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London 2012 Olympic Cauldron...


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Posted

Redgrave and Bannister carried the flame today (although Bannister handed it to the first torch bearer and thus was not an official torch bearer). Does that mean they are out for the lighting?

NO !!!! Most of (if not all) final torch bearers have been a normal torch bearer in the weeks leading to the Opening Ceremony...

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Posted

Exactly. Rick Hansen, Catriona LeMay Doan, Steve Nash and Nancy Greene Raine all were torchbearers already at an earlier stage of the Vancouver relay.

Posted

Cathy Freeman did, though, didn't she?

But Eddie the Eagle was 'snubbed' so I think it will be him, doing a tribute to Lillehammer 1994 and ski jumping off the Orbit, bouncing off the fabric roof and into the cauldron. ;)

Posted

Well, Ben Ainslie is NOT exactly the most well-known UK athlete; so I doubt it'd be him. I think the oldest living medallist from 1948 would have the most resonance, assisted say by Tom Daley.

Don't forget Midori Ito back in 1998. She was the first and the last torchbearer in Nagano.

R u sure? I thought that was an Audio-Animatronic figure from Disneyland-Tokyo up there.

She was so boring.

Posted

Cathy Freeman did, though, didn't she?

But Eddie the Eagle was 'snubbed' so I think it will be him, doing a tribute to Lillehammer 1994 and ski jumping off the Orbit, bouncing off the fabric roof and into the cauldron. ;)

I have the Sydney 2000 torch relay book. Cannot fin Cathy so far.

In Athens the final torchbearer did not.

However, to give a big surprise it's possible to let him carry the flame before.

Did the flame already pass the hometown of Thomas Daley?

Posted

I emailed the Sydney Olympic Park Authority about this a number of years ago. They told me that it was discarded as it was not considered an important part of the cauldron. I couldn't believe it!! I do like the cauldron/waterfall as it is today but there was something about its original form and the stand that was so special. Although most people think of the Sydney cauldron being quite modern and futuristic/sci-fi, I think it had a respectable "classic" look about it that many cauldron designs lack. Yes, it definitely paid homage to Melbourne 1956 while still unique in itself.

Can't believe they just discarded it. And thanks to those who confirmed the cauldron was anchored on the temporary stands rather than outside the stadium.

Well, Ben Ainslie is NOT exactly the most well-known UK athlete; so I doubt it'd be him. I think the oldest living medallist from 1948 would have the most resonance, assisted say by Tom Daley.

He is well known and respected though within Olympic circles and it would be a huge nod to Jacque Rogge too.

Personally I think it's four years too late to play the youth card with Tom Daley and I don't think they'd want to put that kind of pressure on him. I think if they went for a young athlete they either need a gold medalist from 2008 (Rebecca Adlington, but think she competes Saturday morning) or a debut Olympian from these games - though none have yet captured the public's imagination like Tom did in 2008.

Anyone but Beckham though I suspect is the general concensus.

Posted

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/10/london-2012-david-beckham-roles?newsfeed=true

What do you think this means? Do you think they mean a role in the Opening Ceremony? I don't think he'd be the final torch bearer, not being an Olympic medal winner...

I don't think so. One of the last few torch bearers maybe, but definitely not the final torch bearer. I wouldn't think it's a fair choice

Posted

Hopefully his only role in the ceremony would be as one of the athletes not quite good enough to carry the flame allowed to carry the flag in, and then I suspect another might be in a medal ceremony.

I hate though how people are reporting his ommission from the team by effectively giving him 100% credit for bringing the games to London - he was just a name they used to sway some votes at the end, but I really doubt he was a deciding factor. As a footballer though apart from a Champions League victory with Manchester United in 1999 he has won absolutely nothing on the international stage with either club or country. Getting knocked out in quarter finals of World Cups three times doesn't even trump a one time Olympic bronze medalist IMO.

Posted

Oh, he's sooooooooo going to be the one to light this mystery cauldron. Maybe it is hidden in Posh's hair?

