Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To think that the Opening Parade at the Olympics is not the place to take selfies?

45 replies

Nanny0gg · 06/08/2016 21:59

Is there nowhere sacred now?

OP posts:

PaulAnkaTheDog · 06/08/2016 23:22

Yabu. I'm not a selfie enthusiast but if there was an occasion where I would take one, something like the Olympics opening ceremony would be ideal.

minsmum · 06/08/2016 23:26

Four of my dd's friends were there they all took selfie's. I think it's great .

Beeziekn33ze · 06/08/2016 23:27

Fine IMHO, they are excited. Nothing sacred about the Olympics except maybe the massive egos of the governing body.
Mandela's memorial was a different matter, Cameron and cronies leaning in for a selfie.

FiveFullFathoms · 06/08/2016 23:29

Why on Earth not? I would think it would be the perfect place to take selfies. Massively exciting and a huge achievement to be there. Why wouldn't you?

Johnny5isAlive · 06/08/2016 23:32

YABU

Amelie10 · 06/08/2016 23:41

Yabu and a bit daft saying that. Why on earth not

WanderingNotLost · 07/08/2016 04:01

Maybe they're Skyping their Mums back home so they can see it. It's what I'd do!!

sashh · 07/08/2016 06:23

As long as I can remember watching opening and closing ceremonies there have been athletes taking photos.

SpecialAgentFreyPie · 07/08/2016 06:24

I think a selfie at the Olympics is much more reasonable that a selfie in a public toilet.

Kittykatmacbill · 07/08/2016 07:05

Yabu. Of course you are for athletes going to the olympics is a huge life event. Definitely a selfie worthy location.
Fwiw I am pretty sure that I remember people taking photos in Atlanta and earlier...

ForalltheSaints · 07/08/2016 07:17

I agree. Make sure a friend is in the stadium to take a photo of you.

Unicornsarelovely · 07/08/2016 07:28

How do you make sure there's a friend to take a picture of you (if not one of the other athletes?)

A lot of the athletes earn nothing from their sport or not enough to pay their bills without a working partner. There was an interview in the Times last week where this applies to some of the London gold medalists.

It's even less likely your entire extended family and friends will turn up for the opening ceremony if you're selected but unlikely to get through the first round.

I'd take a few selfies and photos of my team mates and think it's a much better place to do it than 99.9% of the other places people take selfies.

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 07/08/2016 08:42

I agree. Make sure a friend is in the stadium to take a photo of you.

What friend? Anther athlete? But then they are taking photos rather than doing the apparent "sacred marching".

Or do you mean a friend and family member in the audience? 1. Do you know how hard it can be to get tickets for this kind of thing? We (and his parents) didn't go and watch BIL in one of his commonwealth games. We couldn't get tickets for his sodding event let alone the opening ceremony. Add to that, do you have any clue just how many people are there?

When BIL won his medal it was completely unexpected. (He was only18 at the time.) We did have tickets for the event but only up until the semis the day before. Dh videoed his semi with his phone and you can he us very clearly screaming with excitement when he won and then (literally) 30 seconds later saying "shit - we don't have tickets!"

We spent hours trying to get tickets. (And that includes his mum and dad - not just his brother and SIL.) At one point it looked as though we were going to have to turn up to the venue with as much cash as we could get hold of and try and buy a ticket for maybe 20 times its face price off someone. Luckily BIL had spent the entire games chatting up a girl who worked on security (he was 18 - what else would he do during his downtime ) and she managed to sort them for us.

Again, if you are Mrs Farrah or Mrs Murray then you will be in the stadium. For everyone else, your child / spouse representing their country gives you very few perks whatsoever. (Unless you count re-mortgaging your house three times to help pay for their training a perk!)

NoahVale · 07/08/2016 08:48

i remember them doing this at 2012.

what i thought was odd, was after Andy Murray won at Wimbledon , a few boys were allowed backstage and as soon as he came they turned their backs to him with their cameras, for the self with Him. he was totally unfazed by it.
now that looked very strange.

ForalltheSaints · 07/08/2016 09:10

'Make sure a friend is in the stadium to take a photo of you'.

Make sure there is an allocation of tickets for those participating (even if the friends and family have to pay face value and have to be named on the tickets), instead of people on corporate freebees or who have received them from sponsors such as McDonalds or someone else.

Same goes for a few other major events where ticket allocation is a joke. Maybe we should start in this country with a sensible allocation, perhaps as a condition of sports receiving lottery funding.

LaurieMarlow · 07/08/2016 10:31

What a bizarre thread. Why wouldn't they take selfies?

The 'make sure there's a friend in the stadium' suggestion is ridiculous. As ppl have pointed out, ensuring a friend is there in the first place is difficult. Secondly, the athletes are miles away from the spectators. You'd need some serious photography gear to get a decent shot.

NotMyMoney · 07/08/2016 10:42

We love the Olympics watches some amazing sport on the res button not really interested in swimming and races as Mumoftwoyoungkids says I highly doubt those athletes would have been shown on TV at any point if the Olympics

NeedAnotherGlass · 07/08/2016 13:17

Make sure a friend is in the stadium to take a photo of you
Are you mad! As people have pointed out, do you have ANY idea how hard it is to get tickets to the opening ceremony? Just having friends or relatives able to make it there to watch you compete is beyond many of the athletes.

And have you been in an Olympic stadium? Do you have any idea just how vast it is? You would need some serious camera equipment to get a recognisable photo of someone in a massive crowd on a night from high up in the seats.

alfagirl73 · 26/08/2016 20:32

I know someone who was at the Olympics and won Gold... these athletes are so excited and for many, this is a once in a lifetime experience. Too right they're going to take selfies! It's such an exciting overwhelming experience, it goes by so fast, it's nice for them to be able to look back at these pictures and have amazing memories to cherish from the time they did their country proud!

Original poster

Nanny0gg · 26/08/2016 20:37

I'd forgotten I'd posted this!

Thanks for your responses. I appreciate you all think I was U but I still don't think 'official' parades are the place for camera phones.

So now I'm one of those 'AIBU?' 'YES!' 'Oh no, I'm not!' people.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread