Light the Way

Communities of Faith SECTION A

However, every athlete gets to take part in the opening ceremony. This is held in a massive purpose-built stadium. Like the games themselves, this event is broadcast live and watched by millions of people across the world. The ceremony begins with the raising of the host nation’s flag and the playing of its national anthem. Then the worldwide audience is presented with a spectacular display that showcases all that is best in the host nation’s performing arts – cinema, dance, music, singing, television and theatre – and in its history. This is followed by a grand parade of all the athletes into the stadium. They are grouped according to their nation and each national team enters in alphabetical order. Traditionally, Greece is given the honour of leading the parade as it was the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The host nation’s athletes are the last to enter.

Next, speeches are given to formally open the games. Finally, the Olympic torch is brought into the stadium by the last members of a vast relay team. Its many members have passed the torch along a great chain of runners that stretches all the way back to Greece itself. Usually a successful athlete from the host nation is given the honour of being the final torch-bearer. He/she gets to light the Olympic flame in a huge cauldron that towers over the stadium.

All these different parts do not come together by accident. They are not put together overnight. The Olympic Games are the final product of years of careful planning and hard work by a huge number of people.

Think of all the people who are involved, in some way, with staging the games:

¢ The planners who begin the whole process by listing all the things that must be done to make the games possible.

¢ The fundraisers who must raise the money needed to stage the games by: (a) selling broadcasting rights; (b) obtaining sponsorship from large corporations; and (c) selling stadium tickets and sporting merchandise.

¢ The architects who design the venues, especially the Olympic stadium and the Olympic village, where all the athletes will be housed.

¢ The engineers who must deliver a transport system that will get the huge influx of spectators safely and efficiently to and from the venues.

¢ The accountants who must oversee all spending on the games. For example, the London Olympics of 2012 cost just under £9 billion to stage.

¢ The organisers who decide when and where the different competitions will be held.

¢ The lawyers who draw up the rules which the athletes must follow.

¢ The medical personnel who must monitor the athletes to ensure they do not take banned substances, i.e. drugs that would give them an unfair advantage over other participants.

¢ The police and armed forces of the host nation who must ensure the security of all those who participate in and attend the games.

Have you ever stopped to think about what an enormous challenge it must be for a city to successfully stage the Olympic Games?

During the London games of 2012, there were some 860 different types of job to be done across 80 different venues to make the games possible. In addition to a large, professional managerial staff, some 70,000 people volunteered their services and demonstrated great goodwill by working a total of 8 million hours for free. The city of London had to cater for the needs of 9 million visitors.

¢ The athletes and their coaches who dedicate years of their lives so that they can take part in this great sporting occasion.

For the Olympic Games to succeed, all these different people must cooperate.

REMEMBER! To cooperate means to work together.

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