2012 Olympic Blues

The 2012 Olympic games will go down in history as the occasion when sporting achievement captured the hearts and minds of the majority of the British people to an extent that some of the sceptical and indifferent became caught up in the fever generated first by the extended Torch relay when tens of thousands crowded the streets as 8000 bearers, some famous, some local heroes and each with their own story built up expectation paraded before them.

However it will be a mistake to assume the good feelings and happy faces on everyone about the streets of London will continue after the Paralympics from August 29^th to September 9^th has concluded and as the excellent Victoria Derbyshire of BBC channel 5 live has already said travel on the London Underground is back to normal. But has something more fundamental and lasting also happened?

I do believe there is a new sense of national identity which will have an impact on the move of the Scottish Nationalists to separate Scotland from the rest of the UK in the referendum planned for later in this Parliament. There was a pride in competing and supporting Team GB which will not so easily be undone.

There was also an interesting crowd reaction yesterday, Sunday 19^th August after Kevin Pietersen lost his place in the Test side for slagging off his captain and other players in tweets to members of the South African team and came out to play against his former club Hants on behalf of Surrey. There was a good crowd with entrance free and the extent of booing was transmitted over the BBC broadcast together with communal elation when he was bowled first ball. Instead of some sympathy he was roundly booed on his way back to the pavilion. Whereas hundreds of thousands turned out in all weathers to watch the Torch relay, road race or marathon event because it was free to support Team GB the stadium in Hampshire was reported just over half full despite the free admission an experience which Durham also experienced when it provided two free days of County cricket in the year when they swept to championship success and membership and support, especially for the shorter game did not expand as a consequence. The Football season also opened this weekend to packed stadium demonstrating once again that the public will exercise their ability to choose what to watch, what to pay for and what to stay away from. The emptiness of Trent Bridge the home of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, already participating in the 20 20 finals next week and who would have continued to challenge for the County Championship if they had beaten Durham had no evident impact on the numbers of members attending the game which I attended on three of its four days, noting the thousands of Nottingham Forest Football Fans about the streets two hours and more before the kick off at the adjacent stadium. Hampshire who have the opportunity now to win three titles, the 20 20, the 40 40 and promotion from the second to first divisions could not give tickets away.

My impression is that the unity and pride experienced by the public in general will have an impact on political decisions and on the public response to political matters and decisions in the future. However while politicians will attempt to claim ownership the force that has been created is just as likely to be turned against the establishment and to support it.

The legacy of the Olympic Games will also be the extent to which they have “Inspired a Generation” to participate in sport in some way in general and the immediate response has been a surge in people making enquiries with clubs, with the number of cyclists on the roads and pressure on Ministers to direct schools to devote more attention to sport and stop the selling off of playing fields. It is a fact that about half recent Olympians have come from private schools and this suggests that the opportunity to try out some sports rowing, sailing, using horses, shooting depends of the social background and wealth of parents. An attempt is to be made to change this position over time by involving sporting clubs more with state schools but this will cost.

There has been some comment that a different balance between the basics of education, the reading , the writing and the arithmetic, the traditional subjects for further education, the Arts and the Sciences needs to be achieved with more emphasis on sport yet we have just seen a move away from the number of degree courses in subjects such as journalism, photography, popular music study and such like because of the inability to provide graduates with appropriate work in order to pay the £30000 loans which the study will have generated. Success during further education involves membership of societies and travel as well as forging links with those who can provide Internships and a lifetime of social influence and support.

While it will be good for the nation(s) to continue to find the talent to become successful International athletes in a widening variety of sports there is a gigantic gulf between the majority who participate and those with ability, especially mental ability to undertake the work required to become an International Athlete over a four to twenty year period which success at the Olympic Games requires. It was possible for one young woman to enter a competitive rowing boat four years ago and become an Olympic Champion but the cost was still over £1 million, most of which will be spent on the array of specialists now required to hone sporting techniques and the physical, mental and emotional body to its peak. The cost of a medal varied between over a million and several and this fact will govern how the Government commitment to maintain its present level of funding inflation proofed together with the National Lottery provided 25% of its good cause’s money through to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

At the press conference at the conclusion of the games a journalist from mainland China asked Lord Coe about the balance in expenditure between that on the elite and the general public and Lord Coe is likely to have surprised and disappointed the questioner with his response that only successful elite athletes can generate a general public participation in sport especially in the era of the social media, the electronic generated games and the music bars and clubs. It is important to separate the general public enthusiasm for the Olympic Games and which will flow through to the Paralympic games and active participation in sports.

I have already commented on the significance difference between the tens of thousands who usually attend Premiership football and International Cricket from those who went to St James Park and Wembley to support teams other than the home countries. The level of expenditure was about the same in terms of the ticket price, travel and concession pricing or programmes, souvenirs food and drink. It was however evident that the yob element, the excessive drinking and the aggressive edge was absent, on and off the field of play. I make a distinction between elite competitiveness and the gamesmanship i.e. the cheating which is evident throughout professional sport. There was competitiveness in the way the cycling teams enabled someone other than GB World sprint champion Mark Cavendish win the cycling road race and Ben Kinsley gave as good as he got when his closest rival engaged him in a questionable sporting manner.

I listened to a prearranged debate on legacy issues hosted by Victoria Derbyshire of Five Live in which the future use of a number of stadiums created at Straford was mentioned. The swimming stadium will be changed to reduce two spectator wings but the two pools, one above the other will be used for elite swimmers, for those who want the experience and for members of the local community. The charging system will be variable with for local residents the usual concessions including those who are unemployed and disabled.

