Olympics 2008

[ratbert]

I love the Olympics. Some of it is daft and overblown at times but by and large it provides some of the most stirring and memorable sporting moments you'll see. And Britain usually actually wins something.

Discuss the action in Beijing here and in the run-up some of your best Olympic moments. For me, it's Daley Thompson in 1984, Redgrave sticking his oar in on several occasions and Michael Johnson's breathtaking 200 metres in 1996.

[KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab]

That was the first opening ceremony that had stunts that had me going "Woah!" since that man with the jetpack in LA. I was 9 then.

Highlights, that I recommend you try and make a point ofseeing if you get another chance - BBC IPlayer, for example, or the Eurosport repeats:

- The drummers at the start - about 200 of them, rehearsing full time for the past year, all in unison. When they used the glowsticks to beat the drums and the stadium was plunged into darkness, it took me back to the early 90s.



- The fireworks display which lit the Beijing sky with a trail of footprints. Must have used something like 10 miles of Beijing sky, proving how grand this was going to be.
- The light show that saw little lights gather like particles of dust, transform themselves into the Olympic Rings on the flor of the stadium, then somehow look as if they're peeling off the floor and rise up through the centre. Mindblowingly brilliant.



- the globe in the centre of the stadium, rising up from underneath the stadium, to show 40 or so people, attached to it so it looks like they're running on it at different angles - upside down, at right angles, basically defying gravit, had you not been able to see the wires.



- the lighting of the Olympic flame, which involved suspending a retired gymnast 200 feet up in the air, getting him to run around the inside of the bowl of the stadium, and lighting what is the most extravagant oil lamp in history




It almost makes you forget that you're watching the country that hates free speech to the point of killing 10,000 students in its main square. Or kills Tibetan monks for the same reason. Or the slavery bits. Or the fact that the stadium was only possible due to the forceable eviction of thousands of poverty strcken residents wihtout compensation.

[Bruce Rioja]

And Britain usually actually wins something.

Yeah, fecking bronze at bar billiards or something.

[ratbert]

Great pics. Was watching the flame lighting outside in Birmingham and the crowd applauded when it came into life.

[Bruce Rioja]

Great pics. Was watching the flame lighting outside in Birmingham and the crowd applauded when it came into life.

Only to discover that someone had torched The Bullring Tower.

[runningonbravado]

How the feck are London going to beat that?

Seriously. There's nothing they can do. There's no theme they can run with either. They can't make an hours worth of entertainment out of jesters and a demonstration of the Spinning Jenny....

We'll end up resorting to B-list celebrities showing up and a semi-interesting fireworks show.

Fair play China, I've never been entertained that much in the Olympics since Cool Runnings

[Batman]

Lahdahn will have a multi cultural show, including Dizzee Rascal and David Beckham

[KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab]

How the feck are London going to beat that?

By taxing everyone with a London postcode an extra £3,000 per year?

[communistworkethic]

It almost makes you forget that you're watching the country that hates free speech to the point of killing 10,000 students in its main square. Or kills Tibetan monks for the same reason. Or the slavery bits. Or the fact that the stadium was only possible due to the forceable eviction of thousands of poverty strcken residents wihtout compensation.

hmmmm it's almost as if they planned it that way.........

[Athers]

It almost makes you forget that you're watching the country that hates free speech to the point of killing 10,000 students in its main square. Or kills Tibetan monks for the same reason. Or the slavery bits. Or the fact that the stadium was only possible due to the forceable eviction of thousands of poverty strcken residents wihtout compensation.

hmmmm it's almost as if they planned it that way.........

Then telling their citizens to smile more. Makes you think all that's missing is the Two Minutes Hate and the telescreens.

[communistworkethic]

How the feck are London going to beat that?

By taxing everyone with a London postcode an extra £3,000 per year?

I don't see anything wrong with that.

[Dujon]

I wasn't going to watch beyond the preliminaries but finished taking the lot. I don't regret it even though I'm a wee bit tired this morning as it finished waaaaaay beyond my normal tuck in hour.

Pros:

Some wonderful performances depicting the culture of China (which most of it was about).
The typesetting routines were magnificent.
It's pretty hard to ignore 2008 drummers banging away at your hammers and anvils.
The little lass who sang whilst the Olympic flag was raised. Nervous? Not on your nelly - she was having the time of her life.
Cauldron lighting although any lighting of the final flame is fraught with emotion (my favourite being the archer at . . . Barcelona?)

Cons:

Perhaps a little too much emphasis on the history of China.
Again, just a little too much aerial action.
To me the opening ceremony should be formal, particularly when it comes to parading each country's athletes. Leave the gambolling and waving until the closing ceremony. The USA straggled like a lot of indisciplined sheep and the Australians were simply boorish; is it that hard to walk in rank and file around 400 metres of an oval? Pah!

Overall an 'A' for the spectacle. Now the real stuff begins.

[jonnybwfc]

Went to Beijing last October, and going again this October ... quite a nice city.

Always look forward to the swimming above anything else.

[communistworkethic]

The USA straggled like a lot of indisciplined sheep and the Australians were simply boorish; is it that hard to walk in rank and file around 400 metres of an oval? Pah!

so sticking rigidly to their national traits then??



as for the show, china's waited 100 years for this opportunity, it was always going to go big. The reasona you got certain themes - colour, wire-work was it was all directed by the man behind House of Flying Daggers and Hero.

[Bruce Rioja]

Lahdahn will have a multi cultural show, including Dizzee Rascal and David Beckham

Well one lot that won't be there according to an emither that I've just received are the Red Arrows.

It goes on to say 'Organisers of the event say that the Arrows military background might be 'offensive' to other countries taking part in the Games. The display team have performed at more than 4000 events worldwide, but the Department of Culture, Media and Sport have deemed the display team 'too militaristically British.'

Anybody got a light-shedder?

[communistworkethic]

it's utter bullshit, can't believe people still circulate it willy nilly

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/15 ... ws_rumpus/

[Bruce Rioja]

it's utter bullshit, can't believe people still circulate it willy nilly

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/15 ... ws_rumpus/

I smelled a rat. Cheers. Super Soaraway in Rabble Rousing SHOCKER!

[communistworkethic]

well they daren't print the true story... SCOUSERS BANNED FROM OLYMPICS

[Zulus Thousand of em]

How the feck are London going to beat that?

Seriously. There's nothing they can do. There's no theme they can run with either. They can't make an hours worth of entertainment out of jesters and a demonstration of the Spinning Jenny....

We'll end up resorting to B-list celebrities showing up and a semi-interesting fireworks show.

Fair play China, I've never been entertained that much in the Olympics since Cool Runnings

2,012 Morris Dancers followed by 2,012 synchronised Pearly Queens. I can't wait, personally.

[Worthy4England]

Free jellied eels for the dignitaries...