When the ceremony that officially signals the opening of the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games gets underway today, there will be one Trinidadian among the thousands of athletes, perfor- mers and spectators who will be living his own Olympic dream.
Born in Ghandi Village, Debe, Jimmy Badal is one of the 10,000 performers who will bring to life director Danny Boyle's £27 million production, "Mass Movement", to billions of viewers worldwide.
Badal, who currently lives in England, says it's a dream come true.
"After viewing the Barcelona Games in 1992 as a little boy, I said to myself: one day, I would represent my country at the Olympics, so when they advertised for volunteers for London's opening ceremony, I jumped at the opportunity.
I was interviewed two years ago, and after lots of tough auditions, I was successful in gaining a role for the opening performance."
Badal said being accepted as a volunteer was the easy part.
What followed was six months of a difficult journey to be ready for the opening ceremony.
"I have had to devote hundreds of hours to training and rehearsals since it started last year and had to work with volunteers from over 75 countries, as well as training managers from all around the globe.
"Initially, we began training at Dagenham in East London, which is quite a distance from the Olympic Park. In the weeks and months that followed, we began working with the cast, props, teams and five thousand volunteers, moving at the same time.
"It was here we got all our instruction from creative director Danny Boyle, and it was here that the picture started to come together in our minds," he told the Express.
Badal credits his mother and his love for sports for his willingness to do volunteer work at any level.
"My mum has been a huge inspiration in my life. She taught me how important it is to always give back to the village, the community and the less fortunate. She is a strong woman, and I learned most of my values from her.
"Additionally, having a passion for sports led to me serving as a volunteer when Trinidad hosted the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2001. I gained a lot of experience, he said."
Badal could not share much about his role since they were sworn to secrecy, however, he will feature in the opening segment, which is a drama- tic tale of the Industrial Revolution's working men and women.
His section highlights the transformation from agriculture to industry in England and features 70 sheep, 12 horses, ten chickens, three cows, two goats, dogs and geese.
Additionally, traditional countryside cottages will stand together with a mining wheel, harking back to the country's proud industrial heritage, all drenched in faked pouring rain to reflect Britain's typical weather.
The show, called the "Isle of Wonder", is inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest and will entail one thousand drummers, video clips of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with the sound of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" resonating in the background.
"My dedication and perseverance of attending the final rehearsals will pay off (today) when I perform for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, more than one hundred heads of state, one hundred and fifty IOC members and billions of viewers around the world.
"At this time in my life, I am truly proud to be a Trinidadian and to be representing my country as a volunteer at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games," he said.
"Who would have thought that a man from Debe in Trinidad would be performing to the biggest global audience in recent years? But twenty years after the Barcelona Olympics' opening ceremony, my dream finally comes true."
—Editor's Note: Danny Boyle is noted for directing the movie Slumdog Millionaire.
-Donstan Bonn
Source: www.trinidadexpress.com
Richard “Torpedo” Thompson started his sprinting career at Louisiana State University (LSU) while on a scholarship. As a member of the LSU Tigers track and field team, he lowered the NCAA Indoor record in the 60 metres in 2008. In his first World Championships in Athletics, in Osaka in 2007, Thompson failed to make it past the quarterfinals, placing eighth in 10.44 seconds. The following year, Thompson achieved his best moment up to then by taking both the 60m indoor and outdoor sprints at the NCAA Championships. He expanded his portfolio to include the 200m that year and ran his personal best (pb) for the 200m of 20.18s. His 60m pb is 6.51s achieved in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, “Torpedo” sped to a pb time of 9.89 s in the men’s 100m, to finish second behind World record holder, Usain Bolt, who set the Olympic record of 9.69. His new pb time made him the second fastest T&T 100m sprinter ever, after four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon. Thompson grabbed his second silver medal in Beijing when teaming up with Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender for the men’s 4x100m relay final. The local team finished in 38.06 behind Jamaica (37.10). With the substitution of sprinter Aaron Armstrong for Callender, that team also grabbed gold at the 2008 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships in a time of 38.54.
George Bovell III is the most successful swimmer to come out of T&T. Some highlights of his illustrious career include winning bronze in the men’s 200m Individual Medley (IM), capturing five Pan American Medals (2 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze), and five individual NCAA titles. Bovell is currently the fourth fastest man in history of the 50m freestyle. Coming from a family with a history of involvement in sport, it was only natural that Bovell followed suit. His mother, Barbara, was an Olympic runner and a Canadian champion. His father was a successful Collegiate swimmer and T&T Sportsman of the Year. Hiss brother, Nicholas, is also an Olympic swimmer.
It’s officially here! The 2012 Summer Olympic Games-XXX Olympiad. When you turn on your television, almost every channel will be carrying live coverage of the opening of the largest sporting festival in the world. Hosted in London for the second time—the first was in 1948—the opening ceremony will get going at 2.30pm (T&T and the eastern Caribbean time.) More than 10,000 athletes will participate in various disciplines over the next 17 days (July 27-August 12,) all hoping to win gold, silver or bronze for their respective countries, vying for international pride on the biggest sporting stage in the world. The T&T contingent was originally 52, inclusive of athletes, management and coaches, but has been reduced by one as female track star Josanne Lucas had to return home due to an injury.
The World Olympians Association yesterday hosted a prestigious Gala in the exclusive St. James's Palace in London’s famous Pall Mall. Some 400 members of the Olympic family gathered in the presence of H.R.H. The Princess Royal and under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. A highlight of the association’s activities in London, the Gala has underlined the renewed positive relations with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Federations and National Olympic Committees, under the leadership of its new President, Joel Bouzou. The event marked a key milestone in WOA’s intention to step up its role with the IOC with it’s double mission: “Serving Society and Serving Olympians”.
Speaking in agreement with President Bouzou, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Patron of the WOA, emphasized: “As an Olympian and a member of the International Olympic Committee, I am delighted to see this Association take a growing place in the Olympic movement. The Games are nothing without athletes. They would not exist without these tens of thousands of Olympians who have written these pages in history.”