US coaches not marching in Olympic ceremony

Don't expect to see Geno Auriemma or Mike Krzyzewski marching with the U.S. delegation Friday night at the opening ceremony.

They aren't allowed because Olympic organizers decided to cut down the number of people marching to shorten the ceremony.

"It really was something special to do, but to be honest the Olympics are about the athletes," Auriemma said. "No one really remembers who the coaches were. No one remembers who coached Jesse Owens.

"I'm OK with it. The focus is, as it should be, on the athletes. They are the ones who got here and deserve the attention and praise."

Auriemma has already marched once when he was an assistant for the 2000 women's basketball team. He has fond memories of the ceremony, walking alongside some of the U.S. greats.

"On one side you have the best swimmers and the other the best track and field stars. It really is something very, very cool," he said.

While the coaching staff is fine with not participating, their athletes were disappointed.

"It really is unfortunate that coaches can't do it," Diana Taurasi said. "They put as much, if not more, time into it than we do. They have 12 or 14 hours days, we show up for practice for two or three hours.

"We'll have to tape that experience for them and let them see it through our eyes."

U.S. track and field men's coach Andrew Valmon also won't be participating in Friday's ceremony. He marched as an athlete in Barcelona at the 1992 Olympics before helping the 4x400 relay team win a gold medal. He'd much rather see someone go who hasn't had the chance to experience it.

"I'm actually trying to figure that out now," Valmon said. "I've done it from the athletes' standpoint. I want to make sure if someone else wants an opportunity to, I'll pass that along, since I've done it once before. It's an honor to put on the Ralph Lauren jacket and pants and hat. That's part of the whole experience."

Neither Valmon or Auriemma have a ticket to the opening ceremony. Auriemma plans to spend the time getting ready for the team's first game the next day against Croatia.

Opening ceremony secrets sort of

Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

Ceremony of Wonders (no blabbing)
Danny Boyle has let 60,000 people in on the secrets of his Olympic opening ceremony — and then begged them to keep the information to themselves.

Tens of thousands of spectators who attended a technical rehearsal for Friday's ceremony entered the stadium to be greeted by signs imploring them to "Save the Surprise." Boyle, the Academy Award-winning director of "Slumdog Millionaire," addressed the crowd with a personal plea not to blab, for the sake of future viewers and the 10,000 volunteer performers who have been working on the spectacle for months.

Many details have already leaked out out of the ceremony, titled "Isles of Wonder" and inspired by Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and by two centuries of British history and culture.

And Boyle left some gaps in Monday's run-through where extra-secret segments will appear on Friday.

Most of those who saw the show seem to be keeping mum. Many tweeted enthusiastically, but vaguely, about the contents of the show, which mixes grand spectacle with British humor and irreverence.

Many of the spectators streaming out of the stadium afterward said they had been wowed —even those who had been skeptical at first.

— Jill Lawless — Twitter http://twitter.com/JillLawless

Better than Sydney?
The Aussie team's chief says the Brits might just do a better job than the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Nick Green tells Australian reporters Tuesday that in his opinion London 2012 will be "the best Olympics ever." The predominantly Australian media responded with mock shock.

Australia's games 12 years ago have until now been considered among the best. But, says Green, "London's learned a lot out of Sydney ... my view is it'll be the best ever."

Edinburgh's finest
Olympic fever hasn't swept through all of Britain — at least not yet.

Most people in Edinburgh, Scotland, are focused on the upcoming Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, an annual festival and demonstration that takes place on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. But that doesn't mean there wasn't a cheer inside pubs such as Maggie Dickinson's on Grassmarket on Monday when Edinburgh's own cycling star Sir Chris Hoy — already Scotland's most successful Olympian — was chosen to carry the British flag for the Opening Ceremony.

Hoy won his first Olympic gold at the Athens Games, but cemented his legacy in Beijing, where he became the first Brit to win three gold medals in a single Olympics since Henry Taylor in 1908. Hoy was chosen to carry the Union Jack at the Closing Ceremony in 2008, and will now carry it for the Opening Ceremony on Friday after a vote of the 542 members of the British team. Hoy will be trying to defend his gold medals in the keirin and the team sprint when the track cycling program begins.

