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Everything posted by dancingbrogues
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Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony
dancingbrogues replied to yoshi's topic in Sochi 2014 Ceremonies Discussions
I liked the use of the visual space, where vast 'floats' were drawn across the air, reminding me of the May Day Parades in the Soviet era. Wonderful to showcase the depth of the repertoire in Russian classical music - particularly good in the 'elegant' sections - like the voyna-i-mir Ballroom and the constellations. Less sure about the kitsch elements. I didn't mind the simplicity of the lighting of the flame, but yep, surrounded by a sea of people would have made a more lasting impression than 2 Olympian Putinistas navigating an empty plaza. . My favourite bit was the oath - we had the athlete who sped through the thing, then the official who ponderously incanted his memorisation, and then the coach who managed to croak it out through the botox - most human thing of the night. -
A dream is all it is going to be unless Blanco starts getting his act together. Expecting the Olympics to help with youth unemployment or the economy shouldn't be part of the narrative. Isn't it only relatively later in the cycle that the kind of service/hospitality jobs that young people often fill become available anyway?
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I've just got back from Japan. I'm afraid I'm less excited by this bid than I was, although I'm sure it's robust enough. Every single one of my friends and colleagues do not want it. There is a strong feeling in the regions that Tokyo gets enough government subsidy and corporate dosh at a time when the Northeast is still sifting through the ruins and a third of a prefecture really rather close to Tokyo is still in nuclear lockdown. They are trying hard to shift public perceptions in Tokyo itself, and maybe that will work. One problem is that the bid team is stacked full of failed, troubled or extremist politicians, not least the chairman himself, who is more Lyndon Larouche/Jean Marie Le Pen than Boris Johnson. Tokyo really could do with a Seb as its CEO, Mizuno is no doubt a very good operator, and his company makes sports equipment, but it's hardly an inspirational choice, and that's what Japan needs. The Turks and the Spaniards have got bids that seem to be going tits up for various reasons, but they've certainly got quite a lot of never-give-up support amongst the locals, sometimes to the point of absurdity.
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Considering the months of begging Dublin had to do with the IOC to get a couple of hours with the flame in ROI Ireland, I think the best the Rio relay can hope for internationally is some border ceremonies - Brazil has enough of them after all. Perhaps a visit to the Chile and Ecuador embassies as well, so symbolically the flame acknowledges South America. The success of the 2010 and 2012 relays have only persuaded the IOC that their decision to ban international legs was the right one.
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Closing Ceremony
dancingbrogues replied to Citius Altius Fortius's topic in London 2012 Ceremonies Discussions
It had gravitas, but I had a moment of 'but that's American'. I suppose a good score is a good score - Wimbledon sometimes uses the 'Gattaca' soundtrack from Michael Nyman in waiting periods, but I suppose that's much more of an obscure film to begin with, even if, it too is American with a British composer. Interesting that Gavin has had much less acclaim than Boyle in the British press, lots of sniping on twitter that he favoured people he works with in a non-olympics capacity etc, feathering his own nest etc. -
For both athletes and tourists the dry, proud heat of Madrid will be more bearable than the 'mushiatsui' humidity of the Tokyo summer, and Istanbul can almost be as bad, although the breeze can help. I've visited all three a few times and all have great things about them. Tokyo thrills me the most, for many reasons, but I hate the Japanese summer, at least anywhere south of Iwate Prefecture.
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TOKYO 2020 Venue Plan
dancingbrogues replied to yukke14's topic in Tokyo 2020 Sports / Events Discussions
I shall be in Tokyo and then Sendai for a few days in September. I know Miyagi Stadium wasn't damaged, although nearby Port Sendai and Tagajo were inundated. I've read the rumours about the possible move north of the sailing. If Tokyo were to win the bid, having the sailing regatta in Sendai Bay/Shiogama/Matsushima would be a very potent marker of hope for Tohoku's pacific coastline, and a more stunning backdrop than Tokyo Bay in my opinion. I shall investigate. -
Closing Ceremony
dancingbrogues replied to Citius Altius Fortius's topic in London 2012 Ceremonies Discussions
I think the Eric Idle segment should have been at the end or just before the protocol driven elements as it seemed to bring the house down, and was very clever, sending up the mainstays of british ceremonial - pipe bands and multiculti dross - whilst never quite dismissing them, or morris dancers for that matter. There were some nice touches - letting the athletes stream through the crowds, the 'rio' handover ceremony dancers moshing with their 'london' counterparts to The Who, quite different from the London handover, which, confined to a small part of the Bird's Nest, seemed to show Beijing saying take your 8 minutes, take your scruffy mayor and p off thank you very much, The cauldron looked better going out than it did being ignited. Not sure that's praise for its primary function, but it did look a little funky floating like an inverted bowl on the track. The rest was the kind of middle of the road rock marathon that has endured since the charity concerts of the 80s, multi generational safe choices, nothing that would upset your grandmother. -
Closing Ceremony
dancingbrogues replied to Citius Altius Fortius's topic in London 2012 Ceremonies Discussions
My favourite London olympic moment will forever be the tremendous booing of that old crook Sepp Blatter, who has hung onto FIFA like a bloated corpse, propped up by banana republics and ex-soviet ogliarchs. Switzerland is a lovely country in so many ways, but the Swiss set-up has always put money over morals. -
http://www.elcorreo.com/agencias/20120602/deportes/mas-deportes/alejandro-blanco-supedita-exito-madrid_201206021537.html Hmm. Alejandro Blanco is beginning to change the narrative from the economy won't affect Madrid 2020 to saying that it will make things very complicated if the economic problems persist. Whilst I still think there is a great deal of misunderstanding about Spain's economic woes (like muddling up liquidity with national debt), there is certainly a change from the tone in May, which ridiculed any suggestion that there would be economic issues around the bid. I can't decide whether he is preparing the ground for an early exit, or whether he is trying to demonstrate that he doesn't have his head in the sand.
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Your point about perception rather than reality is never more true. Spain has a lower national debt than the UK, the US, Germany and Japan (which has the world's largest). No-one is talking about Tokyo not having the money. Economics is tricky and subtle, rather like an IOC vote.
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Indeed, but the size of Spain's problems eclipse those of Ireland, Iceland and Greece. The government is struggling to borrow money at prices it can afford, has shockingly low foreign exchange reserves for the size of its banking sector and the Deputy Prime Minister has to go begging to the IMF because Merkel isn't listening. But, if we look at Iceland and Ireland, we see that bail-outs can work, and runs on banks do eventually end. The markets hate indecision, and unfortunately the Spanish are locked into the eurozone where no one has really made any decisions for months. If we can still hope, rather than despair for Spain, Madrid could be an 'austerity' games and do things well with the bid you have (which is strong). It will all be in the timing - if Spain's liquidity problems rumble on, or worsen, then I'm not sure the IOC will want to take the risk of a national government unable to cope with cost over-runs. If things become stable then Madrid could become a model for a lean but effective games.