As it happened: Olympics opening ceremony
As it happened: Olympics opening ceremony By Joel ZanderLondon has opened the 2012 Olympic Games with a glittering opening ceremony watched by over one billion people worldwide.Directed by Oscar-winning film-maker Danny Boyle, the fireworks-laden extravaganza featured over 10,000 performers and took place in front of a crowd of 80,000 spectators at the Olympic Stadium.We brought you the opening ceremony as it happened (all times AEST):9:45am: Sir Paul stands up and moves to the front of the stage to involve the audience, before closing his performance by shouting "Welcome to London!" A fitting ending to a truly spectacular opening ceremony.9:38am: Sir Paul McCartney now appears on stage and the Olympic bell rings out before he begins to perform Hey Jude.9:36am: The flame is used to light dozens of torches which rise up to form one, the flame of unity, and thus the Olympic cauldron. So it was the six young athletes who lit the cauldron, not a 'name'. An interesting, if not tad underwhelming, decision. That sets off a fireworks display which lights up London as Pink Floyd plays in the background. A montage of great Olympics moments plays on the video screen.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160896-3x2-700x467.jpg
PHOTO: The stems of the Olympic flame come together to form one, lighting the cauldron.(Reuters: Dylan Martinez)9:30am: Redgrave passes the Olympic torch onto six young athletes who represent the future of Great Britain at the Olympic Games. Each of them was nominated by some of the greatest sports stars to come out of the United Kingdom.9:28am: After travelling 20,600 kilometres, the Olympic torch is carried into the stadium by Sir Steve Redgrave, who brings it through an honour guard of 500 men and women who built the Olympic Park.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160924-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: Former Olympic rower and winner of five gold medals, Steve Redgrave, carries the flame into the stadium. (Reuters/Pool)
9:26am: Beijing taekwondo medallist Sarah Stevenson rises up onto the stadium on a platform to read the Olympic oath, where she pledges on behalf of all athletes to perform in the best of spirits and free of drugs.9:25am: We now see English football superstar David Beckham escorting the Olympic flame up the River Thames on board a speed boat. He passes it onto rower Sir Steve Redgrave, who remarkably won gold medals at five consecutive Olympics.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4161000-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: David Beckham heads down the Thames in a speedboat, carrying the Olympic flame.(Reuters: Eddie Keogh)
9:17am: IOC president Jacques Rogge invites Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, to open the 2012 London Olympics. She does so with a short speech, followed by fireworks. Eight bearers, including Ethiopian long distance champion Haile Gebrselassie, carrythe Olympic flag into the stadium. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali watches on.9:12am: IOC president Jacques Rogge now addresses the crowd, saying he hopes the Games will leave a long and lasting legacy well after the opening ceremony. He thanks the volunteers for their generous time in bringing the Games together.Opening ceremony in numbers
Pieces of confetti dropped: 7,000,000,000
Watts in the public address system: 1,000,000
Garments used: 57,000
Recycled water bottles used in costumes:40,000
Square metres of staging: 15,000
Size of volunteer cast: 7,500
Square metres of turf used: 7,346
Props: 6,500
Drummers: 965
Dancers from the state-run National Health Service: 600
Hospital beds: 320
Kilometres of cable linking the pixel screens:317
Rehearsals: 284
Days in torch relay: 70
Languages spoken by children taking part: 50
Sheep: 40
Umbrellas: 32
Horses: 12
Cows: 3
Source: AFP
He also points out that for the first time in Olympic history, all of the participating nations will feature female athletes. He also spoke of Britain's long, long history of sport before addressing the athletes:"Your talent, your dedication and commitment brought you here."Now you have a chance to become true Olympians."That honour is determined not by whether you win, but how you compete."9:07am: LordSebastian Coe, chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, is now introduced alongside IOC president Jacques Rogge to address the crowd:"Welcome to London, welcome to the 2012 Olympic Games, welcome from everyone of us. I have never been so proud to be British , and to be