British swimmers to miss the London 2012 opening ceremony

According to the London Evening Standard, the host nation’s cycling and swimming teams are set to miss the extravaganza at the 80,000-capacity Olympic stadium on July 27, meaning that at least 150 of the 550-strong team will not be there. Coaches are worried that the hours-long ceremony, which will finish at 11pm to accomodate US primetime TV, will sap competitors’ energy. British cycling is set to announce an outright ban, while David Sparkles, chief executive of Brittish Swimming says: “It is unlikely much of the team will be there. If a swimmer wants to participate we need to be convinced that it is not going to compromise performance.”