London Opening Ceremony 2012: How Event Will Impact Summer Olympics

You don’t know adrenaline until you’re an athlete in the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

In 2012, the greatest competitors from around the globe will gather in London for the lighting of the cauldron. The ceremony’s ability to awe the all-world athletes will set the tone for the summer’s events.

Jeff Fenech, a boxer that fought for Australia in the 1984 Olympics, stressed the power of the Opening Ceremony. He said:

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It has been said that the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games is something that an athlete will remember for the rest of their life. It is true. That moment when you walk into the Olympic Stadium as part of the Australian Olympic Team, is a moment that I will never forget.

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Last time around, Olympians experienced exactly what Fenech referred to. In Beijing, thousands of Chinese drummers performed in one of the most memorable ceremonies in Olympic history.

No pressure, but it’ll be difficult for London to match Beijing’s level of wonder.

Martin Robinson of the Daily Mail reported, though, that 60,000 people already know what the Opening Ceremony will look like. They watched a dress rehearsal of the performance on Monday night, but were asked not to reveal anything. If you search the hash tag “#savethedate” on Twitter, you’ll find countless witnesses, and most of them loved what they saw.

James Pearce of BBC was one of the 60,000. Pearce tweeted that he’s confident director Danny Boyle will put on a show to remember:

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I'll #savethesurprise but I loved Opening Ceremony. Unlike any other Olympic ceremony and if weather's dry I think Boyle will pull it off

— James Pearce (@Pearcesport) July 23, 2012"

There are 205 nations that will march in the parade. As many as 17,000 athletes could participate in it. That’s a ton of people to give chills to.

Today, expect nothing less than magic.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels