The stage is set and the athletes are primed as the seven-year countdown to the London 2012 Olympics reaches its finale with today’s much-anticipated opening ceremony.
The three-hour spectacle, expected to be watched by a global television audience of up to one billion, will mark the beginning of 17 days of athletic endeavor which will create heroes, shatter dreams and fire national pride.
Sneak previews of the £27 million opening ceremony – filmed at Wednesday’s final rehearsal – suggest it will be a grand but quirky production, reflecting the philosophy of director Danny Boyle.
The Slumdog Millionaire Oscar-winner has promised to create a “picture of us as a nation” and revealed the eccentric show will feature live sheep and dancing surgeons from the National Health Service.
Thousands of VIPs including some 120 national leaders are in town for the event, with guests ranging from Angelina Jolie and US First Lady Michelle Obama to the King of Swaziland.
Germany’s Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda are among the leaders set to attend while Michelle Obama will head the US delegation. Prince William and his wife Catherine along with a flock of European royals including Prince Albert of Monaco will watch Britain’s 86-year-old monarch Queen Elizabeth II officially open the Games.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will lead Russia’s delegation although President Vladimir Putin has indicated he may fly in later to watch the judo, in which he is a black belt. British football legend David Beckham said he will perform some role at the ceremony despite not being selected for Team GB, fueling gossip he may be given the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron.
From the world of showbusiness, Hollywood mega-couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will attend after hosting a star-studded charity dinner for boxing icon Muhammad Ali on Wednesday, which counted racing driver Lewis Hamilton and actress Rosario Dawson among its guests.
Audience members at Wednesday’s rehearsal promised the show would be a spine-tingling extravaganza.
The ceremony starts at 21.50 South African time, with a build-up at 21.35. It will be aired on SABC 2.
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