Citigroup, Comcast, NBC, Union Jacks, Melanie Oudin, D.C.
The crowd cheered when the queen came on screen as waiters passed quail egg and onion tart appetizers.
It wasn’t the Olympics in London, but the next best thing, British Ambassador Peter Westmacott’s opening-night party Friday at his residence.
Westmacott said the Brits have earned the right to gloat because an estimated 4 billion people are expected to tune into the London games, about 2 billion more than watched last year’s royal wedding. This was welcome news for broadcaster NBC Universal and its parent, Comcast Corp., who had executives on hand.
Also among the 400 guests were British expats, American Olympians, Washington Mayor Vincent Gray, Comcast’s executive vice president, David L. Cohen and senior director of external affairs, Mike Rose, and Congressman Ed Markey, Massachusetts Democrat.
Celebrants sported Union Jack lapel pins and sat in Union Jack lounge chairs. Raffle prizes included a sport coat from Savile Row.
Guests huddled around large television screens inside ornate gold frames, reminiscent of the kind seen on museum paintings.
Dave Stephens, an American javelin thrower, brought the 1996 torch and let Gray hold it. Tony Culley-Foster, president of CFCO International Washington Consultant Services, posed for a photograph with Westmacott and the torch that lit the Olympic Flame in London, which he carried in his home country of Northern Ireland last month.
Quiet Moment
As the sun set, Henry Filter, a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch & Co., enjoyed a quiet moment on a garden bench with his wife, Liz, a member of the 2004 American Olympic sailing team.
Mark Tuohey, a partner at Brown Rudnick LLP, said he’s watching the women’s soccer with great interest because of a family connection to U.S. team captain Abby Wambach.
Citi Open
International tennis stars gathered last night on the roof of the W Hotel for a party celebrating the Citi Open.
Melanie Oudin of the U.S., wearing a nose stud, said she’s looking forward to her tour of the White House this week.
Paul-Henri Mathieu of France, Kevin Anderson of South Africa, and Frantisek Cermak of the Czech Republic were among the players who sipped cocktails while enjoying the W’s panoramic view of the Washington landmarks.
Cermak, in a fitted red polo shirt, said he’ll spend his free time off the court watching movies in his room.
The Citi Open, part of the 2012 ATP World Tour, runs through Aug. 5 in Washington. This is Citigroup Inc.’s first time hosting the event, known for almost 18 years as the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.
Tournament chairman and co-founder Donald Dell said Citigroup (C) was instrumental in the tournament’s inclusion of women players for the first time this year.
Dell chatted with former Washington Redskin Darrell Green, an avid tennis player, who reflected on the similarities between football and tennis.
It’s all about “covering and making a play,” Green said between bites of a chicken samosa.
Among the other guests were Christopher Browne, vice president of the Greater Washington Sports Alliance, and Jamey Sunshine, senior vice president of corporate partnerships at Lagardere Unlimited SAS.
(Stephanie Green is a writer and photographer for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. Any opinions expressed are her own.)
Muse highlights include Elin McCoy on wine.
To contact the writer on this story: Stephanie Green in Washington at sgreen57@bloomberg.net or on Twitter @stephlgreen.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
London Olympics Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
The Olympic rings and London 2012 logo imposed on the walls of the mansion.
The Olympic rings and London 2012 logo imposed on the walls of the mansion. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
London Olympics Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
British Ambassador Peter Westmacott and Tony Culley-Foster, founder and president of CFCO International, a consulting and lobbying firm. Culley-Foster carried the 2012 torch in his home country of Northern Ireland last month.
British Ambassador Peter Westmacott and Tony Culley-Foster, founder and president of CFCO International, a consulting and lobbying firm. Culley-Foster carried the 2012 torch in his home country of Northern Ireland last month. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
London Olympics Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
1988 and 1996 American Olympic team javelin thrower Dave Stephens, and Washington Mayor Vincent Gray.
1988 and 1996 American Olympic team javelin thrower Dave Stephens, and Washington Mayor Vincent Gray. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
London Olympics Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Andrew Churchill with the British Army wore a Union Jack tie in honor of the London Olympics.
Andrew Churchill with the British Army wore a Union Jack tie in honor of the London Olympics. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
London Olympics Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Henry Filter, a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch, and Liz Filter, a member of the 2004 American Olympic sailing team.
Henry Filter, a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch, and Liz Filter, a member of the 2004 American Olympic sailing team. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
London Olympics Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Marty Tuohey, Stella O'Leary, president of the Irish American Democrats, and Mark Tuohey, a partner at Brown Rudnick LLP.
Marty Tuohey, Stella O'Leary, president of the Irish American Democrats, and Mark Tuohey, a partner at Brown Rudnick LLP. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
London Olympics Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
David L. Cohen, executive vice president at Comcast Corporation, and lawyer Nora Rigby, who won one of the evening's raffle prizes.
David L. Cohen, executive vice president at Comcast Corporation, and lawyer Nora Rigby, who won one of the evening's raffle prizes. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
London Olympics Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Jacquelyn Puente and Juan Otero with Comcast, Leslee Behar, Thomas Schaltz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, and Mike Rose, senior director of external affairs for Comcast.
Jacquelyn Puente and Juan Otero with Comcast, Leslee Behar, Thomas Schaltz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, and Mike Rose, senior director of external affairs for Comcast. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
London Olympics Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
The scene on the terrace after sunset.
The scene on the terrace after sunset. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Citi Open Players Party
Daniel Swartz via Bloomberg
Donald Dell, co-founder of the Citi Open Tennis Tournament, and American tennis player Melanie Oudin.
Donald Dell, co-founder of the Citi Open Tennis Tournament, and American tennis player Melanie Oudin. Photographer: Daniel Swartz via Bloomberg
Citi Open Players Party
Michael Baz via Bloomberg
Former Washington Redskins player Darrell Green and South African tennis player Kevin Anderson.
Former Washington Redskins player Darrell Green and South African tennis player Kevin Anderson. Photographer: Michael Baz via Bloomberg
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