London's 'quirky' calling

The British press has urged organisers of the 2012 London Olympics to put their own distinctive stamp on the Games and not try to one-up Beijing's effort.

A week after London was officially handed the baton as the Olympic city as the Games closed in Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium, several newspapers called for a "quirkily British" take on the Olympics.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis marked London's position as the new host city by belting out 1970s classic Whole Lotta Love atop a red double-decker bus at the handover ceremony, and former England football captain David Beckham then booted a ball into the middle of the stadium.

"The handover was marked with a quirky eight-minute cameo of the capital that smacked more of the swinging Sixties than of the 21st-century cosmopolis that will stage the next Games," The Daily Telegraph's editorial read.

"If this is a statement of intent from the 2012 organisers that they will not try to match Beijing in scale or spectacle but will instead rely on flair and wit, it is commendable. As an emerging superpower, China felt they had something to prove. London should be a little more understated."

The Daily Mail chimed in, noting that the "burden of expectation weighs heavy, and hopes are high", adding that the organisers of the London Games "are no doubt nervous, wondering how on earth they follow that. But they shouldn't seek to emulate Beijing.

"We should aim for something distinctively, quirkily British, with a lasting legacy, and no terrible hangover – in the shape of huge debts as well as unused sports stadia."

The Guardian continued along a similar theme, noting that London's £9-billion (Dh61.65bn) budget could not hope to match China's, which was more than twice as large.

"The real lesson of Beijing, though, is that there is no hope for London in trying to outdo the Chinese on grandeur," the paper's editorial read. The Chinese superpower may have used the games to demonstrate its new might. What made them great for the rest of the world, however, was sport – pure and simple.

"London should have the confidence to concentrate on that, instead of the pageantry."