The Olympic Park site covers a large area which includes several rivers creating an island which was of value in terms of making the site secure. The 400 outlet Westfield centre has been created between the existing Stratford Transport Interchange and the Olympic Park and was packed when I visited several months before the games commenced and therefore is likely to continue as a profitable enterprise. The Swimming and Water Polo stadiums are either side of the main entrance with the Water Polo centre being demolished. The Orbit will reopen tot he public once the other work on the site has been completed. The main stadium will be used for the World Athletic championships in two years time and in the intervening period decisions will be taken about its use as a Football Stadium, with West Ham the most likely beneficiaries with Spurs the other interest party now looking to move to a site south of the River at Battersea.

The other facility which will continue as mentioned in my last writing (2330) the Copper box will become a small to medium multi use facility for indoor sports. The outdoor stadium for Hockey is already being transformed for Paraplegic Football and will then become an open space without spectator facilities. The Basketball arena will also be demolished although an attempt was made to transport to Brazil. Given its demountable nature it would be surprising if some use elsewhere is not created. I have explained that in London there is the ginormous Excel centre close to the O2 arena where International Tennis is held as well as rock concerts in East London with Wembley Arena in the north west and the Earls Court and Olympia centre in the South west of the city.

The cycling velodrome is to continue along with the national centre at Manchester and the Chris Hoy centre in Glasgow. There will be additional work round the Olympic Park Velodrome and the BMX track to enable some road racing. There are questions about the future of the Crystal Palace athletics track and stadium in south London and the open air Herne Hill velodrome also in south London and which provided the only opportunity for young people to experience a competitive track in in the capital. I have no information on what is to happen to the other buildings on the park, the London 2012 megastore, the Coca Cola Beat Box the Panasonic HD 3D Theatre and the MacDonald’s 4 storey 15000 seating food outlet as well as the other food and drink outlets. There is to be additional housing created to the proposed use of the Olympic Village accommodation which is to be divided between different levels of property in terms of renting and purchasing.

Because of the nationalistic fervour, the overall cost of holding the event as well as the cost and availability of tickets together with the issues surrounding sponsorship it is possible to lose sight that the Olympics is an international sporting event based on the principal of giving ones best and that the honour of participation should be as great as the honour of winning. Of course the Games is always marred by the cheats who use banned substances to enhance performance and although testing has become as sophisticated as new and this year there was the extraordinary spectacle of several Badminton female doubles players desperately trying to lose their games in order to avoid playing the best competitors in the next round. They and their coaches were sent home in disgrace.

There is in my view too much attention paid to the medals winning table although it is encouraging that 120 of the 204 nations competing did not win one medal and I shared in the excitement of when a nation achieved a medal for the first time or some athlete unexpectedly came to the fore. The Olympic Committee tries to limit the involvement of politics and the original intention was that holding of the games would stop conflicts at least for their duration but in 2012 the killing and the destruction continued in Syria despite a team from the country participating. The way countries use the Games for International and National political purposes has been evidence since Hitler planned the 1936 Berlin Olympics to promote his brand of Racial Fascism. Post the Second World War the main political battle was between the night of the Soviets and the USA and since the break up of the Soviet Union a more healthy competitiveness has emerged between China and the USA with China winning in Beijing 2008 and the USA in London. The People’s Republic of China gained 88 medals (39 Gold 27 Silver and 23 Bronze) in London with the USA gaining 104 (46 29 29). The ability of a state to spend and to influence according to its wealth is to some extent countered by its size and China can be expected to dominate the next century irrespective of what the USA is willing to do. Future medal tables should be weighted according to population and per capita wealth.

For several decades Russia remained third in the table with Australia in particular dominant and the UK among the also rans sometimes badly when at one Games only one Gold Medal was achieved. The situation was changed in Beijing as part of the preparations for London 2012 and in some respects because of the unexpected success of those games, especially in the number of Gold Medals (18) there was uncertainty about what was to happen this time with the target set at 19 and above Golds with 29 being achieved, and over 60 medals overall with the total 65 and some disappointment in this respect with the swimmers gaining less than expected as did the field and track athletes overall despite the double gold of Mohammed (Mo) Farah and that of Jessica Ennis and the long distance jumper Greg Rutherford.

The number of Gold medals achieved means that in the official table the GB team is placed third over Russia with 82 medals in total but only 24 Golds. In fact only 84 of the 204 countries participating gained a medal seven nations achieve 10 or more Golden medals

Germany was 6th with 44 medals (11 gold 19 silver ,14 bronze) with South Korea 5^th having achieved more Golds with 13 but gained only 28 medals. In total France with 11 Golds and 34 medals was 7^th...

Significantly Canada is placed 36^th with only 1 Gold but with 18 medals in total. Similarly Australia 10^th 7 Golds 35 medals and Japan 11 also 7 Golds and 38 medals but two fewer Silver. Other countries gaining ten or more medals are Italy 20 (8 Golds), Netherlands 20 (6), Ukraine 20 (6), Hungary 17 (8), Spain 17 (3), Cuba 14 (5). Kazakhstan 13 (7), New Zealand 13 (6), Islam Republic of Iran 12 (4) Jamaica 12 (4), Belarus 12 (2), Kenya 11 (2), Czech Republic 10(4), Poland 10(2), and Azerbaijan 10 (2). Brazil the hosts in 2016 gained only three Golds out of a total of 17.

