Stuck: London Mayor Dangles Helplessly from Zipline During Dramatic Entrance Flub (With Pics and Vid!)
- Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:42am by
Erica Ritz
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(Photo: Rebecca Denton via @rebeccasbrain on Twitter)
A few days after ripping Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for saying there were some “disconcerting” reports ahead of the commencement of the London Olympics, London Mayor Boris Johnson got stuck on a zipline attempting to ride into Victoria Park, where the games are being shown on large screens.
Dangling in midair, legs flailing and blue helmet precariously perched, Johnson reportedly yelled: “Get me a rope…Get me a ladder!” while still trying to wave his miniature flags.
The BBC reported that he was left suspended “like an odd Christmas decoration” for roughly five to ten minutes.
“This is what it’s all about; this is great, this is fantastic, this is Team [Great Britain]!” the mayor told the crowd, trying to keep spirits high.
An onlooker later told the BBC he was thinking: “Yeah it’s good, but you’re still just hanging there.”
(Photo: Ria Chatterjee / ITV News)
On July 27th, Johnson told a roaring crowd: “And there are some people who are coming from around the world, who don‘t yet know about all the preparations we’ve done to get London ready in the last seven years.”
He continued: “I hear there’s a guy called Mitt Romney, who wants to know whether we’re ready… Are we ready? Are we ready? Yes we are! The venues are ready, the stadium is ready…the security is ready, the police is ready, the transport system is ready…!”
And while Boris Johnson getting stuck on a zipline is certainly one of the “best” worst-case-scenarios for the London Olympics– it isn’t even really an issue– it’s still pretty amusing considering how confident he was that everything would go according to plan.
Here is video of the mayor’s anticlimactic entrance:
Twitter user Liam Tomkins wrote of the mishap: “Never mind the Olympic gold, this is comedy gold…”
Another said the mayor was stuck for so long she “got bored.”
Eventually pulled to safety by the ground teams, a spokesperson for the mayor said he remains “unbowed” by the incident.
Johnson himself later remarked: “I don’t know to be honest. I seemed to turn round. Possibly what had happened is that they left a brake on or something… But anyway, it was wonderful and I thoroughly recommend it.”
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Comments (70)
Individualism
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:37pmleave him there and call some Muslims over to help him.
Report Post »yougottabekidding
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 3:49pmWas there anything disconcerting about that?
Report Post »RSHLUVER
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 6:45pmPoetic justice.
Report Post »turkey13
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:00pmCome on folks , give the guy a break. I don’t think the Mayor knew the Romney ran the Salt Lake Olympics. This guy unlike Romney who has not only ran companys and took over the Salt Lake City Olympics when the guy that was picked to run couldn’t pull it off. It’s a deal like Obama – never ran a business, only was a community organizer. Since no one can produce university records, I’m thinking Obama was made up as a Lawyer by a real good hacker. If he really went to law school there would be real people stepping up and saying “Hey I was in Obamas class.”
Report Post »dlivelli
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:33pmIs this what being ‘ready’ looks like? Nothin to see here….move along…. It was all part of the act….yea the act of not being properly prepared. If they could have this little ‘mishap’ with THE MAYOR, what else did they not check and double check to make sure the i‘s were dotted and the t’s crossed? No wonder why the seats are less that overflowing.
Report Post »yougottabekidding
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 3:55pmThe firefighters should have used him for a barrel competition. For those knowledgeable: a hose crew on either side trying to move the target to your opponents side
Report Post »Diablo4965
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:29pmMitt was right! Scandel after scandel, lost keys to the stadium,taxi gridlock,parents of athletes not being allowed in events,nut jobs walking with athletes in the parade of nations,bus drivers getting lost, empty seats,zipline malfuctions. I wonder when they will blame Bush?
Report Post »T-2
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:56pmIt‘s Bush’s fault. If he hadn’t start all those wars and use up all the “good” zippline this would not have happened.
Report Post »AMENDMENT
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 2:09pmit‘s Blairs fault not Bush’s LOL
Report Post »Constructionist
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:28pm“There’s guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. Are we ready? Yes we are!” — London Mayor Boris Johnson
Obviously, dumba**.
