2012 OLYMPICS: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH BEGINS
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 28 Jul 2012
The small Philippine delegation paraded alongside 203 other competing nations with weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz carrying the national flag in Filipiniana dress. It makes us proud seeing our athletes joining the worldwide celebration of ?The Greatest Show on Earth.? After all, win or lose, medal or none at all, we are still much a part of the big sporting world, where taking part of the Games is the most important ideal.
The team of Greece, where the Olympic Games originated entered the track first, with the most wildly cheered host delegation Great Britain coming out last. The 30th Olympiad opened with dazzling ceremony fascinating the 80,000 spectators at the London Olympic stadium and captivating billions worldwide on television.
For the first time in Olympic history, a woman was included in every country's team during the parade of nations in the opening ceremonies. Three Muslim countries finally let women joined their Olympic teams with Brunei and Qatar paraded with female flag carriers. The third country, Saudi Arabia, chose a male flag bearer.
First lady Michelle Obama waved as the strong United States team passed. The centers of attention were the NBA superstars. Two-time Olympic fencing champion Mariel Zagunis carried the flag for the United States team.
The British team wore white uniforms with gold trim, a touch the ancient Greeks. Muhammad Ali, 1960 Rome Olympic gold medalist and star of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where he lit the urn, was among the nine people who carried the Olympic flag. Ali could not walk half the stadium with the flag, so he waited for the others at the foot of the hill where it was raised.
Queen Elizabeth declared open the third Olympic Games to be held in London. The Olympic torch, which took 70 days to travel across the United Kingdom, carried by 8,000 torchbearers from all sectors of the society, finally made its way into the stadium.
In the stadium, a video showed David Beckham cruising the Thames River in speedboat with the torch. When the boat docked, Beckham passed it Steve Redgrave, a five-time Olympic rowing champion, who made the final run to the stadium.
The torch ran through the flags of the 204 competing nations carried by group of seven young athletes. There are no big-name former athletes which acted as torchbearers. This is true to the idealistic theme of the Games to ?inspire a generation.?
With 260 British Olympic medalists joining them, the seven young athletes touched torches to copper petals that rose to form a caldron at the center of the stadium floor, marking the official start of the 2012 Olympics. The stadium exploded with fireworks filling up the sky. Sir Paul McCartney began rendering the song "Hey Jude" which turned to a mass singalong.
The Olympic spirit burns again in the heart of every athlete and in every spectator.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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