At 7.30am in New Zealand, Throng Australia will recap live the opening ceremony of London 2012.
Leading the New Zealand team for the 2012 London Olympics is runner and flag bearer Nick Willis. While Australia will have the basketballer from The Opals, Lauren Jackson, the three time silver medalist at the games, leading the charge for Australia.
Born ANZAC day (April 25), 1983, Nick Willis is a medium distance runner. He won the silver medal in the 1500m at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing with a time of 3:34.16 minutes. He was a gold medallist in the 1500 metres at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and a bronze medallist at the 2012 Commonwealth Games. He was the first athlete from New Zealand to win the 1500 metres at the Commonwealth Games.
In July 2012 Willis set the Oceania 1500m record with a run of 3:30.35 at the Monaco Diamond League meeting. He placed third in that race, with his time also marking an improvement of his own New Zealand record.
Willis revealed he had made a deal with former golfing great Nick Faldo that he will play a round of golf with Nick Faldo if he wins gold in the 1500m at London 2012. According to Nick Willis: “I’ve taken two years off golf because of the knee surgery I had, and I can’t wait to get back on the golf course again”
From Australia, The Opals captain, Lauren Jackson, is to lead the Australian team out in London, proudly waving the national flag as an estimated global audience of four billion people look on.
Forget sporting accolades and trophies, this was the pinnacle for Jackson, who is about to compete in her fourth Games. Speaking of the moment she first learned she was to be Australia’s flagbearer, Jackson said she thought she was in trouble when she received a text message from chef de mission Nick Green.
“I looked at him and said, ‘are you serious?’,” Jackson said. “I have sort of been in a daze. It was bizarre. My teammates were not around so I could not get carried away by the excitement of the moment and tell my friends.
“It has been the proudest moment of my life. To be named leader of that team. To be able to walk in front of Australia in an Olympic Games was something I never felt I would achieve. “My parents won’t believe it. They are just going to be overwhelmed with joy.”
Read the Recap here from an Aussie perspective with a NZ heart.
The Olympic Games ceremony is about to begin for the 30th Olympiad. We will see our teams come out in all their spleandour with our hopes and dreams on their shoulders. Will it be James “The Missile” Magnussen or Stephanie Rice from Australia or Penelope Marshall or Valerie Adams from NZ that will gather us around water coolers and twitter. Here we go for every ad possible before the main event!
Ok I could have slept more. When will this start?
Here we go! We start with a wonderful montage of British scenes and culture, followed by the history of the Olympics. It’s rather commercial though and I must say no where as near classy as Sydney 2000. I may be biased – a little, ok alot!
Now in the stadium we have a countdown, like a bad Mexican wave. Bradley Wiggins who won the Tour De France is welcomed under a huge bell – we are meant to be in awe – it’s a damn bell! Maybe I am the wrong person to do this. I just think we are off to a bad start! Let’s hope it get’s better!
We now have the history of cricket in a very odd form, with opera??? My God Poms! Is that rude or racist saying Poms? – If so I am so sorry. Sincerely. Ok now you are singing Danny Boy – I am over it!
This is as boring as the country itself. Now we have Olde English that I love – but will it translate internationally? Now we have the drums that all ceremonies have, followed by historic populatians of the UK. Top hats, stocks and Tom foolery en all.
They are representing the greeness of Southern England well – along with the Industrial Revolution. I’m sorry, it’s not moving me. Now we have smoke stacks that actually do remind me of England. I think the Queen will take my head for this, but honestly – the UK is smoke stacks, dirt and boredom.
We have political upheaval and suffrogates but now are into WW1 and 2 somehow. Wow – I love symbolism and yet am lost and we are now apparently into the Beatles! This is nucking futs! Why is Abe Lincoln still running around?
This feels like a history lesson by a boring teacher. Where are the cool things about the UK, like Take That, The Spice Girls and Dr Who? Eddie McGuire needs a Logie for sticking with this. The Olympic rings descending on them is just ODD! I don’t get it.
Ooh the pyrotechnics from the Olympic rings are amazing though and the crowd love it – but poor a cold beer and they woud be in shock too, so how do we compare to Sydney?
Now Daniel Craig – James Bond 007 enters Buckingham Palace and has found Her Majesty The Queen Of England – it’s a funny moment. On Ya Lizzy! As she apparently hovers over London we see all the wonderful landmarks that look fantatic! ( No Harbour Bridge or Opera House are there?)
Daniel Craig now apparently jumps from a helicopter into the stadium – with Queen Elizabeth II entering to a protocol greeting. Now we hear God Save The Queen that will always make me proud ( Sorry Republicans)..
We now have the National Health Service and patients and staff of the Ormond Hospital, no one was turned away by lack of means, they should have been. We go through weird pantomine freakiness and a very odd tale. Now we have Mary Poppins and I think I am on LSD or need some!
Now we have a recap of the 80′s movie Chariots of Fire with Rowan Atkinson – the fabulous Mr Bean. He is fantastic and the best thing so far along with the movie footage.
There have been some classic songs performed including “You Really” by The Kinks, “Satisfaction” by the Rollling Stones and “My Generation” by The Who and Beatles classics.
Now we have gone from The Prodigy’s Firestarter, to Gospel to cinema and now a rapper – I am lost! It’s all over the shop. Jeepers now we go to 50′s, Naughties and now. I love UK music but this mix is odd. Now we have a flying house representing the world wide web. Londoners must be crazy.
David Beckham brings the torch under the Tower Bridge and it looks great, very 007. Now after some performances the athletes are about to enter. The only four nations that have competed in every summer Olympics are AUSTRALIA, Greece, Great Britain and Switzerland – AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE – OI, OI OI!
Now each nation come out in our proudest moments! Good Luck all nations especially New Zealand!
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