Animals and actors enter the stadium for a British meadow scene.
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Britain's Bradley Wiggins, who won the Tour de France this year, rings the 23-ton Olympic bell, which was manufactured by the same company that made Big Ben.
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Sheep are led onto the field during the ceremonies.
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British soccer star David Beckham drives a speedboat carrying the Olympic flame to the opening ceremony.
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A general view of the opening ceremony. The 2012 Olympic Games will see 26 sports contested by 10,500 athletes over 17 days of competition.
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British actor Rowan Atkinson, in his role as Mr. Bean, takes part in the ceremony .
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Fireworks light up Tower Bridge as the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony takes place Friday.
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The Olympic Rings are assembled in the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium.
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The Olympic Cauldron is lit during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
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Performers dance during the opening ceremony.
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Winged performers ride bicycles during the opening ceremony.
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Sir Chris Hoy of the Great Britain Olympic cycling team carries his country's flag during the opening ceremony.
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Artists climb chimneys during The Age of Industry scene of the opening ceremony.
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Torchbearer Sir Steve Redgrave hands the Olympic Flame over to seven young athletes who present Britain's hopes for the next Olympics.
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Performers with jet packs take part in the opening ceremony.
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Fireworks explode from the roof of the Olympic Stadium.
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British musician Paul McCartney raises his arms as he sings at the end of the opening ceremony.
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Performers dance during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics on July 27.
Originally published on Fri July 27, 2012 11:30 pm
Queen Elizabeth II declared the London Games open. The Olympic cauldron is lit.
It came after a staggering and cinematic opening ceremony that celebrated all aspects of British life — from its bucolic beginnings to the industrial revolution to modern-day Britain.
The opening ceremony of the London Olympics was on Friday. Howard Berkes took in the show and joins Robert Siegel to preview the upcoming sporting events.
Animals and actors enter the stadium for the British meadow scene prior the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games on Friday.
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Animals and actors enter the stadium for a meadow scene before the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games on Friday.
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The Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force's aerobatic team, fly over the Olympic Park during the ceremony.
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British film director Danny Boyle talks before the ceremony, which he masterminded. The show celebrates British culture, music and literature.
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Rain falls on spectators in the Olympic stadium.
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Britain's Bradley Wiggins, who won the Tour de France this year, on stage during the ceremony. The cyclist rang the 23-ton Olympic bell, which was manufactured by the same company that made Big Ben.
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A fan wearing 3-D glasses watches the ceremony.
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Sheep are led onto the field at Olympic Park.
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Actors perform during the British meadow scene.
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Performers depict a view of the English countryside by playing a game of cricket.
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Guitarist Frank Turner performs on the hillside.
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Spectators play with a giant balloon at the Olympic stadium.
Credit Paul Sancya / AP
Ryan Musgrave of Chicago holds a U.S. flag.
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"We don't get lost in show business" during the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics, says Danny Boyle, who directed the show. Boyle spoke with reporters before Friday's ceremony, which begins at 9 p.m. London time.
Every recent opening ceremony of the Olympics went for glitter and glamour, in an escalating war of excess. Ceremony fanatics consider the Beijing opening ceremony the gaudiest of all — and Oscar-winner Danny Boyle (the director of Slumdog Millionaire) had $42 million to try to outdo the Chinese organizers.
Instead, Boyle says, "You can't get bigger than Beijing. So that, in a way, kind of liberated us. We thought, 'Great. Oh good. We'll try and do something different, then.' "
As we've reported, there were no public events on the Olympic sporting schedule today, the day of the opening ceremony. But we must note that two world records were set at the London 2012 Games this morning. That's when South Korean archer Im Dong-hyun scored a record 699 points.
The Olympic torch is delivered by row boat to the royal barge, Gloriana, on the River Thames, near Tower Bridge in London ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday.
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The Olympic torch is delivered by rowboat to the royal barge, Gloriana, on the River Thames, near Tower Bridge in London ahead of the opening ceremony Friday.
Credit Emilio Morenatti / AP
People cross the Westminster bridge to watch the Olympic flame being delivered.
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Four-time Olympic rowing gold medalist Matthew Pinsent poses with the torch at the courtyard of Hampton Court Palace in London on the final day of the torch relay.
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A statue of Wenlock, one of the Olympic mascots, stands near the Golden Hinde boat in Southwark. Statues of the mascots can be seen around London.
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The seaside town of Weymouth, England, will host the Olympic sailing events.
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Volunteers wipe up water after a light rain at the equestrian stadium in Greenwich Park.
Originally published on Fri July 27, 2012 12:46 pm
The London 2012 Summer Games are set to begin in earnest, with today's opening ceremony kicking off a weekend of gold-medal competitions. But if you're in America and you hope to watch the Opening Ceremony live, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed: NBC is tape-delaying its broadcast until Friday night.
Federico Macheda of Manchester United (center) challenges players from Shanghai Shenhua during a friendly match between the two teams in Shanghai, China, on Wednesday.
Credit AP
Speculation is rampant over the salary of Shanghai Shenhua's Didier Drogba, formerly with Chelsea, shown here during his Chinese Super League debut against Guangzhou Fuli in Guangzhou in southern China, July 22.
Credit Louisa Lim / NPR
Aspiring soccer stars try to score against former Manchester City goalkeeper Alex Williams in Beijing. Local soccer clinics provide visiting international teams publicity for themselves and their sponsors.
Credit Angie Quan for NPR
Hardcore fans were allowed to watch a Manchester City training session ahead of a match against rival Arsenal in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium Friday.
Originally published on Thu August 9, 2012 12:20 pm
On a gray, polluted Beijing morning, parents peer through a fence anxiously at their little darlings' wobbly dribbling skills on the soccer pitch, as they try to score goals against former Manchester City goalkeeper Alex Williams.
U.S. Olympic rower Robin Prendes hopes to lead his boat to the medal stand in London. As part of Tell Me More's series on the athletes you'll be watching, host Michel Martin speaks with Prendes about how he got into rowing after immigrating from Cuba and what he's doing to prepare for the Olympics.
Originally published on Fri July 27, 2012 11:47 am
The Olympics have come a long way since the days of scantily clad Greek men throwing javelins. It wasn't until 1900 that women competed for the first time. And for the first time ever this year, Saudi Arabia is allowing women to compete in the Olympics. (Though even that's complicated.)
