Opening Ceremony 2012: What the British Tabloids Are Saying

The British tabloids are frantically writing stories about the Olympic opening ceremony that is quickly approaching.

It is estimated that over one billion people viewed this event, nearly 15 percent of the population on Earth, during the last summer Olympics in Beijing.

This event will feature athletes from every country participating in the games, as well as a dramatic show produced by a world-famous director and a number of notable British celebrities.

This is one of the most highly anticipated moments of the Olympics that is sure to impress everyone in attendance and everyone watching around the world.

Here are five things the British tabloids are saying leading up to the opening ceremony on Friday.

Sir Chris Hoy to Hold the British Flag During the Opening Ceremony

It’s being reported by the Daily Record that Sir Chris Hoy will be holding the British flag during the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday. Hoy won this tremendous honor by winning a vote conducted of athletes and officials.

Hoy is excited and honored by this opportunity, telling the Daily Record,

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“This is a huge honour for me. I’m absolutely delighted. I found out on Sunday and I’m still in shock. To lead out your team at an Olympic Games is the stuff of dreams. When it’s a home Olympics, it’s even more special.”

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Surprisingly, Hoy has never taken part in an opening ceremony before, even though he’s participated in the Olympics four times. The British fans will be ecstatic to see the man who brought home three gold medals during the 2008 Bejing Olympics once again. 

The Olympic Playlist Has Been Published

Ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony, British tabloid The Mail on Sunday, released a playlist of the songs that will reportedly be mixed for the event.

A brief example of this list looks like this,

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Song - Artist

God Save The Queen - The Sex Pistols

London Calling - The Clash

Eastenders Theme - Simon May

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Nimrod - Elgar

Dambusters March - Eric Coates

Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield

Push The Button - Sugarbabes

Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton

Satisfaction - Rolling Stones

My Boy Lollipop - Millie Small

She Loves You - The Beatles

Starman - David Bowie

Step On - Happy Mondays

Trampled Under Foot - Led Zeppelin

Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve

Bonkers - Dizzee Rascal

Billie Jean - Michael Jackson

Wonderwall - Oasis

Creep - Radiohead

Viva La Vida - Coldplay

Rolling In The Deep - Adele

Monty Python Theme - John Philip

Paper Planes - M.I.A.

Pass Out - Tinie Tempah

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The most controversial song on the list has to be God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols. This song is known for getting banned by a number of British broadcasts during the 1970s.

It will be interesting to see how the fans react to this song and the numerous others during the opening ceremony on Friday. 

Bradley Wiggins to Light the Olympic Flame?

Great Britain is still raving about Bradley Wiggins’ victory at the 2012 Tour de France. Wiggins is the first Brit to ever win the event. 

With the Olympics soon after, Wiggins has quickly turned his attention to the Olympic games, even if his fans are still dwelling on the Tour de France victory.

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“If I’m 100-percent honest, it’s gold or nothing in London now, really. That’s the way I’m treating the next nine days. I can’t sit here and say I’ll be happy with a silver or happy with a bronze.”

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British tabloids are already speculating what’s next for Wiggins, even if he is just focused on racing.

The Mirror’s front page looked like this, “Wiggo hailed U.K.’s greatest sportsman”. The Sun called him “a new British hero”. 

Many tabloids are expecting him to be honored with knighthood for his victory, while others believe he will be the man to light the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony. 

We’ll just have to wait and see.

Will James Bond Appear in the Opening Ceremony?

If they are anything like what we’ve seen during the past few opening ceremonies, you can be sure this year’s ceremony in London will be more than extravagant.

The award-wining filmmaker Danny Boyle, who is best known for the film Slumdog Millionaire, will be the head director for this event. 

The British press is speculating that Daniel Craig, the British actor who plays James Bond, will have large role in Boyle’s opening ceremony.

This is only speculation, but the British tabloids seem to believe that Boyle directed a short Bond film that will be shown Friday night. This film will feature Bond going through some of the most private rooms in Buckingham Palace and will conclude with Craig landing in the Olympic Stadium by helicopter.

This is shaping up to be a can’t miss event.

The Sun Uncovers a Pakistan Crime Ring

The most troubling news coming from British tabloids prior to the Olympic games has to be the uncovering of a Pakistani crime ring that is supposedly handing out fake passports and visas for people to gain access to London 2012. 

This is just a small part of the story released by The Sun about the conspiracy.

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"First they provided our undercover investigator with a genuine Pakistani passport in a false name. Then leading Lahore politician Abid Choudhary spelled out how for around £7,000  (Rs 5 lakhs) he could get our man a two-month visa — and smuggle him into London 2012 as part of Pakistan’s Olympic squad.

We were told we could even take part in Friday’s opening ceremony. At no point did any of the corrupt officials question our reason for wanting to sneak into Britain.” 

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This is very disturbing to hear, considering how many high-profile stars will be in attendance during Olympics. If this story weren’t revealed, these people would have been staying in Olympic Village, right next to all the athletes who will be competing.

It’s a shame that something like this could happen, but hopefully this story coming out will prevent anyone from getting into any real danger.