The Queen, Stephen Hawking Headline Paralympic Opening Ceremony

(ATR) World-famous scientist Stephen Hawking will be one of the star names to feature in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics on Wednesday evening.

Hawking’s involvement was announced at a media briefing on Wednesday with ceremony creative director Stephen Daldry and artistic directors Jenny Sealey and Bradley Hemmings. It was also confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will also attend the event.

Hawking, a British physicist and author, became paralyzed from a motor neuron disease. His involvement represents a big coup for London 2012 as he is recognized by many as one of the greatest scientists of the modern era. His involvement is significant as he rarely makes public appearances.

The directors said discussions with Hawking started at the end of last year – and will be a key aspect of the ceremony’s storytelling.

Ian McKellen will also be involved in the ceremony, portraying a character from Shakespeare’s "The Tempest", continuing a theme used in the opening ceremony of the Olympics. However, Daldry was keen to note that the similarities ended there between both the ceremonies.

"All four ceremonies are completely different," he said. "The Olympics one was about being British whereas this one is not about national identity. This is a ceremony to challenge perceptions and it’s about who we think we are as normal human beings."

Artistic director Jenny Sealey echoed Daldry’s sentiments. "It’s not about comparison. All four shows are there on their own merit, on their grit, their determination and excellence. They want four brilliant shows."

Although all four shows had a shared budget of $128 million, more was spent on Danny Boyle’s Olympic showpiece than either of the Paralympic ones. Daldry dismissed the notion that this meant the Paralympics ceremonies could be seen as less equal.

"It’s obvious why there is a difference in cost, but we have spent more money than any other organization on the Paralympics opening and closing," he said.

Torch Relay Update – Possible Route Change

LOCOG spokesperson Jackie Brock-Doyle says that the Paralympic Torch Relay may have to be adjusted on its way to the Olympic Stadium.

The relay, which began on Tuesday evening in Stoke Mandeville, suffered delays on its 24-hour journey, causing it to run 90 minutes behind schedule.

"It was running late but there are various time adjustment breaks" she said.

"We’re watching the weather because we want to avoid this big storm that is apparently going to happen."

"The whole team is working out how to make up time – we may do some adjustments to the route of the relay, but all of those we will announce as we do them."

The Paralympic torch relay involves 580 torchbearers in total and will arrive in the Stadium just after 11 p.m.

Reported by Christian Radnedgein London.

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