Erev Rosh Chodesh
We already know that the Queen will be in attendance, so who else is going?
Medvedev to Attend London Opening Ceremony - Official
...Britain’s Foreign Office has said some 120 heads of state will attend the opening ceremony, making it the biggest ever top-level international gathering.
...first lady Michelle Obama will lead the U.S. delegation to the Olympic opening ceremony. There has been no word of President Barack Obama attending the games,.... (Source)
Who's not going?
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Why I won't be going to the London Olympics
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has said he would like to come to the London Olympics but will not be attending because Britain has "a problem" with him.
His decision to stay away highlights a dilemma for the British government, which faces an unprecedented influx of leaders from unsavoury regimes for the opening ceremony on 27 July.
Does he know something the rest of them don't? If you find any other names of heads of state attending the Opening Ceremony, please add their names in the comments section.
Someone else who's NOT going.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Times of Israel - "Peres won’t go to Olympics, to avoid Sabbath desecration." (No link to article due to immodest images.)
Peres had originally intended to attend the opening ceremony, but as it begins on a Friday night, and the president was unable to find a hotel within walking distance of the Olympic Park, he opted to cancel his trip rather than violate the Sabbath while representing the state of Israel.
If something does happen and neither Peres nor Achmadinejad are there, they'll say it was Iran and that we had advance warning and didn't say anything.