Michelle Obama To Lead US Olympics Delegation

Michele Obama will lead the US delegation at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

The Isles of Wonder

It has been announced that the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics, on 27th July, will be called "Isles of Wonder".

The ceremony's artistic director, Danny Boyle, said it would be about a land that has been poisoned by industrial legacy and the recovery of that land.

I find the theme to be somewhat limited:

- Did these islands not have a history before industrialisation?

- Not all of the British Isles were "poisoned" by industrialisation.

Apparently the largest ringing bell in Europe, which will hang at one end of the stadium, will sound at the opening of the Games.

It will be inscribed with a quote by Caliban from Shakespeare's The Tempest:

"Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises".

Caliban is forced into servitude on an island ruled by Prospero, because Caliban attempted to rape Propsero's daughter.

The pre opening ceremony will start at 20:12 BST, and last until 21:00 when the bell tolls.

Approximately 20,000 performers will be used for the opening and closing ceremonies of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Olympics Budget Broken Again

Unsurprisingly the "budget" for the London 2012 Olympics has yet again proven to be unreliable.

Taxpayers are having to contribute a further £41M to the £40M "budget" allocated to opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

The Olympics Minister, Hugh Robertson, unconvincingly tried to use a Gordon Brown trick of describing it as an "investment".

Why do we have to pay more?

It seems that Locog (which was meant to pay for the ceremonies) can't run its operations within budget, and that "tedious" things such as security expenditure for the games have pushed it into the red.

For reasons best known to those who are regulating and "controlling" the forthcoming games, Locog is not subject to public scrutiny because it is a private company.

Surely someone should have ensured that the company that "organises" the games (whether it was private or public) was subject to public scrutiny, given that it is spending our money?



Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Tick Tock - Olympics Clock Stops

To add to the woes of the London 2012 Olympics organisers, who were already looking rather foolish for the glitch that prevents certain Visa card holders from buying tickets for the games, the 500 day countdown clock in Trafalgar Square (that was activated on Monday) stopped working on Tuesday.

The clock is supplied by Swiss based company Omega.

Incidentally, the actual time that the games are due to be officially opened has yet to be decided. Therefore the clock is, by definition, inaccurate.

Well done lads!

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Pathetic!

I see that the IOC are considering sacrificing the traditional Olympics opening and closing ceremony fireworks displays on the altar of "environmentalism".

Maybe, if the IOC were that concerned about the environment, they should consider abandoning the games altogether given the energy used, resources wasted, air pollution etc to host, attend and compete in the games?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.comwww.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Price Promise Breached

The ticket prices for the London 2012 Olympics were published last Friday. Without any "irony" the highest price ticket is in fact £2,012 (for the opening ceremony on July 27 2012).

Notwithstanding that, the organisers claim that they have honoured promises to sell tickets at affordable prices (approximately 33% will be available at £20 or less).

However, their original estimate from the organisers was that approximately 50% of the tickets would be priced at £20 or less.

Tickets for the closing ceremony will cost up to £1,500. Athletics finals up to £725, and the finals of swimming, diving, gymnastics and beach volleyball will cost up to £450.

Unsurprisingly most of these will be sold off in blocks to corporate hospitality providers.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.comwww.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Epic and Intimate

Danny Boyle, artistic director of the London Olympics July 27 2012 opening ceremony, has told the Telegraph that it will be "epic and intimate".

However, he has also stated that he does not intend to try to compete with Beijing's 2008 ceremony which cost £70M.

The event will highlight Britain's "idiosyncrasies".

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.comwww.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Slumdog Olympics

Slumdog Millionaire director, Danny Boyle, will be the artistic director for the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, organisers have announced.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.comwww.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

British Citizens At Back of The Queue

The BBC reports that British citizens will be at the back of the queue for tickets to watch the London 2012 Olympics, behind "the Olympic family" (sponsors, officials, their guests, the media and athletes, who receive special allocations of tickets for events such as opening and closing ceremonies).

To add insult to injury British citizens cannot be given preference over European visitors, because EU law forbids discrimination in favour of the host country.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Olympics Spice

It would seem that the Spice Girls (a pop group that was famous in the 90's) may be planning a comeback just in time for the 2012 Olympics, and actually perform at the opening event.

