The opening ceremony has been choreographed by film director Danny Boyle and will cost 27 million pounds (42 million US dollars). It has a cast of 15,000 people and will showcase the best of Britain, including a focus on the country’s national health service.
The ceremony is being held in the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, in the east of London, which was built at a cost of half a billion pounds. It has the capacity to hold 80,000 spectators.
10,490 athletes are competing in the Olympic Game, of whom only six are Mozambican. The six Mozambican athletes are Kurt Couto (Athletics – men’s 100 metre hurdles); Sylvia Panguane (Athletics – women’s 100 metre hurdles); Juliano Maquina (boxing – 49 kilo category); Neuso Sigauque (judo – under 60 kilo category); Jessica Vieira (swimming – women’s 50 and 100 metre freestyle); and Chakil Camal (swimming – men’s 100 metre freestyle).
The athletes will stay in the Olympic Village which covers an area of 36 hectares and cost 712 million pounds to construct. Overall the cost of hosting the Olympics is expected to be 9.3 billion pounds.
Among the British athletes tipped to receive medals are Bradley Wiggins who on Sunday won the Tour de France cycle race and his cycling team mates Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish.
On Thursday, Guebuza will be the guest at a dinner held in his honour in the House of Lords hosted by Lord Hughes of Woodside, who was the chairperson of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement from 1976 until its dissolution in 1975. Among the guests attending is the Speaker of the House of Lords, Baroness D’Sousa.
On Friday the President will visit Buckingham Palace where the Queen will hold a reception for many of the heads of state who are in town for the Olympics.
Post published in: Africa News