I mean what kind of 'very clear role' could he play that would be more clear than that? Carrying the Olympic flag I guess, but that usually goes to former Olympians, members of the military/police, or for the Winter Games, a hodge podge of celebrities and I don't think they'd do that for the Summer Games, nor would he be one of 8. Accompanying the Queen into the Royal Box? Don't know. But when you consider that past flame lighters like Wayne Gretzky and Michel Platini (with very loose Olympic ties), or even the likes or Ron Clarke and Midori Ito (who didn't exactly excel during the Olympics) you have to take into account that celebrity racks up big points in that job.

We'll see on the 27th when both the cauldron and its lighter are revealed.

Posted

Oh, he's sooooooooo going to be the one to light this mystery cauldron. Maybe it is hidden in Posh's hair?

I mean what kind of 'very clear role' could he play that would be more clear than that? Carrying the Olympic flag I guess, but that usually goes to former Olympians, members of the military/police, or for the Winter Games, a hodge podge of celebrities and I don't think they'd do that for the Summer Games, nor would he be one of 8. Accompanying the Queen into the Royal Box? Don't know. But when you consider that past flame lighters like Wayne Gretzky and Michel Platini (with very loose Olympic ties), or even the likes or Ron Clarke and Midori Ito (who didn't exactly excel during the Olympics) you have to take into account that celebrity racks up big points in that job.

We'll see on the 27th when both the cauldron and its lighter are revealed.

He could be the first one to bring the flame into the cauldron into the stadium before handing off to authentic Olympians or to Posh. :lol:

Posted

Well, the men's 10m preliminaries don't start til August 10, so it is at least possible for Daley to play a role of some kind in the OC. I still think it could be Redgrave, but there are a number of directions they could go so I'm not going to put money on it.

Posted

Hi everyone!

I don't know if this might be of interest to you, but from a Mexican TV interview with Thomas Heatherwick by Alberto Lati, @albertolati on Twitter, we learned that:

1) Heatherwick doesn't keep ANY of the cauldron's blueprints at his office.

2) The cauldron is being built in a secret place in the north of England (Clearly England, not UK).

3) They have already asked and have been granted permission from the Prime Minister for the lighting.

So, if he was telling the truth, the cauldron is still definitively off-site and the lighting is going to be SO spectacular that it has required an extra authorization from the head of government!

Posted

Hi everyone!

I don't know if this might be of interest to you, but from a Mexican TV interview with Thomas Heatherwick by Alberto Lati, @albertolati on Twitter, we learned that:

1) Heatherwick doesn't keep ANY of the cauldron's blueprints at his office.

2) The cauldron is being built in a secret place in the north of England (Clearly England, not UK).

3) They have already asked and have been granted permission from the Prime Minister for the lighting.

So, if he was telling the truth, the cauldron is still definitively off-site and the lighting is going to be SO spectacular that it has required an extra authorization from the head of government!

Yowzah! Very cool news. Thanks for sharing.

Posted

3) They have already asked and have been granted permission from the Prime Minister for the lighting.

So, if he was telling the truth, the cauldron is still definitively off-site and the lighting is going to be SO spectacular that it has required an extra authorization from the head of government!

I think we'd heard the last fact before and we had taken that as the cauldron lighting was one of the reasons that Ceremonies had asked for another £41m from the government. Hmmm.... perhaps that's what all those missiles on roofs around the Park are for - they're going to fire them simultaneously to whoosh across and light the cauldron. That would probably need the PM's authorisation

Posted

Interesting tips thanks for that. First I find it so intriguing that perhaps most of his office staff has no clue about the cauldron design too? And to require a PM's approval for a caildron lighting may means the cauldron lighting will be def something out of the stadium. Either a very huge fire show, or it involves a lot of flame around the city or country. Or one very important national landmark will be used as one of the cauldron site.

