London plans widespread opening Games ceremony

Published on Saturday 30 August 2008 11:55

ORGANISERS of the London 2012 Olympics will mark the opening with events across the city and will not try to imitate the pageantry of the Beijing Games.

Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said instead of holding the ceremonies inside the main Olympic Stadium, the London organising committee is looking at staging a series of events across the city.

Ms Jowell said: "We don't want to try to emulate Beijing. What we want are new ways of thinking about the opening ceremony.

"We want the whole of London to be involved, with different parts of the city taking part in the ceremony. The London Games must be deeply democratic, with the city's citizens feeling they're intimately involved.

"I think what you will see is a very vivid sense of celebration right across the city at both the opening and closing ceremonies."

In contrast to the extravaganza put on by the Chinese at the closing ceremony in Beijing, the hand over to London featured a tongue-in-cheek show with a red double-decker bus, footballer David Beckham, Led Zeppelin rocker Jimmy Page and pop star Leona Lewis.

Ms Jowell said the Beijing Games were very impressive but London could improve on a number of areas when it hosts the Games.

"There are things we can do better. I saw lots of Chinese people standing outside stadiums, as observers not participants."