For queens and country

What a drag: The closing ceremony could be interesting

Sydney 2000's grand finale will have everything you would expect from a closing ceremony, except perhaps the 50 marching drag queens. BBC Sport's Jonathon Moore met up with one of them - Mitzi Macintosh.

They have been described as "perverse", "disturbing" and "offensive" and the decision to include them in the closing ceremony has come under attack from virtually every religious denomination in the land.

They are, of course, Sydney's drag queens and they are planning on having a ball when they take to the stage on Sunday evening.

The ceremony is a celebration of the nation's icons, of which drag - as anyone who has seen the famous film 'Priscilla' will know - naturally plays a part.

The stadium's going to erupt when we walk in

  Mitzi Macintosh

"We're going to take over the place," said Mitzy Macintosh, one of the city's principal performers.

"The stadium's going to erupt when we walk in, you mark my words."

Brave

Mitzi admitted the inclusion of drag was risque, but said the authorities did not have any choice.

"When the whole Olympics happened," he/she said, "I hoped and prayed drag would be included and perhaps that was a big assumption on my part.

"But Sydney is renowned for being a gay city. The Mardi Gras is its biggest money spinner after all.

"They really had no choice in the end, of course. They wanted to have a party and what's a party without a drag queen?"

Drag is undoubtedly a prominent part of Sydney's nightlife. The city has 45 professional artistes - each one an entertainment phenomenon. So what can we expect on Sunday?

"It's very camp," Mitzi said. "It's fun and tongue in cheek.

Mitzi preparing for her big day

"The way we go into the stadium is very different from everyone else. It's like the parade of athletes - but with men in dresses."

The success of the opening ceremony has failed to soften the opposition to drag's inclusion, however.

Elizabeth Scott of the NSW Council of Churches called drag "unrepresentative" of Australian culture, while Morals campaigner Reverend Fred Nile announced: "Lot's of people are going to be very disturbed."

Mitzi brushed of such condemnation with ease.

"Drag is now mainstream," he/she said. "Of course, some people will be offended, but with four billion viewers you have to expect that.

"Australian drag is the best in the world, it's not nasty. We're not taking our tops off our massaging our private parts. We'll be well dressed, our make up will be fantastic and we'll look great."