London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to be opened by The Queen
The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has confirmed that Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, will open the Paralympic Games in the Olympic Stadium on 29 August.
With the role of The Queen in the Olympic Opening Ceremony on 27 July already established, Her Majesty, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, will now open both Games.
‘Extraordinary pride’
LOCOG Chair Seb Coe said: ‘The Paralympic Games will undoubtedly be a time of extraordinary pride for our nation, and it is fitting that Her Majesty will declare us underway.’
London 2012 will mark the first time The Queen has opened a Paralympic Games. In 1976, The Queen opened the Montreal Olympic Games and in 1956, The Duke of Edinburgh (on behalf of The Queen) opened the Melbourne Olympic Games.
The 1984 Paralympic Games were officially opened by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. These Games were held in both Europe and North America, with the Opening Ceremony in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire – the birthplace of the Paralympic Games.
International Paralympic Committee President Sir Philip Craven said: ‘I am delighted that Her Majesty The Queen will be opening the Paralympic Games, further underlining the significance and status of these Games not just to the Commonwealth but to the whole world.’
