Shortening of the Olympic Opening Ceremony

[flip_flop]

I understand the opening cermony has been shortened to allow the spectactors enough time to leave before the public transport from the site shuts down.

If this is the case, why wasn't there a rider added to the bonuses (bribes) which were given to public transport workers not to strike during the Olympics, stating that the bribe is made subject to them working later for this one day to avoid this problem?

[rowanwitch]

I think it is a dreadful way to treat the bmx riders who have been axed... surely keeping a sport that young people actually enjoy and might just think is cool enough to take part in would be better than Elgars Nimrod and sweeping views of sheep

[ludwig]

They've cut out a routine that people have spent months practicing for, to shorten the thing by half an hour.
Could they not have just started half an hour earlier?

[albaqwerty]

Another day, another fiasco.

[RATTER15]

I think it is disgusting that they do that to these youngsters.

[emmie]

surely they are having to fit in with the sponsors, two large American corporations, it the opening ceremony doesn't start till 9pm, which is far too late, so i assume that is why, what the sponsors say goes.
As to public transport, don't know, but having them say that the work load will be greatly increased and being paid a bonus for doing so, seems a rats arse way of doing things.

[emmie]

perhaps they can use the youngsters in the closing ceremony, one can only hope they don't crush everyone's dreams...

[ludwig]

Of course. I was forgetting that everything in the world is timed around American TV advertising.

[bazwillrun]

they still cant even tell people/decide exactly which type of cameras they can and cant take into events..

so there may well be people who have travelled across the planet to get here and wont be allowed to take their cameras in, which will be confiscated at the door but the olympics people have said they wont be responsible for the cameras that they do take.

This also begs the question what sort of camera experts are these security/guards/door people.

And people expect them to be able to sort out the length of the opening ceremony and sync it with public transport times !

Farce at its best

[rowanwitch]

The transport problem is one that has caught them out in London before

People arrive in a staggered fashion so the transport system can cope but all want to leave at the same time and there are not enough buses /trains available to deal with this. It is likely they have already built in some extras but with a large number wanting to go west into the centre and beyond there will be severe bottlenecks. Far better to have some things open until later to encourage some people to hang around a bit. Twickenham keeps the bars open for a while after matches so not everyone leaves straight away.

[jno]

perhaps "The Ceremony of Catching the Tube" is one of the elements of British life that should be worked into the show itself.

[humbersloop]

All sounds like it's going along fine...

http://www.guardian.c...pening-ceremony-drama

I really wish they'd given Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty the commission - I'd love to have seen what KLF could have done with the opening ceremony.

[youngmafbog]

Except that London trtansport is open to 2:30.

[mushroom25]

at least now that the games organisers have interfered with the opening ceremony, if it's a complete fiasco, danny boyle can say "not my fault".

[excelsior-1]

everybody has had seven years to plan and anticiptate problems.
i'm aghast that only in the final few days people are causing problems.