Just how popular is Hoy in Scotland? The Scottish National Velodrome being built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will be named in his honor.

— Dave Skretta — Twitter http://twitter.com/APdaveskretta


Britain deploys 1,200 more troops
Britain's government opted Tuesday to deploy 1,200 more troops to protect Olympic venues, after a key security contractor failed to supply enough guards.

The fresh troops come only three days before Friday's opening ceremony and mean that some 18,200 U.K. military personnel are now involved in some capacity in securing the London games — dwarfing the 9,500 British troops now in Afghanistan. The decision followed a Cabinet meeting discussing venue security.

"On the eve of the largest peacetime event ever staged in this country, ministers are clear that we should leave nothing to chance," Olympics Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a statement. " The Government continues to have every confidence that we will deliver a safe and secure Games."

The government put the troops on standby a few days ago, but suggested that was merely a prudent contingency measure that was unlikely to be used. Tuesday's announcement is yet another embarrassment for security provider G4S, which has consistently failed to deliver on its Olympic contract.

Thousands of British soldiers have been sent on short notice to fill the gap in guards. Some of the servicemen have seen their leaves cancelled while others have only recently returned from tours in Afghanistan.

Singapore sends 4 shuttlers to London Games

Singapore is sending four shuttlers -- two singles players and a doubles pair -- to the 2012 London Olympics.

The women's doubles pair of Yao Lei and Shinta Mulia Sari is expected to make it to the quarter-finals, despite the trip being their first Olympic outing.

The duo's impressive performance at the recently-concluded Li Ning Singapore Open has boosted their confidence, and their coach is hopeful that they can reach the quarter-finals.

Yao Lei and Shinta Mulia Sari are currently ranked 12th in the world.

"I feel that we are hoping for a medal and actually they've given us a very good role model so we have to put in our best," Yao said.

"We now need to take care of our condition and our game. I feel that the preparations are on track, we are ready," Sari said.

Another Olympic debutant, women's singles player Gu Juan, also wants to return home with a medal.

The only male player in the squad, Derek Wong, has a more modest target.

"I am expecting to do the best I can for every round and hopefully make the top 16 for the Olympic Games," he said.

Wong is hoping his 2012 experience would help him make a bigger impact at the 2016 Olympics.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Singapore's women's doubles pair of Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia, went all the way to the quarter-finals.

That may be inspiration enough for Shinta Mulia Sari and Yao Lei to go one better, or even surpass expectations -- and come home with a medal.

US flag bearer seldom obvious alternative

A four-time Olympian who has won fourteen gold medals and has said he's retiring at the top of the London Games, Michael Phelps would seem the perfect athlete to guide the us into the gap ceremony on Friday.But the respect of leading the U.S. team into a Summer Games has seldom gone to the apparent alternative.Since gap ceremonies became a part of the Olympics in 1906 and U.S. team manager Matthew Halpin was named flag-bearer, few, if any, of these chosen for the work may well be described as being household names.Four-years ago at the Beijing Games the honour fell on refugee Lopez Lomong, one amongst the "Lost Boys" from war-ravaged Sudan who found a home within the us, an unknown one,500 meter runner who has never appeared in an Olympic final.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, it absolutely was Dawn Staley, a triple gold medalist on the women's basketball team charged with carrying the flag whereas kayaker Cliff Meidl, who nearly lost each his legs during a construction accident then battled back to become a two-time Olympian, handled duties in Sydney.This year the U.S. flag-bearer can come back from a pool of 530 athletes.The captains from twenty six groups every recommend a nominee followed by a secret vote where inspirational stories and long service have typically carried the maximum amount weight as performance and results.

"That's what makes it special, they're not solely representing their country however they're conjointly representing their teammates," said us Olympic Committee (USOC) spokesperson Patrick Sandusky."This is someone the athletes themselves have selected, they need gotten along during a space and determined who they need to carry the flag."It's not one thing from a bureaucratic standpoint or trading a favour, it is the athletes themselves deciding who they assume is the right person."

