Long wait before opening ceremony ...Athletes left tired, disappointed »

Long wait before opening ceremony ...Athletes left tired, disappointed

BEIJING:

JAMAICAN OLYMPIANS and athletes from other countries who lined up from as early as 2 1/2 hours before the start of Friday night's spectacular opening ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympics left the magnificent Bird's Nest Stadium disappointed and tired.

Arrangements to show the athletes a television feed of the more than two-hour extravaganza broke down while they were in a holding area and Chef de Mission Don Anderson was not pleased.

"In summary, I would give the entire process six out of 10," Anderson said. "It was too long and not athlete friendly. We started gathering at about 5:00 p.m. for the show (which was set to begin three hours later.) We did not leave until after midnight and the athletes had to take the three-hour bus ride back to their camp in Tianjin," he said.

a challenge

"We had enough to eat but the athletes, especially the first time Olympians, were disappointed at not seeing the show. It was a bit of a challenge."

Anderson said the one real bright spot for the athletes and officials while they waited to parade was the opportunity to see American National Basketball Association (NBA) players such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James close up. The world double sprint champion Tyson Gay was also warmly greeted.

"Everybody was real excited to see these NBA players," the Chef de Mission said.

Anderson's most lasting memory from the show came at the very end. It was the spectacular sight of former Chinese gymnastic star Li Ning being carried through the air to light the Olympic cauldron, which will burn for the duration of the Games.

The Jamaican flag was carried by 2004 Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown. Less than a half of Jamaica's athletes paraded. Most are in camp in Tianjin and a decision was taken not to bus in the entire group.

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