The Olympics will always be the greatest show on earth when it comes to promoting its hosting city. With only a few days before the highly anticipated and guarded Opening Ceremony, we at The Practice are wondering how London will use this to cement its world status. In the meantime, we take a look back at past Olympics opening ceremonies. The question is, how will London match up?

With an estimated 3 to 4 billion pairs of eyes honing in on the Olympic Stadium this Friday, now is London’s chance to advertise all it has to offer. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China’s message to the world was clear: ‘Go big or go home.’ The ceremony was directed by Chinese filmmaker, Zhang Yimou, and centred around China’s ancient heritage, creativity, and technological innovation. It was widely heralded as ‘the greatest ever’ opening ceremony to date. Likewise, the 2000 Sydney Olympics opening ceremony showcased the best of Australian culture, including the country’s diverse myriad of wildlife.  At Athens in 2004, the emphasis was of course on celebrating Greek mythology.

In line with the efforts of previous opening ceremonies, the aim is not to promote a rebranding or hypothesis for the future; rather, it’s about celebrating the country’s past achievements. When asked about the opening ceremony as a chance to rebrand Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron stated: ‘We don’t need to rebrand Britain. Britain has a great brand. I hope people will see all the things they like about Britain’s past, our history, our contributions to world development.’

However, there’s no denying that the Olympics as a whole has greatly facilitated the status of its past host countries. Even as far back as the first Olympic Games of 1896 held in Athens, the Greek royal family used the event as a tool to build power. Fast-forward 70 years, and the after-effects are still as powerful as ever. For example, when commenting on the Tokyo Olympics of 1964, the capital’s mayor stated that ‘without the Olympics, Japan would not have risen to its high position so fast.’ This of course, can also be attributed to the Tokyo Olympics as the first to be broadcast digitally. And most controversially, the Games have also provided the perfect platform for political statements; the 1936 Berlin Olympics being a notable example.

Apart from the Olympics doing much in the way of escalating trade and tourism, David Cameron hopes it will reinforce Britain’s reputation for amicability. The Prime Minister stated: ‘We’ll show the world we’ve not only come together as a United Kingdom but are extremely good at welcoming people from across the world.’ And then in a slight jibe at China, he added that the London Olympics will promote Britain as a ‘people-run Games’ as opposed to a ‘state-run Games.’

With much speculation and leaked snippets arising from tomorrow’s opening ceremony, let’s just hope that the Danny Boyle directed ‘Isles of Wonder’ will set the new record for greatest show on earth, anchoring Britain’s prowess.

Are you looking forward to the Olympics, or eager to evacuate the UK?! And do you think the opening ceremony will alter or cement how Britain is perceived globally? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please tweet to us and follow @PracticeDigital and join in the conversation on Facebook.

Image: Ray Lowry for ‘London Calling’ by The Clash. Edited by The Practice.