Friday, July 27th marks the opening of the 2012 Olympics in London.  The ceremony celebrating the event will be as spectacular, and just as confusing,  as those which we have been witness to in the past.  Costing an estimated $42 million (USD), it will be our first chance to see the competitors as they proudly carry the flags of the 205 nations – 9 more than I even knew existed in the world – they represent.   There are approximately 10,000 athletes and 300 events.

One marathon runner, Guor Marial, will not be carrying a flag, however, as he represents South Sudan, which has yet to recognized as a country.  He fled Sudan, and its rebel led atrocities, and was granted asylum in 2001 by the United States.   The suggestion by Sudan that he carry their flag was met by this response from him.   “Never.  For me to even consider that is a betrayal. My family lost 28 members in the war with Sudan. Millions of my people were killed by Sudan forces. I can only forgive, but I cannot honor and glorify a country that killed my people.”  As he is not a citizen of the United States, should he win a medal, the Olympic flag will be raised for him and the Olympic anthem will be played in lieu of a national anthem.

The opening ceremony will also include some odd additions, if we can believe the rampant rumors.  There is supposed to be some battle between a giant Lord Voldemort, of Harry Potter fame, and 30 flying Mary Poppins clones.  I didn’t even know that they were having problems.   Maybe a well meaning but hapless chimney sweep left Hogwarts in disarray.  If all goes well, a spoonful of sugar should work wonders in resolving their dispute.  We should also expect appearances by Alice from “Alice in Wonderland”, Captain Hook and Cruella de Vil.   For some farm-related reason, 70 sheep, 12 horses, 10 chickens,  3 cows, 2 goats and 3 sheepdogs will also make their way along the procession.  I hope that Cruella and the sheepdogs keep their distance.  A performance By Sir Paul McCartney was confirmed only after he was seen rehearsing “Hey, Jude” at the Olympic Stadium.  The real surprise will come when the athlete who lights the Olympic torch is finally revealed.  That secret is being kept, perhaps by Scotland Yard, as if it were a matter of national security.  I’d like to see David Beckham light the torch, but, then again, I’d like to see David Beckham doing just about anything.

Last, but certainly not least, the mascots for these Olympic games, Wenlock and Mandeville, will be cavorting about.  I’ve found a photo of them as they arrived in London’s Heathrow Airport from wherever it is they came.  Looking at the few items of luggage they have, I can only assume that they’ve had more than one encounter with airport security.

Here is a little background on them.
“Their names reflect the UK’s rich Olympic and Paralympic histories. Wenlock’s name is inspired by the Shropshire village of Much Wenlock where the ‘Wenlock Games’ was one of the inspirations that led  the founder of the modern Olympic movement Baron Pierre de Coubertin to create the Olympic Games. Mandeville’s name is inspired by Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. In the 1940s, Dr.Ludwig Guttmann came to Stoke Mandeville Hospital to set up a new spinal unit to help former soldiers suffering from  spinal cord injuries.  Looking for ways to inspire those in his care, he encouraged them to take up sport, leading to the formation of the Stoke Mandeville Games, widely recognised as a forerunner of the modern Paralympic movement. ”

If you’re interested in chatting with them, they each have their own Twitter and Facebook accounts.  Just give them time to respond – they may have some difficulties with a keyboard given their strange little mitten-hands.   A word of caution about tweets – the International Olympic Committee means business when they say that the participants should keep the tone of their messages friendly and cordial.  One member of Team Greece was already expelled after she sent an inappropriate comment on Twitter about African immigrants.  Maybe the IOC could extend that rule for everyone who engages in bad behaviors while using social media forums.

NBC, which will begin covering the opening ceremony at 7:30PM Eastern time,  has posted an excellent website for all things Olympics related – schedules, events and news are just a click away.  The link is – http://www.nbcolympics.com/index.html

Empress