All very nice, except for the fact that they already have made a "comeback" in 2007.

Has there been no new British musical talent since the 90's?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Closing Ceremony

All good things come to an end, so it is with the Olympics as thoughts now turn to the closing ceremony in Beijing on 24th August.

Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will perform with Chinese soprano star Song Zuying on the last day. Following on from the fuss over certain TV "enhancements" made to the opening ceremony, it is assumed that they will both be live and not CGI animations!

The closing program will also feature elements of southwestern China's Yunnan culture, together with a kung fu display featuring 350 practitioners from a local martial arts school and 60 players of the Chinese string instrument "erhu."

There will also be an 8 minute dance show to mark the handover from Beijing to London for the 2012 games. Seemingly David Beckham will appear during this segment, atop a London bus.

The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will also finally turn up; unless of course he manages to find an excuse not to.

Olympic Medals Won

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

China Bashing

The hypocrisy of some parts of the western media appears to know no bounds when it comes to having a go at China.

On Friday, reports emerged that the children who carried the Chinese flag in a show of national unity at the Beijing opening ceremonies were not from the 56 ethnic groups they were purported to represent.

Given the lies and distortions published by the media in the West, to criticise the Chinese for this is hypocrisy of the highest level.

Olympic Medals Won

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Fakery Accusations

Having basked in the glow of excellent viewing figures, NBC and the Beijing Olympic Committee are now having to face accusations from some quarters over fakery wrt their broadcast of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.

The organisers have been accused of adding fake CGI fireworks to the opening ceremony. NBC have been accused of adding a bogus "Live" stamp to their prime time delayed feed of competition coverage this weekend, and edited the "parade of nations" segment of the opening ceremony to delay the entrance of the US Olympic Team.

Can anyone ever truly believe what they see on TV?

THR.com runs through the accusation point by point, including NBC's responses:

Accusation: Viewers were misled by the use of CGI fireworks during a sweeping helicopter shot ( video clip here) leading up to the Bird's Nest. Organizers note the fireworks were there, but the footage was created in advance due to the danger of shooting live from a nearby helicopter.

NBC Response: An NBC Sports spokesperson says U.S. viewers were informed of the manipulation. Commentators Matt Lauer and Bob Costas said the fireworks were a digital effect. From the opening ceremony transcript during the fireworks in question:

Lauer: "You're looking at a cinematic device employed by Zhang Yimou here. This is actually almost animation. A footstep a second, 29 in all, to signify the 29 Olympiads."

Costas: "We said earlier that aspects of this Opening Ceremony are almost like cinema in real time. Well this is quite literally cinematic."

Analysis: Mixing real and CGI fireworks during an Olympic event is visually misleading, though NBC did try to address the issue. The question is, during a spectacular-looking shot, do the phrases "cinematic device" and "almost animation" really convey that the image wasn't real?

It seems more to hint that something about it wasn't quite literal, while coming shy of saying - in far more clear and simple terms - "this is a digitally manufactured shot to represent what's happening right now outside the stadium."

Accusation: NBC is time stamping West Coast feeds of competition coverage with a "Live" tag even though the coverage is not live.

NBC Response: A spokesperson points out the constant "Live" tag is accompanied by twice-per-hour time stamps that inform West Coast viewers that the event was only live on the East Coast (ex. "10:05 ET").

"The audience makeup of the Olympics is very much like that of 'American Idol' and 'Dancing with the Stars' which have 'live' season finales presented in much the same way," an NBC Sports spokesperson says. "You assume there's a large amount of intelligence in the viewing audience, so when they see those twice-an-hour time stamps they'll understand what is being presented."

Analysis: If a sporting event's feed isn't live, a broadcaster should avoid using an omnipresent "live" tag. The best reason to have this tag on a West Coast feed (and to not put a clear "tape delayed" notice) is for the same reason some are incensed – it gives viewers an impression of live urgency that isn't quite there. Like with the fireworks, the original complaint is mollified by the facts, to a degree: to a casual viewer the coverage shows one thing, while to somebody paying close attention, it shows something slightly less exciting.

Accusation: NBC edited the "parade of nations" from the original order to delay the entrance of US. athletes.

NBC Response: An NBC Sports spokesman says the order was unchanged.

