An Analysis of the Global Significance of the 2012 London Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony free essay sample

Introduction Sport is seen as the most desirable element of television viewing. It has played a significant role in the growth of television, especially during its emergence as a global technological innovation in the 1960s (Whannel, 2009:201). It can be agreed that television has transformed sport, in a way that it is rare to have one week without an international televised sporting event (Glenn, forthcoming). The live broadcasts of sporting events have the power to engage viewers with an embedded suspense of ‘who will win? It has been internationalized and become globalised in a way that fans in South Africa can follow the fortunes of Tour de France or the German Formula One Racing (Glenn, forthcoming). This essay will analyse how the live broadcast of the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony constitutes as a media event and the global significance that it devotes to the host country. Definitions and Types To understand the concept of what constitutes as a media event, we us e the description given by Dayan and Katz (1992). According to these two authors, media events are monopolistic interruptions of routine. They intervene in the scheduled flow of broadcasting (1992:5) and stimulate viewers to turn to the event. These media events can be subdivided into three scripts as defined by Dayan and Katz (1992). However, this analysis of the 2012 LSOOC only constitutes for two of the ‘scripts’, more specifically ‘Coronations’ and ‘Contests’. Dayan and Katz (1992) define ‘Contests’ as â€Å"rule-governed battles† where individuals or teams compete for victory. These ‘battles’ include major sporting events such as the Olympic Games or presidential elections. They are recurrent rituals that are held every given season. Similar to ‘Contests’, ‘Coronations’ are also rituals. They proceed according to strict rules. However, these rules are governed by tradition as oppose to authority. ‘Coronations’ are ceremonial the â€Å"rites of passage† (1992:31) such as festivities and royal traditions. ‘Coronations’ accelerate the viewer’s anticipation of whether the event will succeed or be undermined as the result of a minor miscalculation. The opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games classifies as a Coronation in itself; as it glorifies the chosen country as a host and invites audiences to promote unity and celebrate tradition. Concurrently, mixed elements of Contests among the opening ceremonies of past Olympic Games and other mega sporting events are notable. Major-sporting events as a Media Events The Olympic Games are pre-planned in a way that it dominates the pages of major newspapers. This sporting event is promoted in a manner that it urges women to provide the necessary ‘viewing-orientated snack food for their menfolk’ (Whannel 2009:206). Media events that involve sport often become the occasion for carnivalesque behaviour, this includes: face painting, singing, parting and the wearing of eccentric costumes and headgear. At the 2012 London Olympic Games, South African supporters wore green and gold to represent the country along with festively adorned safety helmets and blew through long plastic horns to create uproar. However, It was noticed that when the host country’s team was no longer involved in the event as in the 2010 Fifa World Cup, although South Africa failed to qualify for the finals, the South African flag was still seen flying. This is a way in which support went to the African teams left in the tournament. This is a way in which support goes to teams perceived to be representative (Glenn, forthcoming). This sort of behaviour is motivated in and around public venues that provide large television screens for viewing pleasure. The manipulation of time and space has led to the accessibility of television in bars and restaurants which led to the construction of a world enabled public sphere. Consequently, the event itself becomes a dispersed occasion taking place not only at the sports arena, but also within homes and other public places. The Olympics Games The Olympic Games is a major internationalized media event, it highlights both summer and winter sports in which athletes from around the world can participate in. The Olympic Games are considered to be the worlds’ most notable contest with more than 200 nations competing. The Summer Olympic Games are held quadrennialy, meaning that the event occurs every four years. Media events are live television broadcasts. The rise of television has allowed for audiences to act as a witness to the spectacle. While sporting tournaments offer commentary to shape the spectators perceptions, ‘Contests’ and ‘Coronations’ invite the audience at home and at the live event to act as partisans and judges. The audience is then obligated to assess the team’s performance not only in the games, but also the display of the opening ceremony, in which the national identity of the country is unveiled. The Olympic Charter is a set of rules and guidelines for the Olympic Games, used to govern the Olympic movement. It promotes the fundamental principles of Olympism. According to the Olympic Charter (2011), Olympism describes the term coined to refer to a ‘philosophy of life’ that blends sports with education and culture. It strives for the educational value of being a good role model and the respect of universal ethics including: friendship, generosity, non-discrimination and respect for others. Consequently, the International Olympic Committee encourages that every series of Olympic Games be superior to the previous one. Impact of the Olympic Games on Host City The staging of a ‘mega-sports event’ such as the Olympic Games are seen as a major opportunity for the transformation of countries like China in 2008. The hosting of this event not only attracted a large amount of tourism, but it gave citizens the opportunity to travel to the host country and to promote unity and glorify the nation that they had come to retreat in. This enhanced the nation’s world status and built its reputation on a global stage. These media events can be identified by its tourism incentive, and its impacts on the host city. The effects can be either positive or negative. Ultimately, it tends to publically lead the host city towards a positive image even though it does not result in immediate economic benefits. Many theoreticians have argued that the staging of these events only result in negative impacts such as overcrowding increased taxes and a disruption in road works due to Olympic related building (Cashman, 2002:7). However, Cashman (2002) argues that the staging of the Olympic Games is in fact a matter of continuing â€Å"debate and controversy†. In the 2012 London Games there were a number of controversies that surrounded the Games, regarding as to whether issues of ‘cultural elements’ played a role in forming the 2012 iconography. Figure 