London, the host of the 1908, 1948 and 2012 Games, was a blaze of light and shade, colour and darkness, sound and silence, variety and verdant, a delight of the senses, as the crowd of 82,000 spectators celebrated the history of Great Britain from the Industrial Revolution to the invention of the worldwide web.
l by Victor Cherubim
(28 July, 2012, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) With a crescendo of magical and musical moments of quintessentially Britain, the Queen opened the Olympics in London, with the participation of 204 nations and territories. The Olympic motto “citius, altius,fortius” (faster, higher, stronger) was elevated to a new spirit of mutual understanding and respect among the gathered participants, as Britain proved she was ready to take on the world.
London, the host of the 1908, 1948 and 2012 Games, was a blaze of light and shade, colour and darkness, sound and silence, variety and verdant, a delight of the senses, as the crowd of 82,000 spectators celebrated the history of Great Britain from the Industrial Revolution to the invention of the worldwide web.
It was an inspiring story enacted not essentially or exclusively for an opening ceremony of world sport and sportsmanship, which Britain has always pioneered, but with the theme of a musical drama for entertainment. One could have easily mistaken the event for an evening at the theatre with musical interlude. The tone was set with the rendering of “Jerusalem “ending with “Abide with me, “a reflection of the pride and glory and the sombre mood in Britain. In sharp contrast the historical scenes, of life in the workstations of Dickensian era, the chimneys of smoke, the clamour of the suffragettes, the arrival of Black migrants, the debt owed by the nation to the fallen heroes in the two world wars, to the Pearly Kings and Queens and a loyal tribute to the National Health Service (NHS), all conveyed a message of tolerance.
This story blended into what Britain does best, not only in industry and sport, but also in entertaining the world with its musical numbers, and being a haven of innovation in melody and comedy. The range of mimicry of Charlie Chaplain through to the sound of the Beatles, to the heartbeat of reggae and rap, were all featured to portray how far Britain has moved since the first Olympics games in London in 1908 and the speed of development.
The show was spectacular. But there is more to come as the competition begins in earnest over the next 16 days. Team China which won 51 medals at the Beijing Games is in full strength in London and is expected to fare well in the medal table. But the novel feature in London is that there is a big contingent of Chinese sportspersons and more businessmen who have come to do business in London.
The Olympics always prompts technological innovation. New innovations are on offer at the London Games. Omega will provide a new Quantum Timer which can measure accuracy to a millionth of a second. The starters’ pistol will be linked to the timer for an unbelievably accurate measurement.
The Athletics’ governing body IAAF has softened the rules on false starts, without disqualification. The new starting blocks don’t detect movement, they detect pressure. So long as the hands do not leave the ground, or their feet the blocks, outside of this nothing else is a false start.
Further we are informed that Team GB swimmers will wear a kit that could give them as much as 2 percent advantage over many of their rivals. Suits to reduce aerodynamic drag have been introduced at these Games.
The Games is of course big money. The nation that invests the most in sport wins the most medals. This has been the course of past games and will no doubt continue in the future. Britain has invested much on its young and hopes to get a proportionate dividend. Most of all the Olympics has come at an eventful time with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee just celebrated. The feel good factor is bound to linger on.
All in all how will London Games be remembered? What will the Olympics have left behind for the local population? It is hoped that besides inspiring a new generation, revitalising the once depressed east end of London, improved infrastructure for sports facilities, employment opportunities for the future and sustainable renewal, the London Games may not do much for the stagnant economy.
We all know that the Coalition government is awaiting the completion of the games to rethink a new strategy for development; tax incentives for business, possibly a cabinet reshuffle and even the unthinkable reduction in the Bank of England rate by a quarter of one percent. What Londoners have benefitted is to forget the doom and gloom and look forward to the balance of the sunnier summer.
The Writer can be reached at victorcherubim@aol.com
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