Olympics to open in an English meadow
It has been alredy known that The city of London will host the Games of the 30th Olympiad. This followed four rounds of voting by members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, where London beat Paris in the final round.
Nine cities initially submitted applications to host the 2012 Olympic Games: Paris (France), Leipzig (Germany), New York (United States of America), Istanbul (Turkey), Havana (Cuba), Moscow (Russian Federation), London (Great Britain), Madrid (Spain) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). On 18 May 2004, the IOC Executive Board selected the five Candidate Cities. Listed in the official order of drawing of lots, these cities were:
– Paris (France)
– New York (United States of America)
– Moscow (Russian Federation)
– London (Great Britain)
– Madrid (Spain)
The final decision on the host city for the Games of the 30th Olympiad was made by the full IOC membership during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore on 6 July 2005. London eventually triumphed by taking 54 votes from a possible 104. This gave London the majority that it needed to be elected as the host city for the 2012 Games. London had to overcome stiff competition, however, in the form of Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid in its bid to get the Games.
According to the news announced in LONDON on Tuesday, Jun. 12, 2012 — The 2012 London 0lympics will open in an English meadow, complete with cows and sheep, a cricket match – and a mosh pit.
Danny Boyle artistic director of the games’ opening ceremony, unveiled Tuesday a model of the set, which transforms the Olympic Stadium into a rural idyll.
It comes complete with grass, livestock and a hill modeled on Glastonbury Tor in southwest England. Spectators will fill a mosh pit, evoking the raucous Glastonbury music festival.
There are even real clouds that Boyle says can produce real rain – in case the British weather fails to comply.
Boyle said the set evoked the “green and pleasant land” of William Blake’s poem “Jerusalem,” an emblem of Englishness.
Some 20,000 volunteers have begun rehearsing.