1: London 2012 Olympics Emblem Figure 1 is a display of the emblem that was used to promote the London 2012 Olympic Games. The image was based on the year 2012 and designed in an aim to appeal to today’s ‘cyber-culture generation’. The debate that surrounded this emblem had received a lot of criticism. Some critics saw it as it resembling many things, from a jagged representation of the Nazi symbol to a sexual act performed by an animated sitcom character. When an official of the IOC committee was confronted, he had this to say: â€Å"The London 2012 logo represents the figure 2012, nothing else† (Borger, 2011). London as a host city London has hosted the games on two previous occasions, first in 1908 and then again forty years later in 1948. The games were also scheduled to be held in London in 1944 but were cancelled as a reaction of World War 2. The 2012 London Summer Olympics made it the third time that London had held the games. This signifies London as a world-leading and financially developed nation and that is seen as the power capital of the world. 2012 London Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony The opening ceremonies of major media events are amongst the most watched television events on the planet (The Vigilant Citizen, 2012). They are seen as an exceptional opportunity for the host country to restructure itself to the world. Traditionally, it celebrates the culture and history of the host nation. However, the 2012 LSOOC endured itself as a ritual display that celebrated the goals and symbolism of London as world elite capital. The opening ceremony of the 2012 London Summer Olympics was held on the 27 July 2012. It was entitled ‘Isle of Wonder’. The ceremony was designed by director of Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Danny Boyle. The ceremony focused on the history of Britain and the actors that influenced it. The ceremony commenced with an ancient land in England, and followed through the Industrial Revolution. The ceremony was told with the use of symbolic references that reminiscent the ‘occult’ history of Great Britain (The Olympics, 2012). The ceremony commenced with a green peasant land that was inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1610), which was also set on a dreamlike isle. It represented the rural ideal that gave way to the Industrial Revolution. This signified the nation’s importance of England’s Glastonbury Tor to the rest of the world. The height of the green land introduced an important change in England. The strive for the Industrial Revolution was heavily influenced by secret societies such as the Illuminati, this was represented by a display of men in top hats coordinating the transformation from a peasant land to an economic social system positioned in the 18th century. The rest of the opening ceremony emphasised on other national features such as the National Health System that glorifies Britain as a nation devoted to its people. The ceremony then concluded with the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, which was composed of petals that represented each participating nation (The Olympics, 2012). In opposition to the 2012 LSOOC being the greatest show ever seen, Woods (2012) argues that London neglected the opportunity to showcase the negative aspects of Britain’s controversial history. The opening ceremony abandoned the chapter between the Industrial Revolution and World War 1 (1914), when Britain perpetually transformed global history. It could be said that the country is suffering from ‘collective amnesia’ as to whether this imperial past should be glorified or precluded. The ceremony was seen as a pled for a reconstruction of the ‘hermetic image’ of Britain. This patriarchal vision portrayed in the opening ceremony signified London as an impenetrable nation. Contradictory, without Britain’s colonial past the contemporary realm would be undefined to all. Therefore Britain remains an important sector of the world. The 2012 LSOOC confirmed that there is a manner to celebrate a controversial country’s history, without acknowledging its â€Å"imperial nostalgia†. Coverage of the Olympic Games Media Events has the ability to monopolise airwaves and interrupt ordinary broadcasting schedules. It demands the exclusive control over television rights as a strategy to maximise audience viewership and advertising revenue. In 1960, South Africa was banned from competing in the Olympic Games as a result of the apartheid era, the nation the returned to the Olympic scene in 1992. With the nation competing, mass audiences were immediately attracted and resulted in the monopolisation of South African television channels. The International Olympic Committee is committed to providing television coverage of the event to a worldwide audience. The 2012 London Olympic Games were broadcasted by a number of both local and international broadcasters. In South Africa, The South African Broadcasting Corporation (hereafter SABC) was granted as the official broadcaster of the 2012 London Olympic Games. The broadcasting organisation delivered the coverage of the Olympic Games across three television channels in all of the country’s’ official languages. SABC 2 was the home of the Olympic Games, while additional content was broadcasted on other channels. During the two weeks of the Olympic Games in London, viewers switched to social media to share their thoughts and experiences of the sporting spectacular. The rise of digital journalism in South Africa allowed for viewers to generate feedback n social media platforms. The display of the 2012 London Olympic Games opening ceremony left viewers in an awe as to how Rio would top the ceremony in 2016. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch (2012) said that the opening ceremony was a great success, even though it was overly â€Å"politically correct†. Conclusion The Audience that viewed the Games might remember the exceptional moments of their national team winning a contest. The key moment for South African audiences viewing the Games was accelerated when the first gold medal was won by South Africa’s Chad le Close for the men’s 200m butterfly final. This, considering that in pre-apartheid South Africa, segregation held a persuasive presence and excluded South Africa from participating in televised events, was seen as a major highlight and tribute to their country for South African fans watching the event. However, viewers are more likely to remember the spectacle version of the opening ceremony that the accumulation of gold medals. The overall impression of a host country is ‘unlikely’ to change due to a well-conducted opening ceremony. London camouflaged its controversial history about the acceleration of World War 1 and unveiled its national features that Britain has to be proud of. Words:  ±2300 References Borger, J. 2011. Iran claims London 2012 Olympics Logo spells the word ‘Zion’. In Guardian. 28 February. 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