Summer in London: Cold and wet
By Artemio T. Engracia Jr.Philippine Daily Inquirer
LONDON—The weather is becoming a bit of a factor in the 30th Olympic Games in London with things turning for the worse over the weekend. Following days of great weather going into the Opening Ceremonies on Friday, temperatures started to drop, affecting several outdoor events.
By Tuesday morning, it was raining. The weather is forecast to improve by Wednesday, but only very slightly. The sun is not expected to show its full glory until Friday. But by Saturday, things will go back to normal—cold and wet.
Foul weather affects not just the athletes but the spectators as well. While most fans came in their usual summer wear—shorts and T-shirts—in the first couple of days, they’re now wearing jackets and rain gear.
Already bugged by empty seats after hundreds of VIP tickets went unused, organizers are faced with the prospects of more empty seats in beach volleyball, where spectators come not just for the action but also for the skimpily-clad athletes.
On this cold, rainy morning, the athletes were overdressed.
Javier vs. SI’s top pick
At presstime, Mark Javier was matched against the world’s No. 1 archer for three years, Brady Ellison of the United States. Following the ranking round on Friday, Javier finished 55th out of 64 archers and Ellison finished No. 8.
The American was featured in the Olympic Preview of the Sports Illustrated, which touted him to possibly win USA’s first gold medal in the men’s individual event.
The last Filipino to be rated by Sports Illustrated in its quadrennial Olympic special was boxer Harry Tañamor.
Olympic flame mystery
The mystery of the Olympic flame remained a mystery two days after it revealed itself in dramatic fashion at the Opening Ceremonies Friday. After being lit in the middle of the pitch at the Olympic Stadium, it remained a mystery as to how the field events of athletics would be played with the cauldron in the middle of it all.
In it’s Monday issue, the Evening Standard revealed that the cauldron had been relocated to the south stand of the stadium, where the giant Olympic bell had been, to make way for the athletics events starting Friday.
According to the Standard, the flame was transferred to a miner’s lamp while the cauldron was being moved. When it was in place, the cauldron was re-ignited by Austin Playfoot, who had been a torch bearer for both the 1948 and the 2012 Games.
The cauldron is made of steel pipes bearing 204 copper petals. Don’t look for the Olympic cauldron after the Games. It will cease to exist—the petals will be given to each of the 204 delegations to bring home—“a representation of the transitory community that has come together for the Games.”
Now, a new mystery is emerging. Where was the Olympic bell transferred?
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