Because of the success in terms of Gold and other medals and the impact upon the public in general the government has committed the national funding with the ongoing National Lottery funding the elite athletes will have an overall inflation proofed level of funding. How the money will be divided is to be reviewed so cycling will gain and swimming lose together with the team sports such a handball and basketball. There is the political expectation more than a national one that Team GB will perform as well or better in Brazil in four years time as it did in China and now in London. For David Cameron, the Prime Minister the games has provided proof that the Big Society can become a reality given the extent of volunteering that was involved and which proved such a success together with the way the public responded. Any hope that he and the beleaguered Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has that the Games will re-ignite their political fortunes is misguided and this was underlined that backbench Tory Members of Parliament are to test his leadership again on issues such planning, train fares, energy and petrol prices. When Parliament returns, the publication of the Iraq inquiry report and that from Lord Leveson everything will revert to party political reality. The unknown factoring in this is the health of the Duke of Edinburgh.

But the glow of success remains and in the final piece of this series I want to look again at my golden moments and at those who made them

Olympics 2012 Handball

I had one more 2012 Olympic sporting experience at the Olympic Park Stratford on Friday morning  August 3rd and in some respects it was the best. I knew nothing about handball but my selection had worked out that the first of two matches at the Copper Box was between GB and Angola. The British team were only able to compete because of being Olympic hosts and lost all their league games. There are Handball players of International standard in the UK but these have to play for clubs in other parts of Europe where the sport flourishes. It is interesting that handball appears to be one of the sports which young people in the UK are not seeking to take up.

Because of my first experience going to the Olympic Park I ensured that the alarm went off and I arrived at  East Croydon Station sufficiently early to take the train to St Pancras and the Javelin train to arrive at half past seven only to find that the Copper Box did not open until 8 and with huge queues for coffee and all other drink and food outlets I had to wait patiently outside finding a makeshift seat.

The Copper Box together with the Swimming, Athletics Stadiums and the Orbit are grouped at the main Stratford entrance and will continue in various forms after the Games end. It is called the Copper box from being clad in copper panels and has a capacity of 7000 and will be used as a multi sports arena for small to medium events and for local community use.

Because of its size there are only two levels of seating with entrances for the ground and first floor spectator seating plus an upper level with food and drinks outlets and toilets are also located plus a balcony between spectator floors used by spectators with mobility disability. In the four corners there were also four blocks of six seats and I was allocated one of these. Noting as the hour progressed towards the start of the first match that the disability seating was unoccupied I enquired of a games maker if I could use one of these seats and he went away to inquire returning well before the  commencement of the match to say that it was arranged. What he did not make clear is that I was allocated a specific seat of the two available closest to my position as about half time a young French woman arrived to claim the seat I was occupying so I had to move to the other. France was playing in the next match which I explained I would not be staying to experience as there were events I wanted  to see on the Live big screen. 

Although I had enjoyed a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich with coffee for breakfast on waking I was ready for another coffee and a Pain au chocolat and did not wince at the price  of £4.90.

I knew nothing about handball which has a simple and basic format. A player cannot hold a ball for more than three seconds without bouncing it or throwing it to another player. Nor can they take more than three steps while in possession is frequently moved up to the opponents goal area which has a 6 metre radius from the goal posts. A player can enter this area from the momentum of having taken a shot at the goal. It is essential that any attempt at goal is successful because if it is missed then this provides the opportunity for the other side to rush to the other end without their opponents being in a defensive position and good players will always make this a score. 

Because the GB team frequently failed to take a score opportunity they were quickly two to six points adrift and there were times that it looked as they would badly beaten however they rallied, especially in the second half losing by only 17-15  after a 14 to 10  first half loss. The GB girls were  physically smaller than their opponents which in game where height and reach as well as individual strength are important factors and this weighed against them together with their international competitive inexperience.

It is not a sport where I feel inclined to follow should the opportunity arise again. It is unlikely the sport will be granted elite Olympic status and therefore will not receive further finance in an attempt for a UK team to become eligible to attend the 2016 Olympics in Rio. This will only happen if there is an upsurge in interest at grass  roots levels with sufficient participation for the creation of self financed leagues, leading to the re-emergence of sufficient players and public  interest to create semi professional participation.

I had planned to leave in order to view events on the Big Screen. I had  visited this area on the first day of my visit to the Park, There are in fact two screens back to back with a Green room facility and the technical equipment in between to one side of a river. There are rising banks if grass some of it artificial on either side as well as some areas of wooden staging. On my first visit the area was crowded and I had to stand but had discovered a single seat. Similarly on this occasion because I had come to the location while the majority of spectators were attending event I was able to find a seat. The facility is provided by British Airways but there is a BBC camera team who provide shots of the crowd as they have in Hyde Park. It an important part in the creation of a sense of being part of the experience in contributing in some way to it.

I will take the opportunity of this writing to mention my visit to the Orbit.  This is a contemporary art structure and viewing platform created for the Olympic Park as a commissioned structure. It was the idea of Tessa Jowell the Olympics Minister in the Blair and Brown Governments who wanted a lasting feature which would add to the Sky line in the East End in the same way that the Angel of the North is now a Gateway symbol for the North East of England. At the time around 2008 it is said that some five artists were short listed/invited to submit their ideas for the project including Antony Gormley the creator of the Angel. 

Funding for the project was provided by the steel company Arcleor Milltal who were first under the impression that they were to provide a quantity of steel for the project up to  £15 million but then realised they were being asked to participate in the creation of the full project which came to include the viewing platforms of which there are two. The original conversation with Mayor Boris Johnson is reported to have lasted 45 seconds.

