With the London 2012 Olympics labeled as a rip-roaring success, following an unforgettable fortnight of pure passion and physical poetry, we have been left with serious withdrawal symptoms. Despite the commencing of the new Premier League campaign, it is the Paralympics that everyone is now talking about.
At this year’s Olympic Games in London, Team GB accumulated a staggering total of 65 medals, 29 of which were gold, in what was undoubtedly their best Olympic performance ever. Sure, Britain boasted more medals at the 1908 Olympics, but they also accounted for a third of all athletes during the 6 month contest, including events such as tug-of-war and motorboating.
Following a fruitless first five days, once Helen Glover and Heather Stanning had secured Team GB’s premier gold medal of London 2012, heroes were born by the day, with the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Ben Ainslie, Chris Hoy, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and even Mr. So Close But So Far himself, Andy Murray amongst the faces of fortune in the British camp.
Preceding the Olympics and aided by months of a typically self-destructive media, Great Britain had plummeted so far into a cesspit of self-loathing that calling the whole event off at the last minute seemed the only option to prevent falling even further from grace, if at all possible.
Over the previous 12 months, scandals surrounding MP’s expenses, banking, the Leveson Inquiry and of course rioting had left a nation, known for its stiff upper lip, with a quivering lower lip and numerous scars. An indication of severe self-harming.
However, against all odds, London 2012 managed to capture all that typifies the perfect Olympic Games. It was the unison of competitor and spectator. The relentless and unconditional support from each and every onlooker for those wonderfully brave enough to attempt to conquer their personal goals in front of a worldwide audience. The country each athlete represented faded into insignificance as the most incredible display of sportsmanship and mutual respect inspired all involved. Continue reading
Written by Dom Wallace
