I've been blogging over the last couple of weeks about the wonderful haul of medals we've won this year - congratulations to all - but there's a lot more to the Olympics. Not least the amazing Birdsnest stadium and other stadia and monuments around Beijing. From the fabulous opening ceremony to the more modest (but still dazzling) closing ceremony last night, there was a huge range of human drama, of athletes trying their best but only a few succeeding. Heartache and tears of athletes not achieving medal status, especially those who came fourth by a small margin.The human tale of the German weightlifter who held a photo of his wife beside his gold medal at the ceremony with tears streaming down his face since his wife died in a car crash a year ago driving to see him compete. Michaela Breeze, our sole woman weightlifter who came 15th and competed nonetheless. Tom Daly, the 14 year old lad who came 7th in the diving final, not expecting to win but wanting the experience of a Games and, well, you never know, do you? India winning its first individual gold medal despite the billion population and the great distance runners from Ethiopia and Kenya. So many great tales of personal bravery played out on the international stage and with billions watching around the world. The pride of those Kenyan runners must shine like the sun on their return to Africa. The personal achievements are unimaginable to most of us, including me.
Yesterday's closing ceremony once again used the skills of China to put on a grand spectacle that we can't compete with. We need to take a different tack to stamp London and GB on the world in 2012. But not what we saw yesterday. The eight minute segment for London as part of the closure of Beijing and handing over to London was a trifle embarrassing. From Boris being the only one with an unbuttoned jacket and keep putting his hands in his pocket to Beckham in a dull (but probably expensive) tracksuit kicking a ball into the crowd, It was hardly spectacular. Since when was Leona Lewis a world-class mega-star, how many people under 30 will know who Jimmy Paige is/was and why on earth choose a 30-odd year old Led Zep song as the signature tune for London? That's not where we are today. And the bus? Why were the dancers pushing people out of the way to board it? What impression does that leave? It was ok, I suppose, and I did like the harsh sounds of the guitar riff exploding into the stadium, but the riff could've been from Oasis or Maximo Park or almost anyone still creating music rather than living in a time warp. A lost opportunity is how I think of it.The strategy is reasonable - play up what we have to offer, the iconic monuments, the world-class mega-stars and music we've produced, the cultural icons, and all that, but make it relevant to the 21st century and where we're going, not where we've been. Look forward not back.
It was great to see the homecoming heroes touch down at Heathrow this afternoon - they deserve every honour we can give them. But why did the BBC feel it was appropriate to field their seemingly least experienced interviewers, repeating the same inane questions? It made for awful telly, only enlightened when the heroes appeared. It probably hasn't dawned on them yet what their status really is - I'm sure the 2012 people will want to use them and milk them as much as they can to whip up interest and excitement. I hope they surround themselves with trusted advisers.I'd like to be involved in the 2012 Olympics and already have put my name down to be a volunteer. From the looks of it they won't be actively seeking volunteers until a recruitment drive in 2010. I'll be here, waiting.
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