Report Post »randy
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:28pmNew Olympic Sport?
I give him a 7.9
Report Post »right field
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 3:39pmHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH – His “in air” form was a bit off –
Report Post »I give him a 7.0
bdandsl
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:28pmToo funny!
Report Post »Tri-ox
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:27pmStupid is as stupid does.
Report Post »copatriots
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:26pmTalk about a sitting duck. He must be well-liked. If it were Bloominidiotberg or Rahmbo, folks might have started using them as a pinata.
Report Post »dirtypolitics
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:24pmKarma?
Report Post »Man-On-A-Mission
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:17pmHe’s lucky Romney money only paid to have him stuck and not dropped…….LOL
Report Post »OUTRIDER WRITER
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:15pmPride goeth before the fall…
Report Post »–Proverbs 16:18
AvengerK
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:17pmAmen.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:23pmI can’t think of anyone who deserved this more. Oh, wait, yes I can!
Report Post »marine249
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:24pm@KICK
UPSIDe DOWN!!!!
Report Post »HumbleMan
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 2:00pm@GRANDMA … you read my mind.
Report Post »Jedi Truth
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:12pmEPIC FAIL, “and a cup o’ tea, mate?”
Report Post »starman70
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:22pmWHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!
rqd lc.
Report Post »MrButcher
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:11pmTo hell with the British.
To hell with our so-called “special relationship.”
That island has turned into a socailistic/multi-culti nightmare.
To hell with Winston Churchill too.
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:27pmHey, don’t lump Winston in with these wimps.
Report Post »jrcess
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:09pmThe Mayor apparently is inept or to young to remember the thousands of American’ s that died to save these ungrateful lime ys a@@’s during world war two. What a deplorable *****.
Report Post »Edohiguma
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:09pmServes him right. That guy is running London into the ground.
Report Post »grudgywoof
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:14pmIt’s a beautiful sight! Lets get Obama up on one of those for the rest of his term!
Report Post »GeorgieJo
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:14pmThey shold have left him up there
Report Post »OMG 2012
GJPinks
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:01pmYep! The Olympics really are ready. No problems here. Worst opening ceremonies ever, Paul signing off key, empty seats, 100 dollar bribes, badmitton games fixed, superwoman swimmer, security run by Reno911. Why do I have a very bad feeling like when they jumped into the trash compactor?
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:00pmMy God, Brits are only a shadow of their once great selves.
Sad. Like that aged beauty queen that doesn‘t realize she’s no longer attractive.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:50pmSomebody is probably looking at us and saying the exact same thing.
Report Post »flagkeeper
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:08pm…donning layers of superficial disguise (makup, botox, etc.) to dupe potential suitors long enough to lock in a sugar-daddy before the inevitable stock plummet.
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 1:14pm@GONZO
Touché, old boy!
Report Post »Daniel
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 12:00pmPerfect comment Boris …“I don’t know to be honest.”
You’re starting to sound much like the anointed one, AKA whiner-in-chief. He don’t know how to be honest either.
Report Post »BeingThere
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:57amI think most politicians should dangle!!! LOL
Report Post »squonk1pb
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:55amKarma baby. Life’s a b1tch, heh Boris.
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:54amThey should have handed out tomatoes and piñata bats. Take THAT you progressive bastard. Who was RIGHT about the Olympics being disorganized? If they were organized, the zip-line would have been double-checked. Karma really IS a bitch.
Report Post »the_system_disconnect
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:54amHey, are we READY?!?!?!??!!!
Apparently not.
Report Post »Critters58
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:51amLooks like Romney got it right after all! I notice he has a bullet proof vest on under his shirt~
Report Post »Misha
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:49amThat, Boris, is how we spell Karma. hahahahahahahahaha on you.
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 11:47amI hear there‘s a guy called Boris Johnson who says Mitt Romney was wrong about Britain’s readiness for the games (echoing through the rows of empty seats at Olympic events in London right now) ..and he’s hanging stuck on a zipline right now while he was trying to make his way to an Olympic event in London.
Report Post »Is he an idiot? Is he an idiot? Yes he is!