WHAT THEY SHOULD DO ...

The Sunday Age

Sunday March 7, 2010

By JEFF DOWSING

AS A RULE, most sporting traditions conjure positive vibes. Even antiquated grass courts, bad weather and snobbery topped with strawberries and cream, make for a revered combo, a la Wimbledon. But it��s time the five-ring circus did away with the extravagance and nationalistic bombast that is the opening ceremony.Does the Third World really need to see hour after hour of Bollywood gone bad, as the host nation squanders millions of dollars in an attempt to prove its cultural superiority?Sure, when Moscow met Cecil B. DeMille, there was a definite ��wow�� factor �� but as per the latter Star Wars trilogy, bigger ain��t necessarily better, nor does sensory overload equate to unforgettable brilliance or poignancy. Staying awake is half the battle. Try unravelling the supposedly deep and meaningful messages amid the pyrotechnics, special effects and perplexingly costumed cast of thousands. And don��t get me started on the turgid dirges that pass for the bespoke official song.Beijing��s opening ceremony was estimated at $300 million out of a total event budget of $40 billion. Ironically, it was a Chinese apprentice carpenter living in Australia (John Ian Wing) who suggested before the 1956 Melbourne Olympics that as a symbol of world unity, the athletes parade together at the closing ceremony (rather than by country). Maybe it��s time for another similar gesture. A production more Clint Eastwood, less James Cameron.We don��t need the athletes to all hold hands and sing Kumbaya, but why not strip back the Games�� opening to the meaningful formalities; the lighting of the torch, raising of the Olympic flag, the obligatory national anthem and a speech or two? Then, let the Games begin with the marathons, and launch into the track program as the crowd awaits the runners�� big re-entry into the stadium for the finish of the Olympics�� most revered event.It will take a brave host nation though, to cast egos aside and embrace some perspective. But unlike the modern extravaganzas of our time, it would be memorable and unique, and make the Olympics and the world all the better for it.