Opening ceremony easier for athletes
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China Daily, July 28, 2011
Athletes should decide for themselves whether to attend next year's Olympic opening ceremony and the benefits are likely to far outweigh any disadvantages, London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said on Tuesday.
UK Athletics head coach Charles Van Commenee has said Britain's track and field team must not take part in the ceremony for its home Games because of the risk to performance in events.
"They would not go shopping for eight hours a few days before they compete, so why would you be on your feet for that length of time?" he said this month.
"Some are tempted because (it is a) once in a lifetime experience, but in the end we are aware that performance is No 1."
Coe, who won 1,500 gold in the 1980 and 1984 Moscow and Los Angeles Games without taking part in an opening ceremony at either, said London would be very different to Beijing in 2008 where athletes had to stand around for hours.
"Most athletes come to the right decision," he said as organizers prepared to celebrate the one year to go mark on Wednesday.
"I can understand someone like Charles Van Commenee wanting to make sure athletes perform at the very highest level. I think it's different in London, on this occasion.
"If you want athletes to be a part of the opening ceremony, you have to provide holding areas, places to sit, you just have to provide an environment that does not remotely eat into performance over the next two or so weeks," he said.
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