Mikati to join London 2012 ceremony

Prime Minister Najib Mikati will head on Thursday to London to join the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games as 10 Lebanese athletes will participate in various games. According to An Nahar newspaper, the premier will be accompanied by Youth and Sports Minister Faisal Karami. The theme of the £27 million ($42 million, 34.5 million euro) spectacular is "Isles of Wonder,” inspired by a passage from William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest.” The show is set to be watched by a vast global television audience. The opening ceremony is expected to be a spine-tingling extravaganza that exceeds anticipations, thrilled audience members said after witnessing the final rehearsal for Friday's showpiece spectacular. The Lebanese athletes, mostly women, will be representing the country in various games at the Olympics. In the swimming category, Katya Bachrouche, 22, will take part in the women's 800m freestyle, while Wael Koubrosli, 24, in men's 100m breaststroke. Siblings 19-year-old Mona and Zain, 21, will compete in fencing women’s individual foil and fencing men's individual foil respectively. Caren Chammas,19, participates in the games in women’s judo – 63 kg, while Andrea Paoli, 20, in t taekwondo for women - 57kg. Athlets Ahmed Hazer, 22, will compete in Men’s 110 meters hurdles, and Gretta Taslakian, 26, in women's 200m. 23-year-old Ray Bassil is in the shooting category for women's trap, and Tvin Moumjoghlian – same age- will play table tennis in women’s singles. Moumjoghlian, Paoli and Bachrouch will march to represent Lebanon at the opening ceremony. Lebanon's first appearance in the Olympics was in 1936 in the summer games in Berlin.