The winning design was by a well known construction artist Anish Kapoor who created a temporary project at the former Baltic Flour Mill at Gateshead on the banks of the River Tyne and Cecil Balmond who a Professor of Architecture , designer and artist and in addition to the £16 million gift from the owner of Mittal’s £3.1 million was provided by the London Development Agency. The structure is stable and permanent but has a form of instability and in part in appeal of the Helter Skelter in that it includes over 350.

It is about third of the size of the Eiffel tower  and shorter than the Blackpool Tower but higher that the Statue of  Liberty.  The two viewing platform can each accommodate 150 people but on the day of my visit there were considerably less and it was possible to take time to gain a 360 view of London using both platforms provided a good sense of the size and scope of the Olympic Park and the London Skyline. This includes the Shard, the tallest completed building in Europe of over some 1000 feet and which also has a viewing platform  at 66 to 72 floors with the rest of the 30 floors not designed for occupancy. It cost £7 to enter the Orbit and some £26 for the Shard although there are to be restaurants around the thirtieth floor level. 

The viewing platforms each comprise two types of perspective, one behind glass which offers security and protection from the weather and one suspended in space and open to the elements which included wind and rain on the day of my visit. It is possible to walk down the 450 steps and gain an additional perspective on the London Skyline although because of the conditions  at the time of my visit as well as my play for the day I took the lift to the ground level from the lower viewing platform. In general art critics  and the media have expressed negative views with some suggesting it will eventually go the way of the 1951 Skylon which Winston Churchill insisted should be removed when he became Prime Minister rather than become appreciated icons such as the Angel of the North and the London Eye. Time will tell.

Olympic Football 2012 (2)

On July 26^th 2012 I attended one of the Olympic Games 2012 pre opening ceremony Football Tournament preliminary matches at St James Park Newcastle to watch Mexico play the Republic of South Korea (see 2324). I was not impressed by South Korea who appeared well organised but unable to convert the many chances which they created while Mexico had flair but also appeared over cautious and desperate to survive without losing the game. It ended 0.0 and raised my hopes that the GB team (although restricted to English and Welsh players because of the refusal of the Scottish and Northern Island Federation to allow their players to be considered) would progress).

There was also major question marks about the extent of public support with some stadiums only having sold a third or less of the available tickets. I have been allocated two single football tickets in the first national ballot for the games having applied for tickets, albeit at the cheapest end for an event a day throughout the two weeks. It was only subsequently that I was able to acquire tickets for Badminton, Basketball and Boxing (already reported) and for Handball (to follow) and I had debated whether to take up the first of the two London Football tickets on August 1^st which as luck would have it was between South Korea and Gabon. Not England, Brazil, France or Spain, countries with more appeal as footballing nations.

After the efforts of the morning and with already weary feet and hungry I left the Olympic Park after a brief visit to Live and to the Orbit and cross back to the Westfield Shopping centre along the middle way as thousands streamed into the stadium for afternoon sessions on either side. In addition to gaining entry into the shopping centre large signs reinforced by the army of volunteers each with a large hand which they offered to youngsters to give them 5 pointed the way to the Stratford International or Stratford town centre stations. In the shopping centre I made my way to escalators going down to the lower level and the food court, celebrating the decision to have checked out the centre and routes on my previous visit to London. As anticipated the food court was packed with no unoccupied seating available.

I queued for a McChicken Sandwich meal with diet Coke and was amazed at the speed of the operation. I was then able to find myself a stool seat at a table and enjoyed the food with time to notice the environment. I was later joined at the table by a couple who had been to an Italian food outlet with both having lamb shanks, one with rice and one with fried potato cubes at around £9 each.

After the food and a visit to the toilet which was very confusingly signed when seeking entry, reaction shared by several others which I found reassuring. I then took the over bridge route Stratford Railway and Bus station which involved going down several flights of steps as there was a good queue for the lifts and where the volunteers demanded that people did not stop to take photos. Everyone uses smart phones these days to take pictures and publish them immediately on face book. I had two phones with me resurrected the one with a camera which had lain under a caret in the car for over a year and had needed a new chip and a restart payment for calls. I promised myself to remember to bring this phone and leave the other back at the hotel.

I had worked out a route by underground but as I passed through the ticket barrier I overheard a volunteer saying the best route to Wembley was via the London overground. I asked him if I had heard correctly and he confirmed adding that when the train approached West Hampstead station I should give his house a wave. The overground platform was the furtherest along a tunnel under platform level trains and there are West Hampstead is the 13 stop so this part foot of the journey is a long one. On the previous London Visit I had got to Stratford after taking a train from East Croydon to Victoria and then the Victoria Line to Highbury and Islington for the Overground line to Stratford so I was familiar with the first part of the route. At West Hampstead there was a short walk and a crossing of a busy main road to Jubilee line stopping train to Wembley Park and in the report on the visit for the Badminton I mention taking the Jubilee line route from Green Park having also travelled from East Croydon to Victoria.

There is always a sense of occasion when exiting Wembley Park station and standing at the top of Wembley Way and looking ahead to the stadium. Again the volunteers pressed spectators not to stop on the stairs to take photos. By this time I was aware of a developing foot problem and took my time. At the stadium I was required to place the contents of all my pockets into a see through bag as occurred at St James Park but was also given a full body search. There were separate turnstiles for the ladies. It has only just occurred to me if children were also hand searched.