proud of the Olympic movement."The Olympic Games bring together the people of the world in harmony and friendship and peace to celebrate what is best about man kind."London 2012 will inspire a generation."This is our time."One day we will tell our children and our grandchildren that when our time came, we did it right."Let us determine, all of us, all over the world, that London 2012 will see the very best of us."9:03am: Now the Arctic Monkeys are performing John Lennon and Paul McCartney's classic Come Together.9:00am: The Arctic Monkeys are on stage performing I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.8:55am: Nation #205 - last but not least - Great Britain! Celebrated four-time gold medal winning track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy leads them out to the strains of We Can Be Heroes as a helicopter drops 7 billion of tiny pieces of paper over the stadium - one to represent each person on the planet. The roar from the crowd is deafening.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160860-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: Track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy leads the Great Britain team into the Olympic Stadium.(Getty Images: Quinn Rooney)
8:49am: The huge United States contingent enters the building, wearing outfits by Ralph Lauren complete with berets. They lead all nations in the Olympics with 931 gold. Fencer Mariel Zagunis is carrying the stars and stripes.8:44am: Here's another snap of the Aussies from the AOC. Nearby Timor has just entered the stadium, represented by six athletes.8:37am: Here's South Africa, with controversial middle distance runner Caster Semenya bearing the flag.8:34am: Sticking with the tennis theme, five-times grand slam winner Novak Djokovic leads out the Serbian team. Djokovic wept on the podium when he claimed bronze in Beijing four years ago with victory over American James Blake.Earlier, Saudi Arabia walked into the stadium with female athletes joining the fray for the first time at a Games. Brunei and Qatar also had female athletes marching for the first time.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160940-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: A very colourful Mexico team, being led by flagbearer Maria del Rosario Espinoza, enters the Olympic Stadium. (Reuters: Mike Blake)
8:29am: Russian tennis superstar Maria Sharapova leads her nation into the Olympic Stadium. Earlier this year Sharapova became only the 10th woman in history and sixth in the open era to complete a career Grand Slam by taking out the French Open.8:22am: Here's our neighbours New Zealand, led by 1500m runner Nick Willis. Willis claimed the silver medal in the event in Beijing.The ABC's Amanda Shalala is at Hyde Park, where there are thousands of people who missed out on tickets to the opening ceremony:VIDEO: Amanda Shalala reports from Hyde Park, where thousands are celebrating (ABC News)
8:15am: ABC reporters Matt Wordsworth and Karen Barlow are filing for Online from the ground in London. Karen has filed on the opening ceremony while Matt's latest piece is on the USA Dream Team.8:10am: This just in from the AOC Twitter account (@AusOlympicTeam):The Aussies look amazing having paraded around the Olympic Stadium. Bring on the Games!http://pic.twitter.com/bSgFLNp4Hockeyroos striker Emily Hurtz (@misshurtz) also tweeted a pic of the ladies prior to the ceremony.8:06am: Here's the fastest man on the planet and one of the stars of these Games, 100 metres world record holder Usain Bolt, carrying the flag for the mighty Jamaican outfit. The Jamaicans are wearing black tops with (really) bright yellow bottoms.8:00am: We've posted a gallery of the opening ceremony:GALLERY: London Olympic Games opening ceremony
7:58am: Aussie sailor Elise Rechichi says the performers let her play the drum. Meanwhile, fellow sailor Krystal Weir (@krystalsailing) has tweeted a pic as she soaks up the atmosphere.7:45am: The Czechs are wearing gum boots! Says Rechichi (@EliseRechichi):Czech team got the right idea! Gumboots! It is the uk afterall! http://pic.twitter.com/39lzeagg7:42am: Here's China - 7-foot-tall NBA basketballer Yi Jianlian is carrying the flag. Since China resumed Olympics participation in 1984 after an absence of three decades, all of its flagbearers have been male basketballers. Former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming had the honour at Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004. Another interesting tidbit - China has sent a team of 380 to the Games - smaller than Australia's 410.Meanwhile, ABC News 24 spoke with two Australians who performed in the opening ceremony:VIDEO: A pair of lucky Aussies talk about performing in the ceremony (ABC News)
