Seven years ago to the day I was listening to the BBC on line when I heard the words "The International Olympic Committee has the honour of announcing that the games of 30th Olympiad are awarded to the city of London". I have rarely felt more proud and fiercely British and even now find myself welling with emotion when I watch the reaction in Trafalgar Square on the day - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dt4jjS_dyA . I received many magnanimous messages of congratulations from friends all around France; let's face it whether it is true or not rumours still abound that one of the committee inadvertently pressed the wrong button so we won by one vote.
The following day, London was the victim of a heinous act of terrorism that came from within. It brought the importance of the Olympics in to sharp focus. The United Kingdom has unquestionably suffered greatly in the intervening years and the argument as to whether we should be investing billions in the games was valid, right up until the point that we were awarded the Games.
So we find ourselves on the cusp of witnessing the greatest sporting event there is and it is here, in our own country and in my home town. Millions have lined the streets to watch the torch relay - there were 40,000 on the streets of Lowestoft for pete's sake, however many will there be when it reaches London?!
Legacy is the buzz word and rightly so. The Games have regenerated a part of London that was polluted and impoverished in every sense of the word and may never have had the requisite money spent on it in decades. We now have state of the art sporting arenas that will be the envy of the world and which will give the facilities for future generations to become sporting icons. The Games of 2012 will be their inspiration. More importantly there will be a part of our city where Londoners will want to live and bring up their families. London is not Athens or Sydney, where facilities lie crumbling, it is and always has been a vibrant, cosmopolitan and dynamic city led by the people.
10,500 competitors are about to arrive to take part in an event that will be the pinnacle of their careers (OK tennis and football excluded - that will be subject of a serious rant another time, I suspect!). London is the first city to host three Olympic Games (the last time was 1948 and the country was on its knees then as well). Tickets are, to all intents and purposes, sold out. Millions of Britons are excited beyond belief and yet we still have the people the length and breadth of the country who are saying they think we should not be hosting the games, one nay sayer I heard described it as a "jamboree"! A jamboree is a gathering of scouts for heaven's sake.
We have an opportunity to show the world that the UK can throw a party that the natives are embracing, that we can organise an event that was prepared months ago, we are a nation that is delighted to welcome the rest of the world and that London is still the greatest city in the word and we are going to cheer everyone on whatever their sex, colour or creed. OK we will probably cheer a bit more if they are in a British vest!
So bring it on, the greatest of the great sporting events, in our our own country, in our capital city and let us show the world that the word Great in in our national name is no self-aggrandisement. Let us hope and pray for British medals, but more let us hope and pray that the passion that most of have for our country shines through and shows the world that we are proud to to be called British.
Oh! And can Jess win gold, please?
No comments:
Post a Comment