Analysis: Editing a sporting event like a reality show to save the most eagerly awaited moments for the conclusion would be an issue - if it were true. As it is, online reports have provided no real evidence.

The Times also reports that the "cute" girl who sang at the opening ceremony was merely lip synching, the real girl who sang was deemed to be too "ugly" for TV.

Oh dear, it really is rather silly to try to pull the wool over people's eyes like this!

Olympic Medals Won

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Record Audience

The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics pulled in a record number of TV viewers around the world.

NBC in the USA, despite not showing the event live and delaying it to primetime, managed to score its highest ever rating (over 34 million viewers) for a non-American hosted summer Olympics aside from the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

In China between 63% and 68.8% of China's total audience, a record, watched the opening ceremony.

In Australia, the Seven Network said that its audience was over 3.3 million viewers. In Germany, 7.7 million watched it on ARD; in France, 4.4 million watched it on France 2 and in Italy, 5.5 million watched on RAI. The BBC had an audience of 5 million.

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Scenes From the Opening Ceremony

Scenes from the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games 2008:







Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Opening Ceremony

The Beijing Olympics will kick off in less than an hour (8:08PM local time) today. Unfortunately, Beijing is shrouded in fog and haze, and is sweltering in hot and humid conditions.

Those who are in the Bird's Nest stadium tonight will experience temperatures in the low 30s Celsius and humidity above 80%.

However, Jacques Rogge (President of the IOC) remains optimistic, he is quoted on Bloomberg:

"The fog does not mean necessarily pollution.

We prefer clear skies but the most important thing is that the health of the athletes is protected."

The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Opening Ceremony Video Leaked

The details of the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics (8 August) have been kept strictly under wraps, so as not to spoil the surprise.

That at least was the plan until South Korea messed it up, and showed a 30 sneak preview on TV.

The footage was obtained by a reporter with the Seoul Broadcasting system, who walked into the National Stadium during a rehearsal on Monday.

The images are now on the net, and show floating 3D humpback whales, kung fu fighters and trapeze gymnasts.

In one segment, thousands of white cubes are moved by people to form waves suggesting the explosive growth of high-rise cities in China. A giant green and blue globe can be seen. Large whales will figure, as will dancers dressed as ancient soldiers from the Tomb of Unknown Warriors.

Not unsurprisingly, China is not best pleased with this leak. The Beijing Olympics spokesman, Sun Weide, said last night that the footage was obtained by "irregular means" and questioned the professional standards of the reporter.

The video was on YouTube until it was pulled for copyright reasons, and the fact that the Chinese are furious. However, it still can be viewed here: Huffington Post.

See it before it is pulled.

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Beijing Air Clearing

As the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics approaches, organisers have been anxiously monitoring air pollution levels in and around Beijing hoping for the air to clear and the traditional summer smog to lift.

It would seem their prayers are being answered, wind and rain has helped clear Beijing's air and all are keeping their fingers crossed for the start of the games on the 8th of August.

The recent haze was the worst seen in Beijing in the past month, this in spite of the fact that over 1 million cars have been pulled off the road and work on construction sites has been stopped.

Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, told reporters that Beijing could institute emergency measures if air pollution worsens during the games, and said a contingency plan was already in place.

The National Meteorological Center said that rain is forecast for the next few days in Beijing.

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Putin Says Da

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said "Da" to attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on 8 August.

Putin will join the "great and the good" at the opening ceremony including; George Bush and Nicolas Sarkozy.

Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper are shying away from the event.

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Banned Items

With less than a month to go before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, on 8 August, the authorities are laying down the rules as to what people cannot bring into Olympic venues.

Included on the list are "GO China" banners (on the grounds of fairness spectators will be expected to cheer for all competitors), soft drink containers, musical instruments and whistles.

The BOCOG has also prohibited leaflets publicising commercial activities, religion, politics, the military, human rights or environmental or animal welfare.

Other banned items include; banners and flags larger than two metres by one metre, flags of non-participating countries, flash photography, drunkenness, nudity, gambling, sit-ins, demonstrations, guns, ammunition, crossbows, daggers and goods thought to be flammable, caustic or radioactive.

You have been warned!

Don't forget to visit www.theolympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"