Olympic Opening Ceremonies

[Hostile]

Absolutely fan-damn-tastic.

I still think the archer who lit the torch in Barcelona was the all time coolest lighting of the torch, but tonight "run" around the stadium was impressive.

 

[Nors]

The 100 meter dash and hurdles are the two biggest things going for this olympics. Two sprinters toying with world records and can the china hurdler repeat?

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

Absolutely fan-damn-tastic.

I still think the archer who lit the torch in Barcelona was the all time coolest lighting of the torch, but tonight "run" around the stadium was impressive.

Man, I never watch the opening ceremonies, but just flipping by I was mesmerized and watched the whole damn thing. The huge scroll that they laid out on the floor of the stadium? The run around the top of the stadium to light the torch? The fireworks all over the city?

I've never seen anything like it.

 

[Hostile]

Man, I never watch the opening ceremonies, but just flipping by I was mesmerized and watched the whole damn thing. The huge scroll that they laid out on the floor of the stadium? The run around the top of the stadium to light the torch? The fireworks all over the city?

I've never seen anything like it.

I love the opening and closing ceremonies. Overall, this was the best one I have ever seen. I loved the scroll on the ground.

My favorite moment though was that little boy walking with Yao Ming. That really got me.

I knew the fireworks would be spectacular because China is known for them. Man were they ever impressive.

I would watch that again. I really would. I can't say that about any other opening or closing ceremony. It was remarkable. IMO.

 

[Vintage]

Damnit! I missed it. And not because of some misguided "protesting" of China...

I was catching up on Boston Legal and forgot all about it.

****.

 

[peplaw06]

The 100 meter dash and hurdles are the two biggest things going for this olympics. Two sprinters toying with world records and can the china hurdler repeat?

There are a lot of story lines I'm following, including these.

Can US Basketball get back to the top of the podium?

Can Michael Phelps break Spitz's record of golds in one olympiad?

And US swimmer Dara Torres is like 45 years old, what's she gonna do?

 

[Brandon]

The opening ceremonies were awesome, I was lost when the countries were coming out, Canada came out after Lithuania and Papau New Ginuea would come out after Ghana it was weird.

The "run" around the roof of the birds nest was unreal, I was STUNNED.

 

[burmafrd]

84 Olympics are still the best as far as I am concerned. 88 was the worst. Though the 76 one was close.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

84 cannot be the best simply because it was boycotted so the best were not all there, just like in 76 and 80.

African nations boycotted Montreal over New Zealand playing South Africa in rugby, most of the west boycotted Moscow over Afghanistan and the East except Romania boycotted Los Angeles in retaliation over 1980.

I did get to go to some events in 1976 as I lived in Montreal at the time. For my 10th bday present, my parents took me to the Bronze medal soccer game between Brazil and the USSR. USSR won 2-0.

I also watched the end of the marathon that year.

The Montreal Olympics were a financial disaster but that was before worldwide sponsorships took over and the Olympics were turned into money makers. Still, the events were great and competition amazing. Bruce Jenner was the hero of the track events, Nadia Comenici the star of the gymnastic events. All of my friends had a major crush on her. That was the Olympics where the Spinks brothers won Gold as did Sugar Ray Leonard. It was also the second of three Gold for the greatest heavyweight never to be the heavyweight champ, Teofilo Stevenson won Gold. The East German female swimmers, most of which had taken enough testosterone to be officially men, dominated swimming completely.

The games were great.

My son is already bugging me to get 2010 Winter Olympic tickets. Not many people are fortunate enough to live in two host cities in their lifetime. I will have that luxury in 2010.

Biggest travesty of the last 50 years though was 1988 when Ben Johnson lost his Gold despite destroying the field. The travesty was not him losing the Gold. He deserved to lose the Gold for taking banned substances. The travesty was that Carla Lewis was awarded the Gold despite having failed three drug tests before Seoul, all of which were covered up by the US Track and Field Association. He was all high and mighty about Ben Johnson taking roids, saying he was clean, now that we all know he wasn't he says, "that is the past and I won't discuss the past".

Biggest travesty of all time was Jim Thorpe having his 1912 medals taken from him because he was paid to play baseball I think it was. They were only returned to him after he was dead. Having the medals taken from him basically ruined his life.

Anyway, the opening ceremonies were pretty amazing, especially when the darling of the 1984 men's gymnastics event Li Ning was suspended by cables as he lit the cauldron.

 

[DallasFanSince86]

Absolutely fan-damn-tastic.

Yes, it was.

 

[burmafrd]

Canadian as usual misses the point. This was about OPENING CEREMONIES. But what else is new.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Canadian as usual misses the point. This was about OPENING CEREMONIES. But what else is new.

Marine, why are you always such a butthead?

You could easily have written

"CCF, I meant the opening ceremonies but I see where you could have misinterpreted what I wrote as I was not clear".

 

[thekavorka]

yeah, i thought he was talking about the games in general and not specifically the opening ceremonies.

 

[Cowboysfan22]

Absolutely fan-damn-tastic.

I still think the archer who lit the torch in Barcelona was the all time coolest lighting of the torch, but tonight "run" around the stadium was impressive.

it was amazing.

 

[burmafrd]

Well, canadian, maybe I REMEMBERED what the TITLE of this thread is.

Now I know that since the real world often does not register, but how hard is it to realize the title of a thread only 8 posts in?

That is pretty sad even for canadian

 

[joseephuss]

84 Olympics are still the best as far as I am concerned. 88 was the worst. Though the 76 one was close.

Why do you think the 84 opening ceremonies were the best? I remember when everyone lifted their cards and it created the flags of the nation. That was cool, but I don't think the ceremonies as a whole topped what happened in China.

Part of that is just the evolution of the opening ceremonies. It has just become bigger every year. If they held it again in LA, it would be bigger than it was 84. I hope Chicago gets the 2016 games.

 

[Doomsday101]

Why do you think the 84 opening ceremonies were the best? I remember when everyone lifted their cards and it created the flags of the nation. That was cool, but I don't think the ceremonies as a whole topped what happened in China.

Part of that is just the evolution of the opening ceremonies. It has just become bigger every year. If they held it again in LA, it would be bigger than it was 84. I hope Chicago gets the 2016 games.

I agree. I was awed by the opening ceremony the Chinese put together. They did an outstanding job.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Well, canadian, maybe I REMEMBERED what the TITLE of this thread is.

Now I know that since the real world often does not register, but how hard is it to realize the title of a thread only 8 posts in?

That is pretty sad even for canadian

good for you, have you joined mensa yet?

 

[burmafrd]

Well clearly YOU have no chance....

 

[tomson75]

And now we can all watch it for years to come...

http://www.nbcdvd.com/

I'm hoping they replay this on television. I don't have it in me to spend money on this, but what little I've seen through replays was fantastic.