Opening ceremony

The Chinese certainly put on a show. The opening ceremony, replete with illuminated drummers and thousands of fireworks was quite a spectacle.

Further to my comments on the Australians’ World Cup rowing kit, their opening ceremony outfits – featuring dip-dyed sky blue satin bomber jackets – were a brave choice. The French looked dapper, bar the white shoes (Italy saved a similar get-up with silver loafers), but the women’s kimono-style tops were less successful. South Africa, behind the flag carried by Nathalie du Toit, were neat, though did seem to be wearing bright green Crocs. True to form, the US were working it, helped by men and women wearing the same thing, and Mexico did well in cream suits.

Quite a few nations chose white suits. Azerbaijan carried them off well, but others, including Great Britain and Yugoslavia, looked like they’d just come out of a cheap nightclub. The coloured shirts didn’t help, but so thoughtful for the GB women (ladies, surely) to be supplied with dinky handbags. Cyprus got it badly wrong, in shell suits with slightly too tight white bottoms, but the Irish team were perhaps the worst dressed, in estate agent-on-safari beige suits. With matching shoes.