God how we love to moan...Give a Brit £10 Million and i can bet your bottom Dollar we will find something to whinge about.It's in our nature...
We also put on fantastic sporting events.Mostly in sports we invented,taught the world then sat back and watched as the world beat us hands down at all of them.. When you combine our propensity to have a bit of a whine and us hosting the 2012 Olympic Games it's fun fun fun all the way...
I love The Olympics and i'm proud that they're being hosted only two miles from where i live.Indeed i once lived in a housing Co-Operative situated in what is now the Olympic site.I think the Basketball Arena now stands where i used to wash the dishes in our kitchen...I hope they have sorted out the major Cockroach problem and released all the trapped methane that had accumulated in an area that was basically industrial landfill...
The one major gripe with locals is the disruption to travelling around the City.Well duh! It's the Olympics for Christ sake. there's gonna be times when the trains & roads are going to be rammed cos' guess what? The biggest show in the world is coming to town with thousands of extra bodies all travelling in one direction.So yes there will be more disruption.Surely you don't have to be an intellectual heavyweight to work out that if your trip is likely to take longer owing to restrictions then allow more time by leaving earlier...You can grumble all you like but if you're not prepared to change your routine for a month then you're a fool and deserve to be caught up in delays...
Make no bones about it we will turn up in our numbers---that's another thing we do well,we actually get off our arses and attend sporting events.Don't be surprised to see a full stadium at 9am local time for the Steeplechase first round qualifying...
Despite my love of the Olympics there have been some things going on around the event that sit uneasily.The aggressive sponsorship for one.Not only from the usual suspects of McDonalds,Coca-Cola and Addidas etc...But also from the IOC who have "Protected" their five rings symbol with the zeal of a Lioness protecting her cubs.
Whilst i can understand the need to protect copyright does a local Newsagent displaying the Olympic symbol really pose a threat to the IOC? I would think the biggest threat is internal corruption,which is rife...However it does give rise to the more creative cynics.Every cloud has a silver lining...
Another bone of contention is security.Because of the times we live in there's obviously a need for well organised and professionally run security.So why they allowed such a discredited company as G4S run the whole show is beyond me.Hell they can't even summon up enough numbers for the Olympic site.With the British Army covering the shortfall to the tune of 3,000 soldiers.Still can't be too hard on G4S.They've only had seven years to sort it out...The other security bone of contention is the deployment of surface to air missiles atop of a local block of flats.The residents are naturally up in arms over this and rightly feel the powers that be have ridden roughshod over them.There is plenty of waste ground locally where these things could be placed.Hopefully they won't be needed to be used in anger.Let's just hope the inevitable fireworks display does'nt set the buggers off!
There's been a lot of talk about the opening ceremony.The previous games hosted by China had a very impressive display but it was essentially a show of tight regimented joylessness.I expect ours to be a bit more shambolic but a hell of a lot more fun...
As for me i planned ahead.Made sure i booked the whole two weeks off work early before anyone else could steal my thunder(Hey it's a jungle out there! This is no time to show weakness) I don't have any tickets ---Only bookable through VISA naturally---but will watch most of it on TV with the curtains drawn, becoming an instant expert on sports i have never even heard of before---"Oh come on her Piaffe was below par and to be honest the Tempi was'nt up to scratch either.Blown our chances of a Dressage Bronze there"--No doubt i will pop along to the stadium at some stage to soak up some of the atmosphere.It would be rude not to.
Being a Brit i obviously hope my country does well and wins lots of medals but putting jingoism aside the main wish is that the 2012 Olympic Games are a great success and remembered for all the right reasons...
Let The Games begin...
PS) Thank God The BBC have still got the rights to the Olympics.This is what they do superbly.They also have the classy and informative Michael Johnson as their main pundit again.An all round class act...
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