7:37am: We're going through the Bs - we've just seen Brazil, currently gearing up for the World Cup in two years time. Meanwhile, the @Olympics Twitter account has posted a snap of the Aussies heading into the Olympic Stadium.7:26am: And here's Australia! Flagbearer Lauren Jackson leads the team into the stadium and you'd never be able to wipe the beaming smile off her face. A significant roar from the crowd is heard in the background. The Aussies really do look resplendent in their uniforms - white slacks or skirts with bottle green jackets, the insides lined with the names of past gold medal winners.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160778-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: Flagbearer Lauren Jackson leads the Australian team into the stadium. (Getty Images: Lars Baron)
Below, Jackson's father Gary speaks with the ABC about his daughter's success:VIDEO: Lauren Jackson's father Gary discusses his daughter's success (ABC News)
7:24am: Sailor Elise Rechichi on Twitter:Here we go! What could top this?! The heartache all of a sudden seems worthwhile! #nightofyourlife #proudtobeaussie pic.twitter.com/XEH6lM6j7:20am: OK, here comes the first of our countries entering the stadium - Greece, as is tradition. They walk into Push the Button by English band The Chemical Brothers.7:15am: We now hear the Christian hymn Abide With Me, sung at every FA Cup since 1927.7:12am: Many of the athletes are watching the opening ceremony from the comfort of the athletes village, as seen here in this pic tweeted by swimmer Steph Rice (@itsstephrice). Diver Sharlene Stratton (@sharlenestratto) is doing the same:Watching the opening ceremony in the village! So freaking awesome! :) #2012Olympics #olympicceremony #aussiesarecoming7:08am: Now we see Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the Briton credited with inventing the World Wide Web, sitting at a computer on stage, as Boyle comments on a progression from the industrial revolution to where we, as a world, sit now. That appears to be it for Boyle's show - spectacular.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160758-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: Fireworks fall from the Olympic rings during the opening ceremony. (Reuters: Suzanne Plunkett)7:05am: British rapper Dizzee Rascal now appears on stage performing his hit Bonkers. The ridiculously fast pace of what Boyle has done here truly is a feast for the eyes.7:02am: The British music montage continues - New Order and Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Eurythmics and The Prodigy. Spectacular dancing accompanies all of these. Then we see an excerpt from Boyle's Trainspotting featuring the song Born Slippy by Underworld.6:57am: We're hearing some of the classics of British rock now, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Sex Pistols, Cream, The Jam, The Kinks and Millie Small singing My Boy Lollipop.6:52am: Boyle now incorporates a clever montage on the impact social media has had on the world. Indeed. We're into the third section of Boyle's show now: "It's very simple, it is a love story."http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160786-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: Actor Rowan Atkinson, playing Mr Bean, performs during the opening ceremony.(Reuters: Kai Pfaffenbach)
6:49am: Exclamations of "Mr Bean!" are exploding all over social media. There is now vision of Mr Bean among the blokes in the infamous running scene on the beach. He trails off to hop in a car, but rejoins the front of the line later. He trips his nearest challenger over to cross the finish line, before awaking from his dream and rejoining us on stage to 'finish off' the performance with his keyboard. Says Aussie sailor Nic Douglass (@Nic_Douglass):#olympics loved the Mr Bean segment!! Classic! #openingceremony6:47am: English conductor Sir Simon Rattle now appears to lead the London Symphony Orchestra in a rendition of Chariots of Fire. Goosebumps aplenty, this is wonderful. Mr Bean, aka Rowan Atkinson, appears on stage at a keyboard, much to the delight of the crowd (and no doubt many more around the world). He appears to be either taking photos, or possibly even tweeting, from his smart phone.6:43am: Mike Oldfield of Tubular Bells fame now hammers out some tunes on his guitar on stage.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160812-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: Performers dressed as Mary Poppins take part in the opening ceremony. (Reuters: David Gray)