My seat was about midway in the top tier of the stadium and here was opportunity to watch the majority of the audience arrive while listened to Olympic report on BBC Five Live radio. On the previous morning before departure I had taken the lift down to the street at South Shields and walked to purchase a sandwich from Gregg’s and then to Argos to get a new pocket radio as the two in the House were not working and the available batteries also failed and were discarded. I had debated getting a pocket DAB in the hope it would counter the interference on the five live channel which occurs where lines are electrified. In the end I settled for what proved to a very small set and a new pack of A A batteries. The set fits into a shirt top pocket. I had bought a small headphone set the evening before. However when I attempted to use the set while waiting with a cup of coffee on Newcastle station I could not get a connection and also failed with the second battery. That evening after I arrived in Croydon booked in and unpacked I went to the Argos in the Street I knew at a child from Reeves Corner and the 654 Trolley bus up to the Surrey Street market and presented the radio. It proved to be the two batteries although the others in the pack subsequently worked. The faulty one was replaced with an extra one for the other I had been tempted to use and the radio has worked well since apart from the problem of interference when on an electrified railway. Sitting High up in Wembley stadium there was no problem except in this instance I was using the ear pieces provided and which as was confirmed by the experience that day, I am not good at using and not find comfortable. I had an additional problem which added to the sense of bodily discomfort because of a skin breakage on the bridge of nose arising from the use of the Sleep Apnoea machine and wearing spectacles. I was able to deal with by placing a small pad of tissues under the glasses but this made me too self conscious to use in public.

I mention these problems because in other circumstances they would have dominated the rest of my stay and although the exceptionally sore feet did affect mobility the atmosphere of the people in London for the Games was wondrous and inspiring. There had been what I considered good crowds for football matches not involving local or national teams at St James Park despite the availability of alcohol as usual there had been a relaxed family atmosphere in Newcastle. This is also what happened at Wembley stadium but with a distinct difference in part created because the stadium became more than three quarters full, with more people than at some friendly games involving England in the past. The crowd had come to enjoy itself and be part of the Olympic experience and while the appearance of a GB athlete transformed the audience in an extraordinary an un British way it was evident that people had come to have fun regardless of who was performing.

South Korea performed in the same way they had at St James Park. They demonstrated professional organisation at breaking through the defences of their opponents, The Gabon team, but as at St James Park repeated failed to convert their many opportunities to score a goal. Possibly because of my location and the increased size of the crowd I could not locate the same group of young supporters who had gathered behind one goal and created a constant sound of support. There were two school age boys created a two men cheer leaders for Gabon, one singing the national anthem with great passion. The result was 0.0. Again. Somehow South Korea went on to beat England, on penalties again but failed in the semi final but still they went to take the bronze. There were some 70000 present

I was experienced in the after game crush after games at Wembley, the rows of police horses and lines of police to stop crowds as the train filled and other were yet to arrive. Inside all routes south went to Baker Street and from there you chose your route. There was a merry go round getting from the Jubilee line at Green Park to the Victoria Line passing the extension which existed to St James Park. My feet were very sore now and I could have done without this. Back at East Croydon I enjoyed a breakfast sausage roll before going back to my room. Later I went out to the supermarket for sandwiches, BLT for the morning and Prawn Mayo for the now with Diet Coke and Water.

I have already described my journey back to Wembley on the Saturday for the Badminton and then entering the stadium early for the quarter final game. This could have involved England if they had not topped their group. Instead it was the Mexicans once more playing Senegal, the homeland of one Mohammed Fare, although his time was yet to come that evening. This was to me an enjoyable game with an even larger crowd of over 80000. The Mexicans had come to win and went two goals up but Senegal were to show their mettle drawing the game at full time 2.2. When Mexico scored their fourth goal in extra time I left with 14 minuets still to go and beat the crush a little, finding that the train went on passed Baker Street to Kings Cross/St Pancras and the route to East Croydon. Mexico went on to beat the favourites Brazil, silver medal winners in the previous two Olympic Games. I went home still in a sense of wonder at the way the British people were responding, unaware of the greatness to come

Olympics 2012 Basketball Live

August 1^st 2012 was a magical day when I appreciated the full effect of the Olympic Games on a city and a people and which I suggest will have a more lasting effect on the British psyche than any other development since World War II. The only other instance of a communal fever which I have experienced in my lifetime was the immediate aftermath to the death of Princess Diana and her funeral ceremony and even then the fever aspect only affected a minority of the British people. The mourning then was for the death of one iconic woman who appeared to take on the establishment and win, but also I suspect because of feelings of loss related to the individual psyches, and with for me bringing to an end the idealism, hopes and beliefs of my distant youth.

There is the possibility that from the Olympic Games London 2012 a new generation will emerge better educated and realistic but also fired with the belief that through individual and collective commitment and endeavour dreams can become reality.

The atmosphere in London in general during my few days in the capital city of GB was amazing although I did encounter one older couple on the overground train who were obviously put out by the crush in what was usually a quieter journey and later others who remained unimpressed and even hostile related to their own circumstances and backgrounds.

The day did not begin well as I did not sleep much overnight and alarm did not go off at the appointed time so it just before 7.30 when I rose and only 90 mins to get to the Basketball arena by 9 am and which was on the far side of the Olympic Park.

Fortunately I had prepared carefully the night before so between five and ten minutes later I was leaving for East Croydon Station without a drink or food. At the station I elected to take a one stop train to Victoria which was already in station rather than wait for the Train to St Pancras International. This was a mistake for although I was able to immediately get a Victoria Line train to Kings Cross I ended up on a merry go round finding my way out of the underground and at the wrong end of St Pancras for the fast direct train to Stratford International.

