2012 Summer Olympics in Full Swing in London
July 30, 2012
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London boast some impressive numbers. About 10,500 athletes from 205 countries are competing in 300 events spread over 26 sports, from aquatics to wrestling. The action will entertain the hundreds of thousands of visitors to London, plus billions more on worldwide television, from July 27 through August 12.
The games had its preopening glitches, notably the discovery, a few days before the opening, that the private firm contracted to supply security for the Olympics had failed to recruit and train enough staff. To make up the shortfall, the British government deployed 3,500 members of the armed forces to fill the gap.
The Olympic flame is lit during the Opening Ceremony. The fire is ignited in Olympia, Greece, and transported by relay to the site of the games. The flame symbolizes the light of spirit, knowledge, and life, and it is a herald of peace. Here, torchbearer Cathy Freeman stands triumphant after lighting the flame at the 27th Olympiad in Sydney, Australia. (AP/Wide World)
But any pre-Games embarrassments were swept away by the dazzling opening ceremonies at Olympic Stadium the night of July 27. The 80,000 people in attendance, plus billions more watching on TV around the world, saw a stunning celebration of British pop culture, from Lord Voldemort and the Sex Pistols to Mary Poppins. Skydivers dressed as Queen Elizabeth II and James Bond parachuted into the stadium. British football star David Beckham piloted a speedboat carrying the Olympic flame down the River Thames to the stadium where the flame ignited a giant cauldron of fire. Fireworks illuminated the sky for miles. It was all a glorious introduction to the two weeks of world-class athletic competition to follow.
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