Titled ‘Isles of Wonder’, the ceremony on Friday night welcomed the finest athletes from more than 200 nations for the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, marking an historic third time the capital has hosted the world’s biggest and most important sporting event.
One of the highlights of Friday’s ceremony was a filmed segment in which James Bond met the Queen Elizabeth II and the pair boarded a helicopter, supposedly en-route to the Olympic Stadium.
The ‘Queen’ then donned a parachute and leapt out of the helicopter to float down to the stadium. While viewers were amazed that the real Queen had participated at the start of the sketch, obviously the 86-year-old monarch didn’t jump into the sky.
The man who played the role of Queen Elizabeth II in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on Friday was stuntman, Gary Connery, who was wearing the same outfit as the Queen.
Other highlights included a scene depicting traditional countryside cottages standing alongside a mining wheel, harking back to Britain’s industrial heritage.
The Opening Ceremony reflected the key themes and priorities of the London 2012 Games, based on sport, inspiration, youth and urban transformation. It was a Ceremony for everyone and celebrated contributions the UK has made to the world through innovation and revolution, as well as the creativity and exuberance of British people.
The spectacular finale of the event saw the Olympic Cauldron, formed of 205 copper petals representing the competing nations coming together in London for the Games, ignited by seven young Torchbearers nominated by Britain’s past and present Olympic and sporting greats.
