Who will light the Olympic flame in London?
Roar Pro By Jocelyn McLennan, 30 Jun 2012 Jocelyn McLennan is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Andy Murray, David Beckham, London 2012 Olympics
AC Milan English soccer star David Beckham is injured after received a kick from Chievo Verona midfielder Giampiero Pinzi during the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Chievo at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 14, 2010. AP Photo/Antonio Calanni.
David Beckham’s odds to light the Olympic flame must have shortened now that he has missed selection for the English team as a player.
As with Sydney 2000, it is a great topic around office water coolers in London right now to who will be given the honour. Surely there is many others greats who could have the honour but can they match Beckham’s international rock star profile?
Let’s examine a few contenders.
What about Princess Anne? A 1976 Olympian herself but royal protocol may cancel her chances out. Her daughter Zara Philips is in the equestrian team and could be a contender but the same protocol may dismiss her chances even though she is not an officially titled royal.
Lord Sebastian Coe? Hee is head of the organising committee. It would smack of self indulgence if he does.
Daley Thomson the 1984 decathlete champion might be a chance, but his star has faded somewhat.
Former English football hero Gary Lineker may be a name touted, but his achievements have been overshadowed by Beckham.
Looking outside the Olympic spectrum, maybe jockey Lester Piggott is a chance. However, falling foul of the law in 1987, resulting in jail time for tax issues would surely cancel him out.
Formula one ace Sir Jackie Stewart? Potentially, but not sure whether Lord Coe would risk giving the honour to a Scot. If he wanted to ensure the Games are seen as British and not just English, you would think Stewart’s appointment might be a chance .
Although I am sure the job has already been awarded, last minute changes could be made should Andy Murray win Wimbledon.
Perhaps the greatest challenger to Beckham is rower Sir Steven Redgrave. He won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000 and was hailed Britain’s greatest Olympian. However, since he is not well known outside of Britain and rowing circles my money is on Beckham.
- Explore:
- Andy Murray, David Beckham, London 2012 Olympics
June 30th 2012 @ 4:00am
C. Heston said | June 30th 2012 @ 4:00am | Report comment
Roger Bannister
June 30th 2012 @ 6:13am
peeeko said | June 30th 2012 @ 6:13am | Report comment
why would beckham light the torch? he has never been an olympian
July 28th 2012 @ 7:30am
ste swaiiles said | July 28th 2012 @ 7:30am | Report comment
torvill and dean
June 30th 2012 @ 11:17am
TheSportsFreak said | June 30th 2012 @ 11:17am | Report comment
Beckham – no. Ridiculous to even contemplate it for mine.
It would have to be an Olympian. The question is, who has been Great Britain’s greatest Olympian?
At the age of 83, if Roger Bannister has all his functions about him, that would be a great choice.
Does Steven Redgrave make the cut? 5 gold at 5 Olympics. At the very least he should be carrying the flame around the stadium.
Strange one – Torvill and Dean? Unlikely, but the Opening Ceremony always springs a surprise.
But it has to be one of Bannister or Redgrave.
July 1st 2012 @ 1:18am
Football United said | July 1st 2012 @ 1:18am | Report comment
David Beckham has done unbelievable work for british sport in general and has done more than any olympian to actually get the olympics to London as well as promote it to the sceptical masses of the uk.
July 1st 2012 @ 6:09am
peeeko said | July 1st 2012 @ 6:09am | Report comment
I think you over estimate the amount of “work” that David has done in this regard
July 1st 2012 @ 7:41pm
TheSportsFreak said | July 1st 2012 @ 7:41pm | Report comment
I agree Beckham’s been an amazing sports star. However, I can’t see the organisers give the final torch to someone who hasn’t actually taken part in the Olympic Games before (as far as I know)
June 30th 2012 @ 11:39am
Jonny G said | June 30th 2012 @ 11:39am | Report comment
July 1st 2012 @ 7:44pm
TheSportsFreak said | July 1st 2012 @ 7:44pm | Report comment
HA! As a pretty big Whovian, the fan boy in me would love to see it. But only if the Daleks exterminate the flame in the closing ceremony (because I’m sure no one has made that joke before!)
