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.
ste swaiiles
Guest
torvill and dean
Glovebox
Guest
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?
Jocelyn McLennan
Roar Guru
Andy Murray went very close on Sunday night of having his name up for serious contention. I am a tennis player myself and I still have trouble with tennis being at the Olympics as I know many of the players especially the top ranked do not treat it as the pinnacle. That point was made evident in Sydney when Yevgeny Kafelnikov won the gold and stated " I would have traded all my tournament wins, except the grand slams for this gold medal"...I rest my case.
EddieTheEagle
Guest
It can only be me ... Eddie The Eagle!! No-one has brought more Olympic smiles and joy into the British living rooms than me, myself and I!
DoctorWhoFan
Guest
I choose Doctor Who in the form of David Tennant. What could be more British and he already lit it in episode 2.11!
Jocelyn McLennan
Roar Guru
Who knows, if we are are thinking music then perhaps it could be a Posh and Becks double act!.Ok now I am just being silly
k77sujith
Guest
It's a tough call. Maybe keeping all the nominees aside..Sir Paul McCartney!
Jocelyn McLennan
Roar Guru
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.
Jocelyn McLennan
Roar Guru
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.
Jonny G
Guest
There is also the fact that Bannister never won an olympic medal
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
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!)
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
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)
Matty_Ed
Guest
*I think there was one Olympian who won six golds across six Games. A Hungarian fencer I think.
Matty_Ed
Guest
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.
benson
Guest
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.
oldhacker
Guest
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 ..."
falcore
Guest
It wouldn surprise me in the least is Coe awarded the job to himself
Matty_Ed
Guest
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?
peeeko
Roar Guru
I think you over estimate the amount of "work" that David has done in this regard
Football United
Guest
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.