6:35am: We're now into the second phase of the extravaganza - celebrating the UK's National Health Service. According to the London 2012 Twitter account (@London2012), almost all of the some 600 dancers in the section work for the NHS. This opening ceremony features over 15,000 volunteers, by the way. Kudos to them.6:31am: Representatives of the Royal Army, Navy and Air Force now walk through the stadium with the Union flag, which is raised on a pole. The crowd is then asked to stand for the national anthem, God Save the Queen. It is performed by a children's choir wearing pyjamas (well, it is past their bedtime).6:29am: The helicopter now appears over the stadium (although, amazingly, we've all of a sudden gone from daylight to dark) and 'the Queen' is shown parachuting from the chopper, followed by Mr Bond. Writes Aussie sailor Elise Rechichi (@EliseRechichi) on Twitter:Queen parachuting in?! Yikes! I hope she stretched prior! :)The real Queen walks out, accompanied by IOC president Jacques Rogge.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160762-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: A performer in the role of Queen Elizabeth II, along with James Bond, parachutes out of a helicopter hovering above the stadium. (Getty Images: Lars Baron)
6:25am: Boyle delights the crowd now with vision of actor Daniel Craig, playing James Bond, entering Buckingham Palace to speak with the Queen."Good evening Mr Bond," Her Royal Majesty says as she turns from writing at her desk."Good evening your Majesty," Mr Bond replies.They strut out of the palace, followed by the Queen's corgi, and take off in a helicopter emblazoned with the Union Jack to travel across the city.6:24am: The sequence ends and we now see the Olympic rings, glowing in red in the middle of the stadium, for the first time. A brilliant hoop of blue light rounds the stadium. Writes Aussie swimmer Eamon Sullivan (@Eamon_Sullivan):Great opening section of the ceremony... Getting goosebumps.6:15am: Smoke stacks are rising out of the ground as Britain remembers the industrial revolution.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160768-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: Smoke stacks from the industrial age appear during the opening ceremony. (Reuters: Damir Sagolj)
6:08am: After a video sequence celebrating all the countries of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland-born actor/director Sir Kenneth Branagh appears playing Isambard Kingdom Brunel, an English engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway. He has been voted the second greatest Briton of all time, behind Sir Winston Churchill.6:03am: And here's Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins (minus his bike). He walks in to a standing ovation to ring the Olympic Bell. Wiggins is a freak, having won three gold, a silver and two bronze medals in track cycling across three Olympics before shifting to the road.http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4160748-3x2-700x467.jpgPHOTO: Great Britain cyclist and 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins greets spectators after ringing the Olympic Bell. (Reuters: David Gray)
6:01am: Boyle is famous for films like Trainspotting and the initial opening sequence wouldn't look out of place in any cinema.Boyle earlier held a pre-ceremony press conference in which he revealed his extravaganza will be broken into three parts - the first of which he calls "The Green and Pleasant Land"."It seems to me that the industrial revolution began here and changed the whole world really, for good and for bad, and there is no attempt to hide the fact. We call it Pandemonium, which is Milton's invented word for the capital of hell in Paradise Lost."The second part will be a celebration of universal health care. Boyle says Britain's National Health Service is almost unique in the world.
"It is something that is very dear to people's hearts. Obviously all types of government fight like billio with it to try to control it, to cut it, to deal with it whatever, but there is something about it that is actually so embedded in us that we have decided to keep it."The ceremony's third sequence is a modern musical affair called "Frankie and June Say Thanks Tim".
"We're very, very proud of the standard of the volunteer dancing in that sequence. It has been extraordinary watching them. It's very simple, it is a love story."
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