So much for my plan to
write a daily Olympics blog! I have been glued to the TV screen and, I’m proud
to say, have also attended an Olympic event this week. All the frantic
screaming at the telly and cheering in a crowd has left little room for
literary pontification. I’ll be bereft when the Olympics finish but at least I’ll
get my life back and can attend to the backlog of chores again. The highlights
so far have been many and varied, and here are a few of my favourite triumphs.
The opening ceremony: Wow!
I must confess that, like many Brits, I was fearful that the overture to the
greatest show on earth would be a damp squib. How wrong we were. The director
Danny Boyle encapsulated so much of the best of the British psyche – inclusive
and diverse, inventive yet traditional, artistic and scientific, but most of
all self-deprecating and funny. The James Bond sketch featuring that most
famous of leading ladies was hysterical. I received texts and emails from
friends across the world telling me how much they enjoyed the joke. Well done
your majesty!! Just one duff note – well several actually. I’m sorry Sir Paul
McCartney but it really is time to hang up your musical boots. The voice just
isn’t up to it anymore and Hey Jude was not a rallying cry worthy of such an
incredible night.
London: What a beautiful city, showcased
at its very best! The location of some events was inspirational. From the equestrian
events at Greenwich Park, the cycling by Hampton Court Palace, to Archery at
Lord’s cricket ground, London has proved itself a worthy Olympic host city. The
location for beach volleyball (which is a bit like a great party with a medal
at the end) is inspired. As the sun set with Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the
London Eye providing an almost mythical backdrop, a commentator mentioned that
this must be the most beautiful location in the world for this great spectator
sport.
The out of London venues: Equally
impressive. The rowing on a manmade lake just by Windsor Castle, the beautiful
Dorset coast and some stunning football stadiums prove that this is not all about
the capital.
The BBC: Every sport is being
covered, every day. There are over 20 channels with live streams of every
event. The specialist commentary, interviews, analysis and human interest
stories have kept a nation gripped. I believe the licence payers money has been
well spent (for my overseas readers, the BBC is ‘free’ to view in return for an
annual licence fee of around £145 ($200) which covers radio as well.). The
downside is – all this coverage is very distracting so housework, writing
deadlines and general communication with the outside world has been severely limited
within my own personal part of the universe.
The tears: Who doesn’t enjoy
a good weep of happiness? I seem to be permanently in floods at the moment. Every
time the National Anthem is played or there is some story of human endeavour
leading to triumph over adversity (any nationality will do) – I blub
shamelessly. High spots were Gemma Gibbons (ranked 42 in the world) who looked
heavenwards and mouthed ‘I love you Mum’
as she qualified for the Olympic final eight years after she lost her Mum. And
the young shooting gold medallist Peter Wilson who broke off in the middle of a
post victory interview as he ran towards his father shouting with a voice
cracking with emotion ‘Dad’ and fell
into his father’s arms. Another heart-wrencher was the very large father of the gold
medal winning South African swimmer Chad Le Clos, weeping profusely as he kept
saying ‘look at him, he’s beautiful –
whatever happens for the rest of my life, it doesn’t matter, just look at him’
. Awwww - surely even the coldest of hearts would melt at such parental pride.
Our Royals: From our
parachuting Queen (I managed to persuade one visitor that Her Majesty really
DID sky dive into the arena…) to Princess Anne’s silver medal winning daughter
the British royals have truly embraced the Olympic Games. Speaking of embracing
– in the Daily Telegraph today there’s a charming picture of Kate and William having
a joyful cuddle as they celebrate Chris Hoy’s fantastic 5th Gold
Medal. Awwww.(again)
The British weather:
So far so good. After a truly dismal June, the sun has been kind in putting in several
appearances this week. And the rain, in the main, has stayed away. At least the
monsoon-like deposits have stopped anyway.
The general air of happiness: I
was at old Trafford for some Olympic football matches last week and even though
Team GB wasn’t featured in either match there were over 70,000 spectators. And
to a man, woman and child we all had the best of times. We whooped and cheered,
oohed and aahed just as though each team was our personal responsibility. And
the players responded in kind. At the end of the New Zealand, Egypt match they
stayed on the pitch for ages, waving and thanking the crowd. Yes, security was
a bit slow and we got wet as we queued to have our handbags checked but so what
– we all had a great time and came away happy.
And maybe that is the
best triumph of all so far. Despite all the carping and whinging from many UK
residents in the build-up to the games, the events of the past week have made
most of us happy. Happy to see our
country showcased in all its glory. Happy to see sport and sportsmanship
at its best. Happy to recognise that we really are good at organising things.
And maybe best of all – happy to have something to be happy about at last!
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