By any customary, Phelps is also deserving of the respect however won't even be swimming's nominee.Competing within the 400m individual medley on the primary day of the Games, Phelps has removed himself from thought and can watch the gap ceremonies from the comfort of couch as he prepares to chase a lot of Olympic glory."There isn't any probability he can try this [carry the flag] as a result of he swims consecutive day," Phelps long-time coach Bob Bowman told Reuters. "Unfortunately he's not getting to have that have."

No swimmer has led the U.S. into an Olympic stadium since Gary Hall Sr. at the 1976 Games however even while not Phelps there are no shortage of deserving candidates, some globally famous others unknown outside of their respective sports.Los Angeles Lakers all-star guard Kobe Bryant, one amongst the world's best known athletes, are going to be given serious thought as
will five-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams, who is attempting to feature to her haul of 2 Olympic gold medals when winning the doubles at the 2000 and 2008 Games.

At the opposite finish of the spectrum are candidates like equestrian Karen O'Connor, the oldest athlete within the team who is competing in her fifth Games and world champion judoka Kayla Harrison, who was sexually abused by a former-coach and has
become a flagbearer for abuse victims and can try and become America's initial gold medalist within the sport

Rain forecast for London 2012 Ceremony

While the sun is also shining on Team GB’s cyclists when their historic leads to the Tour de France, there's a risk of showers for London on the day of the Olympic gap ceremony.While Danny Boyle’s formidable plans for the gap ceremony embrace clouds that may rain down over the stadium in Stratford, east London, fingers had been crossed that the much-anticipated event would otherwise keep dry.After weeks of wet weather the outlook has brightened for the approaching week.Pictures from Cardiff and London as Olympic countdown continues The mercury is about to rise to 29C (84F) or maybe 30C (86F) tomorrow, and can keep within the high 20s for the remainder of the week, however forecasters said temperatures are set to fall once more by Friday.

Billy Payne, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “Today is wanting to induce up to 27C (80.6F) or 28C (82.4F) within the South East and it'll be dry, hot and sunny in most elements of England and Wales.

“But there'll be plenty of cloud across southern Scotland and Cumbria, with persistent rain.“Tomorrow are going to be a lot of of a similar and will rise up to 29C (84F) or 30C (86F) within the London space.“Towards the top of the week it's getting to get plenty cooler and a lot of unsettled.“It appearance like there’s a risk of serious showers, definitely within the south-east corner of the country.“Temperatures ought to still be somewhere round the mid-twenties on Friday, and it's probably to be cooler over the weekend.”Widespread flooding, the wettest amount of April to June on record and a lot of serious rain up to now this month are caused by the jet stream settling unusually way south.

But forecasters said it's on its manner back north, resulting in a lot of ancient summer weather in the week.Bookies are taking bets on what consecutive few weeks can bring, with William Hill providing odds of 3/1 that it's raining throughout the gap ceremony and 66/1 that the Olympic flame is extinguished whereas te than 100F (38C) are going to be registered within the UK whereas the Games are going down.William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said: “There will be very little doubt that the British weather can have its say at the Olympics, possibly it'll be we have a tendency tot however we may well be in for a scorcher.”

2012 Summer Olympics: History of the gap Ceremony

The gap Ceremony at the Summer Olympics wasn't invariably the spectacle that it's these days. In fact, there was little or no fanfare concerned within the 1896 Games of the I Olympiad in Athens. As time went on, the gap Ceremony became the stage for not solely the world's greatest athletes, however conjointly the host country's innovation and, in some cases, political statements.Here could be a rundown of how the gap Ceremony has evolved:First gap Ceremony: Athens, 1896. Spiros Samaras and Kostis Palamas created the Olympic Anthem for the games, which has been the official anthem since the 1960 Olympics. The games were officially opened by King George I.First parade of the delegations: London, 1908. it absolutely was the primary time that the athletes paraded behind their country's flag in sport apparel. But, it wasn't till the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam that the order of the Parade of countries (Greece initial, host country last) would become protocol.Unity when World War I: Antwerp, 1920. The gap Ceremony in Belgium saw several firsts: the employment of the Olympic flag (five interlocking rings, the colours of that represented a minimum of one color from each flag collaborating within the games; conjointly represented the unity of 5 continents), the introduction of the Athlete's oath (which was created by a competitor from the host country on behalf of all the athletes), and also the unleash of doves as a logo of peace.

