The Olympics

The Olympics

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News, information and stories about the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 and the Olympics in general up until 2007.

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Sneak Preview

Those of you who cannot wait for tomorrow's 3 hour opening ceremony for the Olympics, can catch the dress rehearsal today.

Details of the opening ceremony were meant to be secret. However, a small scale rehearsal was held last Sunday; and inevitably there was a leak.

I understand that the theme of the ceremony will be related to ancient Greece, its mythology and sights.

Over 8000 people will be involved in the opening ceremony, which will be watched by a worldwide audience estimated to be around 4.5BN people.

Reports indicate that the Olympic stadium will be flooded with water, whilst a giant fireball is sent skimming across the surface. Given Athens's propensity for water shortages during the summer months, it is not quite clear where this water will come from.

I wonder if this is entirely wise?

It is also reported that owing to a shortage of concrete, during the construction of the stadium, the proportion of sand to concrete had to be increased. Such a mixture, if exposed to water, becomes highly unstable and prone to collapse.

Anyhoo, once the fireball splashes down, a child will cross the lake in a boat to the sound of 400 drums. A centaur will then throw a javelin into the water, and an ancient Greek figure will rise from the depths.

Rather idiosyncratically, after this, a pregnant woman will step into the water against a backdrop projection of DNA.

If anyone can explain what this all means, please feel free to enlighten us via the comment section.

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