The Opening Ceremony was directed by Danny Boyle
Carl Kinsella
Staff Writer
On Friday London colourfully lifted the curtain to reveal the stage upon which sport’s grandest event will take place this summer. The athlete’s parade, showcasing talents from 204 nations, saw over 10,000 participants of 26 sports march their first steps towards medals of bronze, silver and gold as well as an unforgettable experience. The opening ceremony, choreographed by famed movie director Danny Boyle, was met with mixed worldwide reaction. Nods to the storied history of the United Kingdom, boy-wizard Harry Potter and Queen Elizabeth’s first acting role made for a bizarre exposition to what is sure to be a sporting rollercoaster.
The London 2012 Olympic Games will unfold over the next two weeks and it’s fair to say that Irish hopes are hoisted up most powerfully by the shoulders of Katie Taylor, World Champion of boxing in the 60kg division. A win in her upcoming quarter-final against either Queen Underwood of the USA or Team GB’s Natasha Jonas (a tough draw no matter whom she faces) would ensure at least a bronze-medal for a woman already cemented as an Irish sporting hero, but if she performs to her capability then the glory of the gold she so desperately craves is well within her grasp. It is a testament to her sporting prowess that she has been selected as Ireland’s flag-bearer for these Olympic Games.
Whilst Ireland have put forth 66 athletes to compete in 14 sports this August, there are no other standout athletes who seem immediately destined for Olympic glory. While Robert Heffernan, a competitor in the 20km and 50km walk event, could perhaps surprise us if he has a good day, chances elsewhere are slim. Another notable Irish athlete worth paying attention is Cian O’ Connor (and his horse Blue Lloyd). O’ Connor was stripped of a gold medal after the 2004 Olympics after the revelation that his horse Waterford Crystal had been given a prohibited substance. This summer he will hope to fare better on more legitimate grounds. However, Team Ireland are already in the throes of drama as rider Denis Lynch has launched an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overrule the withdrawal of his nomination for London after one of his own horses had tested positively for an illegal substance.
Aside from the drama that Ireland is exporting for this summer’s Games, there are many other avenues of excitement and interest. For the first time since 1920, lawn tennis will be played at the Olympics – with Roger Federer hoping to follow up his master-class victory at Wimbledon earlier on in the summer, and his gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The big names are out in their droves to claim the top honour this August with the Williams sisters, Novak Djovokic and Andy Murray, recently jilted by Federer on home turf, all after this makeshift Grand Slam. Ireland go unrepresented in this year’s tennis event, but it seems more than likely that many eyes will nevertheless be glued to the back-and-forth of London’s courts as these sporting stars all vie to make history and do their countries proud.
Our neighbours and the hosts, Team GB, are the most represented nation at London 2012 with 541 athletes. Great Britain, still bathing in the Bradley Wiggin’s Tour de France triumph a mere week ago, is hoping to see cyclist Mark Cavendish take the first gold at the finish line of the 156-mile Olympic race. Over 1 million people are expected to line the track and cheer Cavendish to a much desired win for the host nation. Well-known Welsh footballer Ryan Giggs will captain Team GB to what they hope will be an Olympic success but the South American nations such as Brazil and Uruguay, complete with stars like Neymar and Luis Suarez, will have their eyes set firmly set on the gold in that event.
The games will not be without controversy and London has already had its first brush with the sensitive geopolitics that comes with hosting such a diverse and multinational event. The women’s North Korea football team were humiliated before their match against Colombia in Scotland’s Hamden Park when a screen showing their squad list alongside the South Korean flag was broadcast to the stadium. The relationship between both nations is politely described as ‘tense’ and to say the mistake was a mere blunder would be something of an understatement. The games take place against the difficult backdrop of recent remarks between The United Kingdom and Argentina over the ownership of the Falkland’s territory. Argentinian president Cristina Kirchner did not attend Friday’s opening ceremony in a blatant snub to the United Kingdom’s government.
Such matters, however, are best left to the political playing field and it is hoped that no such controversy will over shadow this next instalment of Olympic legacy. BBC will broadcast all 5,000 hours of the momentous occasion and YouTube will also provide live streaming to the games ensured the magic of the tournament will be experienced the world over. Notably, South Korea and North Korea will share one television provider for the games, a manifestation for the usefulness of international sporting events in building diplomatic bridges.
On Friday night the Olympic Cauldron was lit by seven promising young athletes, a symbol lending itself to the Games slogan of “inspire a generation”. This surprised many, as many had predicted the honour would be bestowed onto a former Olympic hero or a well-known figure of the British sporting world. Instead the monumental and historic task was granted to seven young sportspeople – the first of what is sure to be many surprises over the course of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