Use of fire: Amsterdam, 1928. A cauldron at the highest of a tower within the stadium was lit with symbolic fireplace, the primary time fireplace was employed in the Olympic Games.Political pageantry: Berlin, 1936. The Olympic organizers, namely Dr. Carl Diem, came up with the thought of a torch relay that would begin in Olympia, Greece, and finish in Berlin. it absolutely was a move to showcase the ability of Nazi Germany. And, the assembly of it all, from the planning of the torches to the media coverage, proved that time. Despite the political implications of that particular torch relay, it absolutely was the beginning of a practice that continues within the gap Ceremony of the Olympics to the present day.Paying homage to the fallen: Tokyo, 1964. the ultimate leg of the torch relay was run by a young man who was born in Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 -- the day the atomic bomb was dropped on his town by the us. it absolutely was Japan's manner of honoring the victims of the attack that left tens of thousands of individuals dead.The end of twenty years of boycotts: Barcelona, 1992. From 1972 to 1992, the Olympic Games experienced one boycott or another.


Finally, it all ended with the Barcelona Olympics, and also the country celebrated during a huge manner. The gap Ceremony was replete with colourful puppetry and a paralympic archer that sent a flaming arrow over the gang to lightweight the Olympic cauldron.Memorable moment: Athens, 2004. Singer Bjork performed "Oceania" at the gap Ceremony, a song that she wrote for the Olympics. throughout her performance, her dress unfurled across the ocean of athletes, turning into a ten,000 sq. foot map of the world.Most spectacular ceremony: Beijing, 2008. Few would disagree that the Chinese outdid themselves with the gap Ceremony of the 2008 Olympics. With virtually fourteen,000 participants, the host country placed on an awe-inspiring show of meticulous precision, skill, and theatrics.

London tests itself for a 3rd time

LONDON is that the 1st town to host the trendy Olympics thrice. In 1908, it absolutely was as proxy for financially straitened Rome. In 1948, it absolutely was to balm a world still feeling war’s pinch. In 2012, it'll be – but inadvertently – to distract the planet, particularly Europe, from recession. Somehow, the role of the Olympics in London forever is to supply cheerful relief.
1948 was known as the Austerity Games. In 2012, regarding £11 billion ($33.5 billion) has been lavished on infrastructure, security and staging. London, we know, can do pomp and ceremony well, and also the right issue dutifully; in Olympic Park, there'll be official boxes for peacock princes, however additionally 650 coops for birds and bats.

Running the sports is that the best half. Logistics is that the hardest. London in summer may be a crowded town anyway, and at the height of the Olympics are teeming as Beijing never was. On a standard day, there are three.5 million public transport visits. On the busiest Olympic day, there'll be three million additional. The marathon couldn't be routed across the Thames for concern of gridlock, and therefore can end not within the stadium as usual, however Pall Mall. guests can need to learn to adopt a stiff higher lip.

Otherwise, seemingly, London has outlived the quality Olympian coniptions: a ticketing fiasco, grumblings of disaffected locals and issues regarding unreadiness. Suave Lord Sebastian Coe is as presentable face as any the Olympic movement has recently had.

Australia are, as ever, nakedly bold. this can chafe against 2 forces. One is that the certainty of its gradual slide down the medals table since Sydney 2000. The Olympics became an arms race, and Australia cannot win it. The AOC’s position is that the default of all Australians who don’t get what they want: it blames the govt..

The other force is nice Britain’s ambition, for once as bare-faced as Australia’s. Replete with lottery cash, figuring on a ten per cent home ground advantage, the Brits are in it to win it, or a minimum of beat Germany and France. Australia desires a minimum of to beat nice Britain. This Ashes-style Olympics is Australia’s new reality, consummated by an exotic bet between the sports ministers of the countries that may humiliate the loser.