Brekkie Boy
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Posts posted by Brekkie Boy
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Coe is certainly the safe, boring, choice. No doubt he did a great job with London 2012 but I wouldn't call him an outstanding success heading up the IAAF (or whatever it calls itself nowadays). I don't think I've ever known World Athletics to be in worse shape really. The Diamond League really wasn't the saviour of the sport it made itself out to be - a bloated top tier tournament full of events which were far from top tier and pretty much saw the secondary tier, so important as a feeder series for the generation of athletes not quite at the very top, struggle to co-exist alongside it compared to when it was the Golden League where you had the 6-7 flagship events but a decent series of events complementing them. Anyhow, that was launched before his watch to be fair but I think the consequences are being felt under his tenure.
What I do hope is that whoever the candidate is the realise the importance of the Olympics being such a special event because it only happens every 4 years and don't get any smart ideas like the idiots over at FIFA about making it every 2 years, especially if that is the direction the World Cup takes.
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The energy efficiency line doesn't really work when you've got the 5 towers lit up which have seemingly been built for these games. It seems that organisers of recent games are aware that if the cauldron isn't the focal point it should be they need to build something else that is.
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It's just a fact of broadcasting now that most things are getting their lowest ever ratings due to the explosion of streaming options in the last couple of years.
I do think the time difference with Paris though might see a return to just the pre-recorded primetime screening on NBC itself anyway (perhaps with it live exclusively on Peacock), as a 3pm airing will hit the primetime screening more than a 7am screening will.
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Exactly - just seen it on the BBC and it looks really good but you can't see the flame at all. I bet the energy used to both make it and keep it moving throughout the games is probably as much as the energy saved by not having a proper cauldron too. Maybe this is the cost of offsetting all the fake snow?
Wouldn't be surprised if they keep changing the torch in it too as there doesn't look to be anything powering it.
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2 hours ago, AustralianFan said:
Here is a link with video to First all-factor rehearsal held at the Beijing Medals Plaza - 7Jan22 - news.cgtn.com
Thanks.
1 hour ago, kevzz said:I am longing to see an opening ceremony without the use of floor projection. Is this no longer possible? Just like a good old fashioned props and costume.
I really like the dandelion opening, was really quite excited as it feels like Zhang really got something minimal and elegant like his movies there. But it went downhill from there. Don’t see his fingerprints in the other segments. It could be from anyone else.
Hopefully post-covid reliance on them will subside. Of course the plan with Paris is a ceremony within the city along the river so it'll probably be out with the floor projection but suspect they will project things on various landmarks.
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I gather they're continuning the Winter Olympic tradition of a seperate medals plaza. I was hoping covid might have seen that idea scrapped and just have the venue ceremonies but doesn't look to be the case. Any shots of the plaza, and will there be anyone there to view the presentations?
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7 hours ago, Australian Kiwi said:
The arrival of the torch and its placement reminded me of the Commonwealth Games baton arriving at the lectern.
Yes - it was that underwhelming!
It is even still burning - not seen any shots of it or a second version within the city or Olympic Park. It is such a poor design - well, no design at all. Didn't give the ceremony it's moment and doesn't result in a cauldron that is easy on the eye. And to think for a moment before it was "lit" I was worried for the safety of the kids around the snowflake as I assumed the whole thing was about to burst into flames.
Hopefully Paris's city centre plan (if they don't U-turn on it) means that for the first time since Sochi the actual cauldron that will be the main cauldron of the games will be lit during the Opening Ceremony.
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Anyone but Bach - hopefully someone with a backbone. His comments this week passing off "human rights" as "political" are damn right disgusting. It isn't a bi-partisan issue, it's an humanity issue and the Olympic ideals should extend to equal rights for all.
Add to that putting the rights in much of Europe behind a pay wall and the farce of handing Brisbane the 2032 games before their rival cities even knew the bidding process was open and it all adds up to one of the worst presidents in IOC history.
I'd like to think the movement moves forward with someone who puts the athletes and spectators at the forefront and doesn't allow the games to be used for sports washing by the usual suspects, but frankly I suspect they're all as bad as each other.
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The lighting of the cauldron is supposed to be so inspirational - light the fire within for the athletes to compete, light the fire for future athletes watching at home and light the fire for viewers to embrace the games over the next couple of weeks.
This failed to do that, as did the ceremony as a whole. Kind of feel for those watching for the first time - for me it's now 30 years of ceremonies. Don't have strong memories of Albertville but Barcelona is my first real memory of the games and probably couldn't have got a more inspirational flame lighting to start things. Really expected Beijing to show that you could do something spectacular even with a down-scaled more eco-friendly cauldron, but that was without doubt the worst cauldron "lighting" ever.
