In keeping with tradition, the athletes in the 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony are set to enter the stadium in mass, representing the atheletes coming together as ‘one nation.’ This tradition started back at the 1956 Summer Olympics at the suggestion of John Ian Wing, a schoolboy in Melbourne, where the Olympics were held that year.
As in recent past Olympics, the flag-bearers of each country will enter the stadium before the rest of the athletes. The flag-bearer for the US, chosen through a vote by the US athletes, will be Bryshon Nellum. Four years ago, after taking a shotgun blast to his legs, Nellum was told by doctors that he would likely never be able to run at world class speeds again. Earlier this week he won a silver medal as part of the US men’s 4×400-meter relay team.
The closing ceremony in London is being billed as an after-party celebration, filled with music from popular British musicians including The Who, George Michael, the Spice Girls, Muse, and the Pet Shop Boys. It will celebrate the last 50 years of British music and 30 some songs. Rather than appearing on a single stage, the musicians will be signaled out on the crowded field via spotlights.
NBC took some heat over its decision not to stream the Opening Ceremony live.
Apparently they got the message and will stream the 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony live online. Streaming coverage begins at 4pm ET today at NBCOlympics.com. The Closing Cermony will also be available live on tablets and smartphones through NBC’s Olympics Live Extra App (cable/satellite subscribers will have to verify their subscriptions).
The ceremony will be shown on TV starting at 7pm ET/PT tonight, on NBC.
As per tradition, the Closing Ceremony will include the handing of the Olympic flag to the host of the next Summer Olympics in 2016, Rio. Rio will then have a chance to provide a sample of the cultural aspect of the 2016 Olympics with a samba and Carnival-flavored performance.
Will you be watching the Closing Ceremony on the live feed? What did you think of the 2012 Summer Olympics? Leave your comments below!
photo credit: DCMS
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