Disappointed in people's critics of Paris OG ceremonies

[Letti9]

I have been reading the disgusting comments about the opening and closing ceremony in Paris games and I am shocked but not surprised about the pathetic and ridiculous criticisms!!! British are so arrogant and always think they can do better...very disappointed with members of Mumsnet who I thought where a bit more open minded. I think it was amazing whether you agree or not!!!

I didn't watch the closing ceremenony because I was out, but I admit to finding the opening ceremony slow and pedestrian.

It has nothing to do with being arrogant or even Britsh. Other countries' opening ceremonies were also more of a spectacle than the Paris one.

I don’t see the point of the opening/closing ceremonies. Especially when they overrun when they could and should be precision timed.
An “important “ French person could have declared the games open/closed and job done. With the fireworks, obviously, for fireworks are always joyous

The opening ceremony was rubbish though. It veered between boring and bizarre. They also failed to plan for inclement weather.

We didn’t watch the closing ceremony.

I thought the threads were funny. I like a watch a long on MN.

It's OK to criticise something that's a bit crap. The little boats floating down the Seine was rubbish on TV. Then it rained....

I thought the closing ceremony was ok actually. Except when the cheese fest and unnecessary overly sexualised woman appeared. But that was the American bit anyway.

I quite like the closing ceremony seeing all the happy athletes and the orchestra were good.

When it came to the singers though it was pretty awful. Woman murdering the national anthem, ancient band, ancient rapper and the awful Billie Eilish who always sounds like she really can't be bothered and is only putting 10% effort into singing with such a weak feeble voice

The opening ceremony relied a bit too much on people having the sort of working knowledge of French history that the locals have. For example the would recognize the significance of the Marianne segment but to many around the world she was just an opera singer on a roof, holding a flag and getting very wet….

I thought last night was better..it certainly highlighted the difference in cultures.

I thought they were boring and my being British had nothing to do with it.

I remember being mesmerised by India's opening ceremony for the commonwealth games for example.

Paris was shite

It's the same for Eurovision, royal stuff (jubilees, weddings, funerals to a lesser extent) and any other big live televised events. It's a humourous, piss taking watch along. There was the odd comment on the opening ceremony that I thought was a bit much but mostly it was in the same vein as other bigger events.

I do hate the idea that Mumsnet should somehow be above the rest of the internet though. Mothers can snark too.

Well I've been to events at both (not the ceremonies) and hands down I found the London games had much more vibe on site than Paris. Probably because the Paris games were spread out rather than having an Olympic park. But when it comes to the ceremonies, let's not forget the weird NHS celebration in London ( who outside UK got that? And actually UK is not the only country with s national health service.. and was it meant to show off to those who haven't? 🙄) the ceremonies are often a bit odd

The opening ceremony was panned around the world. Look at some international newspaper articles about it…

British are so arrogant and always think they can do better...

Wow. Ok then.

let's not forget the weird NHS celebration in London ( who outside UK got that? And actually UK is not the only country with s national health service..

The entire world who wants to come here to use it knows about it. Come on.

In fairness, some of the comments during the opening ceremony about London 2012 were giving slight 1966 vibes.

New York Times

Opening Ceremony Misses the Boat

…just another bloated made-for-TV spectacle, like a halftime show or awards show or holiday parade that exists to promote and perpetuate itself.

Everything about Friday’s ceremony and broadcast worked to diminish the athletes.

The athletes on their boats still looked far away; the production numbers were not inventively staged for the cameras.

I was at both, and also at London 2012 closing.

The opening ceremony in Paris was bad. We had expected performances on boats, but once the athletes had gone past, we saw nothing, only the not very well
placed screens showing Lady Gaga etc. We went home early.

I think a stadium is a better venue, as 80,000 people experiencing the same thing at once is in itself à beautiful thing.

The closing ceremony was decent if a bit fumbly (there were no announcements of who the singers were, which is a bit weird given global attendance at the event). I did prefer the 2012 closing but will admit that national pride and familiarity with the singers would have helped.

I've just watched highlights of the closing ceremony - thought it was very good.

Not quite as good as that of the PlaymOlympics - for those who missed this great cultural event, scroll down to see some great action:

It's time for the Olympic Games for the Playmobil people in our house PART TWO | Mumsnet

I saw bits of the opening and closing ceremonies. I enjoyed the opera singer and the exploding red mansion and the boats were inventive. I thought it was a bit mean to put the athletes from small teams on tiny rowing boats though! The closing ceremony was fun but bizarre.

I understand that the closing ceremony was a ‘bit rushed’ in planning and preparation, as after the opening ceremony which lead to boycotts of sponsors in the US, and a lot of condemnation worldwide, they had to have a bit of a rethink.

Games have been a bit of a disaster from a PR point of view. Bizarre opening ceremony, difficulty in access due to décision to have multiple sites, asking people to swim in a polluted river 🤮, security upsetting residents, no air conditioning for poorer athletes ( the richer or more favoured countries could pay for it) thé famous cardboard beds, inflicting vegan food on athletes who have very specific training diet expectations, and of course the male boxers in female matches which was probably the most discussed aspect worldwide.

Mais tous ces choses sont seulement des problèmes pour les Britanniques, alors.

Sorry but if something is crap I’ll call it out as being crap. This isn’t the children putting on a show for mummy and daddy.

The opening had some lovely ideas, and I loved that they tried something new, but it was staged by a theatre director not a tv director which might explain why it didn’t really work for the tv. Also, the commentators were given no notes or rehearsal so they had no idea what was going on.

The closing dragged. The sound was bad and the singers all mimed or their monitor speakers and the sound mix were so off that it looked that way.
The American side was slightly better but then they had to have a woman doing nothing but being there to wiggle her tits and arse.

The close at 2012 was not brilliant either.

Can you give an example of the disgusting comments?

how is it arrogant to not enjoy something? And is it only some British people that didn’t like it? Everyone will have different opinions on it.

You liked it. That’s great. That, in itself, is not an indicator that you are more or less arrogant than other people who didn’t.

I agree with you about the boats, @RealHousewivesOfTaunton - at one point I was convinced that some tiny team was going to come down the Seine on a pedalo - and all the teams in small boats, were being horribly tossed around in the wake of the bigger boats.

It didn't make sense that some smaller teams were grouped onto bigger boats, and some were put on tiny ones, either - why not put all the little teams onto bigger boats?

I got bored of the closing ceremony, and went off to watch Criminal Minds instead.

@Letti9 - I am happy for you that you enjoyed the opening and closing ceremonies, but it doesn't automatically make you better than those of us who didn't - it simply means you have different taste to us, and that is OK.

And now the gymnastics floor medal debacle. It's not been big news here but I've read it's been the lead news story in the US (and Romania).

The Romania woman deserved the bronze in my opinion but it seems unfair to do this so late.