As was subsequently recorded for playing on London radio, the station announcer for the Victoria Line was in the Olympic spirit saying everyone on board, driver hold, ready, steady, go. The Railway stations above and underground were plastered with signs indicating the direction to take for the various venues Earls Court, Excel Arena North Greenwich(the 02 Arena) Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Horse Guards Parade, Lord Cricket Grounds, The Mall, Royal Artillery Barracks(Woolwich) Wembley Arena, Wembley Stadium and Wimbledon. There was also reference to getting to Hampton Court and of course to the Olympic Park. For me the ambition had been to get to an event or two at the Olympic Park and to one or more of the other London transport system arenas.

At Kings Cross I made the mistake of misreading the signs rather than following my instinct and ended up having a walk underground before coming out at the wrong end of St Pancras in part misdirected by one of many London welcomes, assist volunteers, the only instance in the following days when this happened. On arrival the previous day I had seen a queue for the Javelin High speed link to Stratford International as part of High Speed link routes from St Pancras. I had previously ascertained that the normal travel card did not apply and purchased the required tickets only to find that the Olympic Travel Card was being accepted.

The previous day I assumed the queue was for tickets as a sign suggested that one should walk into the station as I had been directed. However this was because provision had been made for an overflow queue on the outside pavement. In fact as there was no queue I was able to take the escalator stairway by the main booking to one of the three platforms used for the domestic High speed train routes.

Because I was late there was no queue for a train on the platform to my left but it looked standing room only so I made way along the second platform for seat only to then find it was quite a walk as there were two trains on the same platform-twenty four coaches total. The surprise was that apart from the first few moments when the train went at normal speed past the new developments at Kings Cross, the rest of the journey was underground so one lost the sense of obvious speed. The journey only takes a few minutes whereas using the underground it is necessary to break the journey and take a several stops overground train.

At Stratford International I made another mistake in going to the wrong escalator so that one had to walk back the same length to reach the exit which takes you briefly into the Westfield Shopping centre, a clever ploy, before taking you outside into the area just before the roadway across to the Olympic Park entrance, one of several around the vast acreage, but the busiest as adjacent is the bridge from Stratford Town centre bus and train station which serves underground and overground trains

As I mentioned from my first visit to the site earlier in the year Dockland Light Railway Trains also end on of their routes at Stratford at a station the other side of the International Train station and which therefore makes Stratford one of the great public transport interchange systems in London.

Because I did not have a bag with me I had my own empty lane to where after putting my jacket into a tray I was able to walk through to collect after the contents had been x- rayed. This had the advantage of not having to take everything out into a see through plastic bag as had been the case in Newcastle and later at Wembley.

Close to this entrance are the swimming pool and Water Polo Stadiums either side of Stratford Way with the 80000 Olympic Stadium ahead and the Orbit Tower construction. Because I was late there was not opportunity to take in the site and my trot may have precipitated the blister and tender spots on both my feet which remained a problem until I returned home.

At the time I was determined to get to my seat for the start of the first of two Basketball games at the special arena constructed only for the games and which will be demolished afterwards although there hade been a plan to take it to Brazil for the 2016 Games. The arena seats 12000 and this will be reduced to 10000 for the paralytics to accommodate more spectators with a disability. It is located at the furthest end of the Park. Although temporary the arena has cost £100 million to construct! The problem is that with Wembley Arena in North London and Earls Court in the West and the Excel already in the East there is no market for a fourth arena of this size. The arena is 115m 100m and because of its temporary nature it is necessary to go outside to reach the toilet area which are part of the building and for food and other concessions to the outside had a good seat given that the cost was effectively £6.50 allowing £9.50 for the Travel Card.

The first match was between one of the favourites for the competition France and another strong women’s Basketball country Canada with the USA the strongest. Although France had the edge it was a closely fought contest as they took the first quarter 13.12 and the second 15-13, losing the third 15-14 but fighting hard to take the game with 64-60 with their final quarter of 22-20. I went to the toilet and for a drink just before the end half way mark purchasing a cold drink and gaining a seat in the process. Basketball is not a sport which has attracted in the past but I can well understand the enthusiasm in part because of the strong American influenced approach with great music and crowd warming including getting spectator couples to kiss on camera!

The USA headed the first of two groups winning all five games followed by Turkey China and the Czech Republic. The extent of their superiority is shown that they scored 462 points against 279, a difference of 183 whereas the points difference for Turkey was 27 and for China minus 17.

France headed the second group winning all their 5 games but with a point’s difference of only 37 followed closely by Australia with a difference of 6 and then Russia and Canada. Although Team GB failed to win any of their games they lost to France 80-77 and Russia 67-61 and Canada 73-65 and Brazil 88-66. They were well beaten by Australia 74-58. Australia beat China, the USA Canada Russia beat Turkey and France the Czechs. The USA beat Australia in the semi final and France Russia. The final proved the dominance of the USA as they beat France 86 56.

After the first Basketball match I made my way quickly to the Arcelor Mittal Orbit and from their to the Olympic Park Live site and then to Wembley for more Football. These will be covered separately

Olympic Games 2012 Boxing (1)

On Thursday of last week August 2nd I made my way to the Excel arena in East London Dockland to watch an Olympic Games session of Boxing in the afternoon. Although the event was scheduled for 1.30 because I was still suffering with sore feet so I decided to make my way early with a plan to visit the Olympics Live screen at Woolwich afterwards to watch events rather than face the rush on the way back. Although the remedy of plasters had appeared to deal with the blisters I was not as mobile as I would have wished.

I took a train to Victoria and from there the Circle Line to Monument and a good walk to Bank for the Dockland Light Railway to Customs House. It was a Dockland Light Railway route not previously taken and my first visit to the extraordinary Excel International Exhibition and convention centre.

