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| Memorable Opening Ceremony on Big Screen at Sports & Social Club |
It seems, to paraphrase Sir
Winston Churchill, we allowed ourselves a brief period of rejoicing during the
time of the ‘London 2012’ Olympic and Paralympic Games. Those who were lucky enough to be near enough
to the venues and get tickets all say what a brilliant time they had. It exceeded all expectations in terms of
travel to and from London, the lack of long queues, and the friendliness at the
venue, thanks mainly to an army of volunteers – the ‘Games Makers’ – as well as
s friendly uniformed military presence. Those
who did not attend the Games watched Team GB’s success on television at home or
in local Sports and Social Clubs or bars or at ‘big screen venues’. The fact that there was wall-to-wall coverage
of the Olympic Games on two of the main BBC TV channels (and BBC Radio Five Live
etc) as well as ‘red button’ options meant that this was a nationwide shared
experience. Newspapers reflected what
fabulous value for money it all was – about a fiver of a household’s TV Licence
Fee. Terrestrial, free to view, Channel
4 did their bit too with the Paralympics receiving record viewing figures for
the station.
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| Olympic Park, Stratford Soon after opening time on 31 July |
What was unusual about the
Games was that people who were not natural sports-people or sports supporters
found the whole festival utterly captivating.
In the weeks before the Opening Ceremony huge numbers of people turned
out on the streets – sometimes very early in the morning – to see the Olympic
Games Torch Relay come through their town.
Suddenly the whole thing became a reality. Strangers spoke to one another. “Have you been to the Games?” “What was it like?” “Did you see the Opening
Ceremony?”
To see London scenery as a
backdrop to what was said to be the greatest show on earth was encouraging and
a massive advertisement for visitors to the capital. The view of the Royal Naval College and
Canary Wharf from the equestrian venue at Greenwich Park was fabulous. Tower Bridge was iconic. The purpose-built Olympic Park has added to
the City’s landmarks.
The Paralympics exceeded all
expectations. One of the greatest things
was to see the venues full. Those who
did not go to the Olympics made sure they went – and enjoyed themselves to the
full supporting the athletes. But the
Paralympics did something else: it got people talking openly about disability
without embarrassment in struggling for the right words. We learned together. We commented on athletes who by birth or
through circumstances had not given up, accepted their situation and were doing
extraordinary things. How inspiring is
that!
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| Inside the Aquatics Centre: a view from up in the gods |
Filmmaker Danny Boyle’s
magnificent Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on Friday 27 July set the scene for
a great summer. It started with our
history. A bucolic rural scene of sheep
and cottages was interrupted by the advance of the Industrial Revolution and
the “pandemonium” – the word used - which eschewed illustrating Britain as the
workshop of the world. Those great
chimneys coming out of the ground, the fiery heat and the crafting of discs, which
magically were elevated to form five Olympic rings. Incredible! The soundtrack provided strong links too. Underworld’s music had a motif – a whistling
tune - introduced, amid the chaos of mass production, as a remembrance to those
who died in the First World War then, in a more triumphant way, the forging of
the rings in the air. Finally, at the
end of the Ceremony, as young future athletes prepared to light the cauldron –
how inspired what that! – the tune was heard again. These were not classical but dance tunes but
were operatic in what was conveyed.
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| The Velodrome |
The whole Opening Ceremony programme
was a confident portrayal of Britain past and present, and perhaps our future. It portrayed a multi-cultural, multi-faceted,
tolerant Britain without feeling embarrassed either about our alive and well traditions:
two Christian hymns were included in the proceedings. The biggest cheer of the evening was given,
at the venue I attended, to the appearance of The Queen in the Olympic Stadium. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the
Internet, was a special guest at the Ceremony.
His desire to share his invention so generously carried the words electronically
around the Stadium “This is for everyone”.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games was for everyone, and everyone shared
and enjoyed it.
When the Olympic flame was
extinguished sixteen days later we were reminded of the legacy in the symbol of
the phoenix. The venues, the
encouragement to engage in and support sport: these are all for the
future.
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| Weightlifting (Mens 94kg) at the Excel Arena |
Now you could say that this
was all very nice: entertainment and not reality. I think it was more than that. People found the Games a unifying and
emotional experience: a shared experience.
What other events in our lives have had the same effect? Often it is the sadder ones such as World
Wars (referring to “the wartime spirit” which galvanised our nation) or acts of
terrorism (such as 7/7 in London or 9/11 in New York) which make people stop
and reflect: reflect on the bad things humankind does. But this was a joyous event: a bit like a
Royal Diamond Jubilee over a prolonged period.
The recognition of the past –
our history – is important and the Ceremonies did this tremendously well. But history is also the springboard to the
future. Thanks to Sir Tim Berners-Lee we
are able to share our thoughts. Our age
is the age of mass social media. As an
individual I can share my enthusiasm for local history and am the first generation
able to share on a free and global basis.
“Inspire a generation” was the strapline of ‘London 2012’. The words are used to encourage greater
sports participation but we all feel inspired, more confident, and
happier.
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| Greenwich: with equestrian stadium to rear of Naval College: 9 September 2012 |
For now, the Games – both
Olympic and Paralympic – are happy memories in which we all shared. “This is for everyone”. Britain seems a better place today.
(Comments very welcome. Interspersed
are some pictures relating to my Olympic Games experience. “This is for everyone”.)
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| Tower Bridge: 9 September 2012 |
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