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| Great expectations in Olympic year |
| Monday, 16 January 2012 00:00 |
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IT IS HERE 2012 and the scene is set for the biggest sporting extravaganza the nation has seen. What’s more, the sport or pastime that excites us most will be centre stage in terms of expectation of London 2012, despite the fact that Weymouth and Portland is 150 miles away from the main Olympic Village. Nothing unusual in that, sailing, and indeed other boating bits of the Olympics are frequently a tad off piste, especially for those for whom the games are a four year excuse to get knowledgeable about sports that only rarely attract crowds vocal enough to raise the roof. Despite the fuss, most of the sports are of minority interest in themselves. Sailing certainly is. Tennis and soccer in the Olympic format are hardly mainstream. Even athletics causes little more than a murmur unless household names are chasing historic records. Yet here we are winding up to a huge and expensive party and looking for a legacy on top. Forgive me if I am shattering dreams for those who have sweated on tickets in the hugely complicated and equally disappointing booking system. Long ago, I proudly had a gold medal won my by girlfriend’s father around my neck for a few minutes. I remained a passionate supporter of the Olympic dream and worked hard to raise cash to help fi nance the British team until Prime Minister John Major gave us the Lottery and in effect made all elite sports people professional. I certainly don’t want to sound like Scrooge about the coming festivities but I do want to add a note of caution. The Olympics are about many other things in addition to sport – politics, big business and national pride to name but a few. I have nothing but admiration for Team GBR in all of the sports whether the stars are rich and famous or relatively poor, parttimers. No matter what their achievements in non Olympic years or in the months running up to July they are super humans compared to the rest of us and have that incredible spirit that enables them to reach for the sky wrapped in national fl ags to collect glittering medals to which only a select few can ever aspire. And that spirit also includes the ability to risk investing four years in painful, utterly focussed campaigns that for all but three people or three teams in each event end in devastating disappointment. I am delighted that the UK is hosting the games again. We are superb at big events. We are a nation that relishes challenge, can wave fl ags with particular verve and, at least until recent years, had a reputation for living with emotional peaks and troughs. And that is where my concern lies. The GBR sailing team has built a formidable Olympic reputation. It is the one to beat. The expectation is all the greater because this year competition will be on home waters. Most of us will watch the dramas unfold from the comfort of our living rooms courtesy of TV. Let’s leave the doors and window open so our cheers of support and cries of delight when they win can be heard from across the nation. But let’s also remember that medals are often decided by the narrowest of margins from equally skilled and dedicated opponents. Of course squeal with pleasure and take pride in their victories but always be prepared to live with less than the three top places. If our sailors have to do it, so can the rest of us. They are special simply for getting to the Olympics. Despite those high expectations they are also human. Pray for victories but plan to salute them whatever the results. Happy Olympic year! |
