Thousands celebrate Olympics handover

Updated 21.54 Sun Aug 24 2008
Keywords: London, David Beckham, Jimmy Page, handover, end, ceremony, high note, Beijing, Olympics

Thousands of revellers gathered outside Buckingham Palace on Sunday as part of celebrations marking the handover of the Olympics from Beijing to London.

As the closing ceremony began in China, flag waving crowds thronged into the Mall ahead of performances by acts including McFly, Will Young, Katherine Jenkins and the cast of Queen musical We Will Rock You.

Big screens then linked up to the ceremony in Beijing, in which London had an eight-minute slot to mark the hand over to the capital

Olympians including Sharron Davies, Sally Gunnell and Roger Black also came to take part in the event.

The mixed weather did little to dampen the spirits of waiting fans who enthusiastically greeted the appearance of McFly, who performed just before the symbolic handover.

They opened their set with a cover of Abba's The Winner Takes it All before performing Lies.

Big screens then linked up to the ceremony in Beijing, in which London had an eight-minute slot to mark the hand over to the capital.

London's slot started with a red double decker bus driving around the race-track inside the stadium, and being surrounded by dancers when it halted.

A nine-year-old girl from east London, Tayyiba Dudhwala, who was chosen in a Blue Peter competition, came out to receive a football from another girl Erika Tham.

As the music reached a crescendo and legendary rocker Jimmy Page came out on a rising stage with a guitar and after a pause, the unmistakable first riffs of Whole Lotta Love blasted out, and Leona began singing.

Towards the end of the song, David Beckham - to huge cheers from the crowd - appeared on another lift accompanied by Dudhwala, plus a violinist and a cellist from the London Symphony Orchestra dressed in Team GB kit.

He was handed the football and kicked it into the crowd of athletes.

Hi-tech umbrellas then covered the bus, forming a screen of images before the bus, transformed into a carnival float, headed out of the stadium.

The effect was what London had hoped achieve - a combination of pop, culture, fashion and sport - and the only slight negative being the sound system in the stadium.

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