There is a wide bridge from the station down to an area of Inns and restaurants created from converted dockland buildings in what I was later to learn had been a carefully planned enterprise with Arab money to regenerate this part of London despite being only a short distance away from the Millennium Dome development. Because of the rain I remained on the bridge and then found a seat in the sunshine to eat a sandwich and a carton of grapes purchased the previous evening from the supermarket.

As you approach the Excel stadium from this station you do not appreciate that it is such a ginormous building and when an assistant declared that the Boxing arena involved a half mile walk within the complex he was not mistaken in attempting to convey something of its huge nature. The building covers 100000 square feet and was only created in 2000 and then acquired by Abu Dhabi as a National Exhibitions centre. The building was extended in 2010 with a view to being used for a number of Olympic Games. There is a wide internal ground level boulevard with catering outlets and basement level toilet facilities; there are two huge spaces on either side of the boulevard which for the Games was dived into five arena spaces each with adjacent toilet and food and drink areas. The Arenas were used for Boxing, Judo, Fencing, Table Tennis, and Tackwondo, Wrestling and Weightlifting with space for 6000 to 10000 spectators. The centre has been used in the past for Wrestling and Boxing as well as for a Triathlon event.

The most famous use was for the G20 Leaders summit in 2009 with perhaps X Factor auditions and an International Arms Fair closely following. The International Motor and Fashion Show as well the Annual Boat show are other major events which have been held The owners have also initiated a number of projects to assist the local community. I am subsequently impressed by the round the year series of conventions planned and which includes a score of professional and technical gatherings noting also the Star Trek event in the autumn this year when all the star performers of the various series are coming to London over its three days and where admission passes range from £30 a day session to £3000 for the deluxé status in which you get sessions with the stars, front seats and attendance at parties.

The Boxing competition commanded the 10000 seat arena with its large reception hall for concessions and facilities and I was allocated a good seat about midway in one corner with the result that I could stretch my legs between the seats in the row below and had a free seat to one side. There were eight bouts divided into two weight categories and in the second of 75 Kilos I was able to witness Anthony Ogogo win his bout against the world number 1 Levgen Kytrov in a close context which ended 18 to 18 and where he was given the decision on countback.

Before commenting further on Anthony’s performance at the games and who comes from Lowestoft and was a promising footballer playing for Norwich City until 14 years of age some personal history. At school I entered into the inter house Boxing competition when I was 13/14 although I had received no boxing training or appeared in a ring before. It was an interesting experience in which the fight was stopped in the second round because I was being hit and refused to just defend as the house coach in my corner suggested. I had not disclosed to the aunties that I had entered the competition and they commented that my face looked puffy. I had been invited to join the school boxing club as a result of my endeavour but the aunties refused. I was very disappointed because I had been amazed at myself and enjoyed the experience and had not wanted the fight to be stopped.

I had listened to professional Boxing on the radio and then watched on Television over the years impressed with the amateur tradition in the UK but highly sceptical about professional Boxing especially in the USA because of the failure to settle on one system with at least four world title organisations at present and because of long history of corruption and fighters throwing fights.

This was the first time I had watched Boxing in an arena. I was first struck by the space between the Boxing Square (Ring) and the first spectator seats. Given the speed of the fights and the wearing of protective head gear it was difficult to see if the blows were effective and the reaction of the crowd appeared to be centred on the aggression of the boxer rather than on the effectiveness of a punch. There were screens but these were small and of no use in terms of seeing what was happening. Unlike the last Olympic Games the agreed scoring for the judges is not shown with the results coming up only at the end of each of the first two rounds. You then wait for the official result at the end of the third to add to suspense with the Boxers and their coaches unaware of the outcome until it is announced.

Anthony had impressively defeated junior Castillo Martinez of Dominica in the first round of 32 13-6 and in his last 16 contest he beat Stefan Hartel 15-10 to suggests he as one of four British male boxers Anthony Joshua, Fred Evans, and Luke Campbell on their way to doing so. Unfortunately he met a powerful Brazilian boxer, Esquiva Falcao Florentino, who took command and achieved a knock down which hurt Anthony who went on to lose the contest 16-9. I will report separately on the outcome of the three Boxing Finals involving British Boxers later, together with the winning performance of the first woman to win an Olympic Gold medal in Boxing Nicola Adams from Leeds.

What is now the future for Anthony Ogogo born 24^th November in 1988 to a Nigerian father and English mother in a family which also includes four sisters? Anthony won IABA World Championship in 2005 in Liverpool when the was 17 years of age but lost in the final of the 2010 Commonwealth Games,

Anthony has already attempted to exploit his good looks as a semi professional model and he also appeared in Celebrity Hijack finishing fourth. He has also gained advertising contracts with Subway. Getting Gold or Silver at the Olympic games can lead to a professional Boxing career as with Amir Khan who gained silver but went on to become a World Champion twice.

After the event I decided to make my way back to Croydon rather than go to on to Woolwich. It was a good decision because the news of further gold medals came as I was leaving the stadium and on the packed overground train back to the Bank Station. Back in Croydon I had a MacDonald’s Chicken Sandwich meal with Diet Coke taken to my room and then went out later to Waitrose of a can of coke and a bottle of water plus a BLT for the morning.

I now turn to my two extraordinary and wonderful days Olympic Park.

Olympic Badminton 2012

It is twenty four hours since I returned from four wondrous days attending six events at the 2012 London Olympic Games. I am full of head cold with a ticklish cough but managed some sleep last night with the help of the Sleep Apnoea machine. It is difficult to concentrate on writing even though I have so much to record. I slept on the settee during the day watching the Olympics feeling grotty and now have a blocked nose at 2.20 am so although I am doing a read through I anticipate even more mistakes than usual.

