London 2012 – a bit of alright
YMCA is a popular dance with gold medal winners
29 – 17 – 19. An inconspicuous number, yet one that represents two incredible weeks of competition, pride and achievement. 29 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze medals were won by Team GB in the Games of the 30th Olympiad. London 2012 was at once glorious, unbelievable and sublime.
On the day of the opening ceremony, there was scepticism, with reason. Were we prepared for the influx of athletes and foreign fans? Was the security going to hold firm? Would the home team be able to live up to the expectation? The naysayers and doubters are silenced.
The opening ceremony blew all expectations out of the water. Yes, it was disjointed, yes, parts would have made no sense to global onlookers, yes, it cost 0.8 Andy Carrolls. But Danny Boyle should be rightly proud of what he achieved. A summation of what makes Great Britain great. A tribute to our influence on the world, with all the perspective and class you could ever wish for.
Once the games began, there were a myriad of poignant stories from British athletes. Sir Chris Hoy, Jess Ennis, (Sir) Bradley Wiggins, Tom Daley, Andy Murray, Ben Ainslie, Joanna Rowsell, Laura Trott, Mo Farah… on and on and on. Not for a century have so many achieved so much.
Lest we forget the international superstars. Usain Bolt, David Rudisha, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Chad Le Clos, Michael Phelps, Oscar Pistorius… with the most in-depth and comprehensive coverage ever, this games will make superstars of so many.
Without wanting to cheapen the achievements of these superhumans, there was an inevitability about what they did. When you gather the best of the best, there will be fireworks. The applause has been directed at them, but there are others who are just as deserving – the volunteers.
Ably aided by the Army, the 70,000 Games Makers gave their time to make this games a success and were a joy. With a smile for everyone and a dedication that paid workers could take note of, the volunteers were the nuts and bolts of a beautiful machine.
I may never see an Olympic Games in Britain again. But I, like millions others, am proud and privileged to have been in London in 2012. What a land of hope and glory.
In other news
-New job, oh yeah.
-Lidl party time.
-Closing ceremony has Madness in. Oh well, we couldn’t get it all spot on.
Big fan of this:
No pressure.
Don't you have time to think? 