interested in the opening ceremony because Danny Boyle is from the North, like us.

Why is it called 'The London Olympics'?

A lot of young people in our schools here have found it quite disaffecting because we are not in London....We are up here in the North.

Hope we don't draw any unwanted attention to ourselves. The military presence is quite alarming.

[Sebastian Michael]

Why is it called 'The London Olympics'?

well, unlike, say, rugby world cups, olympiads are hosted by a city (with a few exceptions, such as football and the sailing and one or two other sports, all competitions happen in and directly around the 'host city'). i imagine this stems from the fact that the original olympics were in olympia, and were just one - albeit the most important one - of many different festivals of a similar type that were held in ancient greece at the time. considering the immense logistical task of organising so many events in so many disciplines over such a short time (many more than in a single sport tournament), it makes perfect sense to have a host city rather than a host country. that's why it's the london olympics, just as it was the beijing olympics, the athens, the sydney olympics. but they went out of their way to bring in the rest of the country and, by the looks of it, have not done badly: this torch relay, for instance, drew exceptionally large crowds. and most of you up north will be seeing exactly the same picture as most of us down south: whatever the BBC is showing. (which, thankfully, will be more or less everything!...)

[Penelope]

and most of you up north will be seeing exactly the same picture as most of us down south: whatever the BBC is showing. (which, thankfully, will be more or less everything!...)

Oh, I do agree - thank goodness the BBC got it....no bloomin adverts! Although, sometimes I do think the adverts are better than the programmes!!!

I still think it should be called 'The British Olympics' but then, what do I know.

I love that young boy diver, Tom Daly, and will be watching him and cheering him on. Although, of course, we only usually win the sports that involve sitting down - don't we? Cycling, horse riding, bobsleigh.........

I like the gymnastics best.

Anyway, you'll be horrified to know that tonight we are watching the recent broadcast of Shakespeare's Henry V (The Hollow Crown)- which we recorded becauser we were on holiday last week. We'll keep switching over to watch the opening ceremony, in dribs and drabs.....because we are determined not to be avid. Still, I do hope all goes well for Danny's sake.

[Penelope]

I take back what I wrote in that last post!

What a superb opening ceremony. I am not normally very emotional - a bit sang-froid really.

But I have a few tears now - quelle joie - What Joy!!

See, they are announcing in French and English, so, so am I.

[Penelope]

Did you see that tribute to the National Health Service?

Lucy Mangan ‏@LucyMangan

Please, please spell out F- You, Cameron

[Sebastian Michael]

I take back what I wrote in that last post!

What a superb opening ceremony.

yes that was absolutely superb. sir danny boyle now, surely...

[Penelope]

That really was the Queen joining in the fun, not a lookalike.

We thought we'd be embarrassed by the milkmaids and the bucolic scenes, but it was wonderful. I can't stop thinking about it.

[Dexter]

You probably know about this, but great source for watching here:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/liveextra/index.html

[haviZsultan]

Looks like I missed quite a bit then...