The level of secrecy is so tight they might very well pull off another 'Who designs Kate's Wedding Dress' until the very last moment of the lighting ceremony, same as when Kate steps out of that car outside the Abbey.

Posted

Interesting tips thanks for that. First I find it so intriguing that perhaps most of his office staff has no clue about the cauldron design too? And to require a PM's approval for a caildron lighting may means the cauldron lighting will be def something out of the stadium. Either a very huge fire show, or it involves a lot of flame around the city or country. Or one very important national landmark will be used as one of the caildron site.

Again, it's been discussed that it had to with the organizers asking the government for more funding and the PM' / government having to look at ceremony plans to approve.

Posted

Again, it's been discussed that it had to with the organizers asking the government for more funding and the PM' / government having to look at ceremony plans to approve.

The additional funding is for the overall ceremony, not just the cauldron lighting. Plus why would he specifically mentioned getting PM's approval? I would think if it's a regular in the stadium lighting, Danny Boyle and Jacque Rogge's approval is more important than the PM's. This sounds to me like a bigger operation than that and might involve the 'bigger society' at large, hence a PM need to be consulted.

Posted

The ceremony ticket graphics in sequence may provides clues to the cauldron design and assembly.

Olympic Opening Ceremony: Many parts/arms fold together to form some sort of bowl or base for the flame

Olympic Closing Ceremony: The formed cauldron (side view) remains stationary through the closing ceremony.

Paralympic Opening Ceremony: The formed cauldron (top view) is in place for the Paralympic opening.

Paralympic Closing Ceremony: The cauldrons many parts/arms fold away as the flame is extinguished.

london-olympics-2012-ticket_designs-1.jpgAwgJNlZCQAEsi00.jpglondon-olympics-2012-ticket_designs-2.jpg7471986988_acca62bb17.jpg

Posted

OK, Heatherwick had also mentioned the government's support in his video interview with Dezeen a couple of weeks ago (see here). But it wasn't clear at that time whether he meant that the government supported the idea of bidding for the Games or the idea specifically behind the cauldron and its lighting. Now we know. And it certainly must be something spectacular and innovative if they asked the government for approval. But it only fits to the fact that unlike in all previous Olympics in recent years, we don't know at this late stage in time where the cauldron will go and what it will look like. That maybe shows that they will have quite an unusual cauldron, too.

The ceremony ticket graphics in sequence may provides clues to the cauldron design and assembly.

Olympic Opening Ceremony: Many parts/arms fold together to form some sort of bowl or base for the flame

Olympic Closing Ceremony: The formed cauldron (side view) remains stationary through the closing ceremony.

Paralympic Opening Ceremony: The formed cauldron (top view) is in place for the Paralympic opening.

Paralympic Closing Ceremony: The cauldrons many parts/arms fold away as the flame is extinguished.

london-olympics-2012-ticket_designs-1.jpgAwgJNlZCQAEsi00.jpglondon-olympics-2012-ticket_designs-2.jpg7471986988_acca62bb17.jpg

Not again... ;)

Paul, I deem it highly unlikely that they make such a big secret out of the cauldron just to reveal its look on thousands of ceremony tickets. Someone here already compared those things on the tickets to trumpets heralding the start and the end of the Games. And I think that makes a lot of sense.

Posted

Well OK but I can't imagine putting that much work into the premier ticked if it's not more significant. I also find the shapes almost totally unrelated to the entire design vocabulary of the games but so unique that in my opinion something quit significant is being expressed, and I don't think it's trumpets.

Posted

I think we may be reading too much into the government approval thing because with these things there always needs to be government approval. The Olympics is hosted by a city within a nation. The logos the themes the imagery and the branding reflects that nations Identity so everything has to be approved by the government local or national. Just remember this will be seen by billions of people worldwide there are so many political implications to these games that the over I am sure has a firm hand in every aspect of the games. Beijing i know had a government official on the planning committee to report back to the assembly granted that is China but i am sure all olympic organizing committees have one.

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