WORLD CUP 2010: Live coverage of the opening ceremony from Soccer City, Johannesburg
Follow our rolling coverage of the World Cup opening ceremony at Soccer City Johannesburg as South Africa prepare to kick off the tournament against Mexico
That's it.. all over ... the next thing we have to look forward to is the first match itself and you can follow South Africa v Mexico on our World Cup channel,
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2010
13.37: The flags of the 32 nations competing are now brilliantly flipped around by 300 local children, shouting each name in turn. The flags are then re-arranged into confederations and the World Cup logo is formed.
Back comes the dung beetle as everyone files off the pitch for the next stage of the World Cup - the opening match itself.
Map of the world in quilt form: The dancers arrange their shapes
Here comes R Kelly and the Soweto Spiritual Singers to pay tribute to the 200-plus countries that took part in the qualifying matches. There is now not a spare seat anywhere in this magnificent stadium and all inside are enjoying a truly marvelous event.
'The Sound of Victory' is accompanied by choreography of the highest order as R Kelly falls to his knees in salute.
13.23: Africa United - a giant calabash now adorns the pitch - a huge vegetable with a variety of uses. Here comes Hip-Hop Pantsula to serenade the crowd - this rhythm is more than catchy as the African countries are introduced starting with Algerian Afro-pop artist Khaled.
His song unites the six African countries taking part: Algeria, South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Nigeria - and that is 1970s band Osibisa. I hope my colleague Nick Metcalfe is watching this - he loves classic music.
13.18: In pour the next section of dancers - led by a giant dung beetle, revered by the locals for its nourishment of the soil. I think the Lion King might have been better. But wait, the dung beetle is now dribbling the ball around the pitch with arguably better dexterity than Emile Heskey.
Timothy Malloy is now singing the song of Hope, the one that should have been sung by South African singer Siphiwo Ntshebe was scheduled to perform before he died three weeks ago of bacterial meningitis at the age of 35.
The fifth beetle? But this one is of the dung variety
Let the ceremony begin: Performers dance in Soccer City
The dancers form patchwork maps of South Africa and now the world. Very impressive.
13.11: We're under way. It could be music from Paul Simon or Malcolm McLaren album as native dancers and drummers fill this vast bowl with the sound of South Africa.
They form nine lines in the direction of the other stadia hosting matches.
13.10: The noise in the stadium is incredible. Everybody wants this tournament to get under way and they want it to get under NOW.
Opening ceremonies are usually far from being memorable and just have to happen to get things going. Hopefully this one will be different.
Noisy: A South Africa fan blows a Vuvuzela inside the Soccer City Stadium
In fact the only thing I can remember from any World Cup opening ceremony is Diana Ross missing the penalty, England style, that should have kicked off the 1994 tournament in the US...
South African rugby World Cup-winning captain Francois Pienaar has just revealed that Nelson Mandela may now be attending the ceremony having pulled out following the death of his 13-year-old great grand-daughter Zenani today.
His presence will make today even more memorable for this country and a real bonus for the crowd here.
12.30pm: So the waiting is almost over...the World Cup is now just 150 minutes away and butterflies the size of Table Mountain are lurking in the stomachs of the South Africa and Mexico players as they prepare to kick off the tournament.
Children gather with the World Cup mascot Zakumi
Before the action begins there is the small matter of the opening ceremony that will be watched on TV by 500million people from 215 countries as well as the 85,000 in the stadium itself.
The death of 91-year-old Nelson Mendela's great grand-daughter Zenani in a car crash today has cast a shadow over events though.
The great man, who should have been attending the ceremony at Soccer City, Johannesburg, has understandably pulled to be with his family.
He has told the people of South Africa that he will be there in spirit and has urged supporters to enjoy the whole day - and the party has already begun in Soweto, a mile from Soccer City.
Impromptu renditions of the South African national anthem are commonplace and everywhere is an ocean of colour.
The exact details of the opening ceremony have been kept a closely guarded secret but Grammy Award winner R Kelly and the Soweto Spiritual Singers will perform Sign of a Victory. Other musical acts will include trumpeter Hugh Masekela, Nigerian Femi Kuti, Algerian Afro-pop artists Khaled and Hip-Hop Pantsula .
Getting it right: The World Cup opening ceremony is run through in the Soccer City Stadium
Articles taken from [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2010/article-1285838/WORLD-CUP-2010-Opening-ceremony-live-coverage-Johannesburg.html?ito=feeds-newsxml]
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