My original intention was to write notes on each of the four days preceded by my journey to London. I did not anticipate the overwhelming nature of the event and the magical atmosphere which affected everyone who switched on to the games either attending or watching on television. In what will still be a series of notes I shall attempt to take an objective view of various aspects of my experience and then make an overall assessment of whether there is the possibility of a legacy which will affect how the British people continue to view themselves as well as having an impact on the present generation of children and young people in relation to participation in sport.

I will begin with the arenas and the sports I experienced directly and with the best experience and also the most expensive on the morning of the fourth day, August 4th watching Badminton semi finals and one bronze medal match at the Wembley Arena, adjacent to Wembley Stadium. I was already booked into a quarter final men’s football game at Wembley Park. On seeing there was to be a medal contesting day with semi finals in the morning I decided to purchase the least expensive ticket available at £65 for the early morning session.

As a youngster I had played with a shuttlecock in the garden using tennis rackets and viewed Olympic Badminton contests in the past but not world or national competitions on TV in the intervening years, assuming these are shown when the events occur.

The event commenced at 9 am at the Wembley Arena and from my visit to watch football on the Wednesday I knew the route to take from the Wembley Park station. I planned to be at the stadium at just before 8 am which meant leaving the Croydon Travel Lodge just after 6am. As with the previous evenings I was in bed and asleep just after 10 pm although in this instance after the third waking around 4 am and a six hour use of the Sleep Apnoea treatment machine, I could not sleep further and listened to music on the headphone before rising around five getting ready and having a breakfast of the Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich purchased the previous evening and a coffee.

Being a Saturday morning there were fewer people on the streets and the train to Victoria from East Croydon was filled with people going to Olympic venues rather than the usual commuters to their workplace. There were fewer trained than usual so it was after 6.30 before the train departed. I was able to find a seat. On a previous return journey tired and with badly blistered and sore feet, I found the long walk between the underground railway lines at Green Park challenging so I debated other ways of getting to Wembley Park Station such as the Victoria line to Kings Cross then joining the Metropolitan line. However on reaching Green Park I changed my mind as the feet felt better and joined the Jubilee Line train continuing on this slower train rather than getting off at Baker Street for the faster line.

At Wembley Park station I took care going down the long flight of stairs and then made my way slowly along Wembley Way taking the right hand slope up towards the stadium before continuing over the bridge and down the steps to the entrance of the arena just as the gates to the stadium were opened although we were held on the inside concourse before being allowed access to the seating. By now I was used to the entrance procedure and had my jacket ready to place in a tray and unlike at Wembley Park there was no body search.

I have been to the Wembley Arena before to see Torvil and Dean perform their Ice Dancing Olympic Games gold medal winning routine. I also have been to a Christmas Ice Dance show. Since then this famous Hall has undergone a make over costing £35 million and is now London second indoor arena with 12500 seats to the 02 arena housed within the Millennium Dome. As a venue for concerts, it is the third largest when Earls Court is used for this purpose with a capacity of 19000. Interestingly with the Excel centre also in East London there is no major concert venue in central London apart from the spectacular Royal Albert Hall with seating restricted to 5500 although in the past it has held 9000.

The Wembley Arena was created as a swimming Pool for the 1934 Empire Games and the pool remains beneath the flooring. The Beatles performed three times in the 1960’s, along with the Rolling Stones and the Who. It has also been a venue for artists such as Sir Cliff Richards and Dusty Springfield and Barbara Striesand had four concerts her only appearance live outside the USA. Following the renovation a square was created outside the arena which includes hand prints of the famous similar to that in Hollywood.

Over the past decade it has hosted a number of wrestling events. As far as I have been able to establish the arena was only used for Badminton in the Olympic Games. On entering the stadium I found that I was allocated a seat at the entrance on an aisle at the front row, just above the most expensive level of seats below. This meant I had a clear view of the arena play area with quick access out to the concourse where I went for a coffee at the end of the first match between the top world doubles players from China, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng. The outplayed their opponents 21.9 and then 21 19 after there was something of a fight as the match ended although it was quickly evident the result was never in doubt.

The second semi final was a hard fought contest between two tall white Canadians who exhibited great power on the smash as fast as 200 kilometres an hour. They beat two smaller and less bulky young men from the Republic of Korea. The Koreans had great skill but the Canadians a strong defence losing the first set 17-21 but they fought back a tight second set 21-18 and a tighter third 22-20. There were some extraordinary rallies which merited standing ovations from an audience the majority of which were full of GB Fever and behaved as normal with players from other nations and in a sport which many may not have viewed let alone participated in before.

I was not surprised to learn that the Chinese pair beat the Canadians comfortably in a two set game 21 9 and 21 10 to take the Gold Medal. And in fact it was the Chinese who won all four finals. In the ladies double match for a bronze medal the Russian couple also had a one sided contest with two Canadians winning in two sets 21-9 and 21-10. The three contests were completed in just under three hours and although my feet continued to be sore I went on an explore for midday food finding an all hours store a short distance away but involving the crossing of a busy main road under the eye of several police men. After eating a second BLT of the day and drinking a can of coke the task was then to find somewhere to deposit the litter as evidently for security reasons all litter bins had been removed from the area of both stadiums. There was nothing for it but to enter the stadium with some ninety minutes before the football commenced and hope the stewards would take the rubbish off me. But that is another story and first it is Boxing at the Excel area in Docklands on the banks of the River Thames.