June 30th 2012 @ 11:41am
Jonny G said | June 30th 2012 @ 11:41am | Report comment
And I’m sure Steven Redgrave exceeds the cut, he is often regarded as Britain’s greatest olympian
June 30th 2012 @ 2:06pm
gurudoright said | June 30th 2012 @ 2:06pm | Report comment
Daley Thompson, the 1980 and 1984 Decathalon Gold Medalist has got to be one to light the flame. A champion athlete and all round good guy
July 1st 2012 @ 7:35am
Matty_Ed said | July 1st 2012 @ 7:35am | Report comment
Redgrave without a doubt. Far and away Britain’s most well-known Olympian and far and away their most successful. I’d almost put my house on it.
Don’t really buy the argument that “he is not well known outside of Britain and rowing circles.” How well known was Cathy Freeman outside Australia/athletics or Nikolaos Kaklamanakis (Athens 2004) outside Greece/sailing?
July 1st 2012 @ 10:40am
falcore said | July 1st 2012 @ 10:40am | Report comment
It wouldn surprise me in the least is Coe awarded the job to himself
July 1st 2012 @ 6:08pm
oldhacker said | July 1st 2012 @ 6:08pm | Report comment
Bannister. Bannister. Bannister. More than half a century on, he’s still one of the biggest names in sport for what he did. It would be the equivalent of an aged, trembling Ali lighting the flame at Atlanta. I was high up in the Centennial Stadium (now Turner Field) and it took a decade for the goosebumps to subside. Not to decry Redgrave’s feat but the organisers should go with history rather than golds won — not least because Sir Steve’s feat has been replicated by another 32 athletes in Olympic history, while 26 have won six or more golds, headed by Phelps on 14 and counting. You can imagine 50 million opening ceremony viewers across the southern USA: “Well, hell, Sue-Ellen, we git a guy whose got ’bout three times as much gold and he ain’t fixin’ to set no fancy chimney alight …”
July 1st 2012 @ 7:28pm
Matty_Ed said | July 1st 2012 @ 7:28pm | Report comment
I think you are diminishing Redgrave’s achievements a little. He competed in a sport where it is extremely rare for an athlete to enter more than one event at any particular Games. The fact that he was able to win gold at five different Olympics, through to the age of 40, is unprecedented. I feel his achievement is as “historical” as Bannister’s, for Britain anyway. He came on to the scene when Britain’s entire team, and particularly the rowers, were not performing strongly. When he left, after Sydney, rowing was far and away GB’s strongest sport. In 1996, his win in the pair with Pinsent was GB’s only gold of the Games.
July 1st 2012 @ 7:31pm
Matty_Ed said | July 1st 2012 @ 7:31pm | Report comment
*I think there was one Olympian who won six golds across six Games. A Hungarian fencer I think.
July 1st 2012 @ 8:07pm
Jonny G said | July 1st 2012 @ 8:07pm | Report comment
There is also the fact that Bannister never won an olympic medal
July 2nd 2012 @ 11:47am
Jocelyn said | July 2nd 2012 @ 11:47am | Report comment
Ok so I forgot about Bannister. No need to be so dramtic old hacker!. How is his mobility these days? Remember there was also an adverse reation to a Parkinson riddled Ali lighitng the flame in Atlanta?
Yes I agree. Bannister would a be a better pick than Redgrave but he was voted the greatest ever British Olympian by their own Olympic committee!
We only have 26 days to wait and find out who is right.
July 1st 2012 @ 6:17pm
benson said | July 1st 2012 @ 6:17pm | Report comment
Why not mimic the archer at Barcelona and let Beckham bend a flaming ball into the cauldron. Just don’t invite Ashley Cole or Ashley Young do it — the Olympics would get under way late after the fire brigade had to extinguish a blaze in an adjacent grandstand.
July 2nd 2012 @ 6:26pm
Jocelyn said | July 2nd 2012 @ 6:26pm | Report comment
Benson that is priceless…the jury is still out to whether the archer at Barcelona hit the mark as well.Rumours have it that he missed over the back and it was lit by automatic back up.
July 25th 2012 @ 10:17pm
Glovebox said | July 25th 2012 @ 10:17pm | Report comment
It has been said the lighting of the stadium flame will be a “Wow” moment. I think the idea of Beckham kicking a flaming ball into a dish with his pinpoint accuracy holds some merit.
Also….. 2 days to go.. and is it just me? but every time he’s on TV he has got a real glint into his eye….. What does he know?