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Is that the cauldron? I know they've been getting smaller to be greener but sticking a hand held torch in a snowflake is ridiculous. Was expecting at least the snowflake to be lit. Anyway, well done Atlanta - you no longer have the worst cauldron ever.
As for the ceremony - a better tone than Tokyo and you can't go far wrong relying on children in the absense of a big showcase spectacular. The parade though goes on far too long as always and I think viewers need more than 15 minutes to warm up for it - much better to front load the artistic part and then get through to the lighting of the flame quite quickly after.
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To quote Harry Hill from The Last Leg on Friday night, "Well, the olympics just won't be the same without the diplomats".
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Presumably the central elements of the ceremony will all be concentrated in one area (as identified by "protocols" on the map as I think the ceremony rules state they have to take place in front of the various dignitaries (and probably paying spectators too, but it'll be the IOC and their guests prioritised!).
I did love how Melbourne used the river in 2006 and it does sound like they may be making more of this than it is in a way - essentially it's one ceremonial area with the river then used as the route for athletes and the flame to arrive, with a few added ceremonial elements. It just happens the ceremony site itself is not a designated stadium.
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Terrorists already know the games are in Paris. The Opening Ceremony being so open won't make much difference to the threat - indeed it spreads people out and tightens security across the city rather than focuses it on one venue.
Will be interesting to see something completely different and should at least mean a return to the actual Olympic Cauldron we see throughout the games being lit during the Opening Ceremony.
Part of me though thinks it ultimately won't happen and when somebody in 2023 looks to cut costs, as often happens a year out, it'll be an obvious thing to move back to the stadium.
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I do wonder if NBC might scale back on their live online offerings considering the TV broadcast ratings for Tokyo.
Are NBC getting anything moved to the mornings so they can air it live in primetime (Figure Skating perhaps?), or as skiing events tend to be in the morning anyway are they happy enough with that, despite the relative lack of US interest.
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Bach needs to resign for playing such a role in the whole fiasco. Frankly he's been a disaster as head of the IOC.
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Not really - the top tier sports are luke warm to them and if they are included it's with secondary events or under 23s. They've set up their own rival European Sports Championship which actually worked quite well in Glasgow but looks like some sports won't return for 2022.
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And England the womens event in 2025. No surprises there - if there is a relatively safe option on the table World Rugby usually go for it.
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The dedicated thread seems to have vanished so perhaps the idea of them hosting has too but I'd much rather see a Perth games than a Sydney games.
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Just two cores sports would kill it off ultimately IMO. It largely only remains really relevant in the UK and Australia so catering to their core events is necessary too.
What I think is an issue, and this is partly due to the UK and Australia dominating hosting, is the Commonwealth Games isn't seen as a springboard to hosting other multinational events. Really it should be the stepping stone for many countries to show they could step up to the Olympics (though India really screwed that up!) or at least major international events.
OK, it has to change otherwise it will die but must admit that if Europe got it's act together and sorted out a proper Eurolympics I wouldn't be too gutted should the Commonwealth Games come to an end now, even though it is one of the few non-team events where we can see Welsh athletes compete as Wales.
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Even if Peng Shuai turns out to be safe and well the fact it's even a question raises questions. If Tokyo 2020 can be delayed a year then Beijing can be axed. If sponsors can pull out of other events for much lesser reasons then they can pull out of this too.
Scrap it and sort out some sort of centenial event in 2024 instead.
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Hopefully we have the return to a fully democratic open vote for the 2030/2032 games. It's clear that despite the fears of lack of potential hosts there are still numerous major cities wanting the games.
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It's the most blatantly corrupt host selection in Olympic history - and that is saying something.
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On 9/4/2021 at 2:53 AM, AustralianFan said:
Agree that 2036 is shapingup to be a crowded field of interested parties in hosting the 2036 or a future Olympic Games.
Largely because all but one city were excluded from the 2032 process. And 2028 for that matter too.
The Olympic ban on Russia though clearly an absolute farce considering they're competing under the Olympic Committee banner and seemingly able to bid to host.
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Bit harsh to say they failed to cross the finish line when the starting gun was fired when only Brisbane had been invited to the track.
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Beijing 2022 cauldron
in Beijing 2022 Ceremonies Discussions
Posted
It really is pathetic isn't it. The "energy saving" narrative is a bit of a joke when you cut to the wide view of all the stadiums lit up at night plus those 5 towers. The only flame we're really seeing on the Olympic coverage in the UK is the virtual fireplace behind the presenter.