The Winter Olympics

After a cautious start, I am really enjoying the Winter Olympics now.

One of the main virtues of the "ice and snow Olympiad" is that it is more compact, not being the sprawling monster which its summer cousin has become. Many of the sports provide genuine spectacle, either through the hazards involved or the intricate skills required to succeed.

Living in Britain, these Games have supplied an antidote to some of the nauseating flag-waving nonsense which we had to endure around London 2012. As Britain, despite the protestations of some media folk to the contrary, is generally pretty useless at most Winter Olympic pursuits, it is possible to enjoy the coverage without being totally saturated with jingoism and insularity.  It still irks me, however, to see the media concentrate on some "plucky Brit" who finishes 37th, whilst some majestic performance up-front is almost totally disregarded.

Another thing which is becoming abundantly clear over time is how the face of the Winter Olympics is changing.  When I was young, the lion's share of the attention was allocated to Alpine ski-ing, figure skating and so on.  In recent times, the newer, more "trendy" and youth-oriented events such as snowboarding, freestyle ski-ing and skeleton have come more and more to the fore and, who knows, could even supplant the "blue riband" events in prestige before too long. As commercial considerations hold such sway these days, I can only see this as inevitable. The purists may not be happy, but are there any purists left? Judging by the hysteria on social media, curling is destined to become the new football!

London 2012 - A Different Slant

Well, the Olympics have drawn to a close. Time perhaps to give my thoughts on the whole thing.

I have to say that the whole British flag-waving feeding frenzy has left me completely cold.  However, I have enjoyed the Olympics immensely, if perhaps for slightly differing reasons to some other people.

I made a point of bypassing much of the populist hoopla, and concentrated on what would be regarded as "minority" sports, such as handball and rhythmic gymnastics.

When watching these reports, I was struck by the sheer joy, pride and emotion of competing, of people achieving a lifetime's ambition merely by participating in the Olympics, and determined to make the most of it, and savour it, whatever the result. These people will never be international celebrities, or acquire great riches.  This was sport for its own sake, and also as a manifestation of admirable and noble human qualities.

I found watching the rhythmic gymnastics competitions to be especially rewarding and heart-warming. The feeling I got was one of intense competition, but also a real sense of community and camararderie amongs the participants.  A sport which is still human, which has retained some roots, and has not sold its soul. At the same time, a sport which is keenly aware of the need to promote itself, and endear itself to the public, but through sincerity,integrity and a sense of fun and enjoyment.

Many of the so-called "minority" Olympic sports are routinely denigrated by media and public, and this disdain is often born of ignorance.  Handball, rhythmic gymnastics and synchronised swimming require just as much skill, athleticism and dedication as any other sport.

So, my main memories from London 2012 will not be of "legacy" or empty nationalistic bravado, but of simpler, more innocent and genuinely uplifting things . 

The Complete Book Of The Olympics

If you have been enthused about the Olympics in general by London 2012, and wish to delve deeper into the rich history of the event, there is one book which I can unreservedly recommend.  The "Complete Book Of The Olympics", by David Wallechinsky.  As far as I know, it is updated prior to every Olympiad.  This is the latest edition:

I myself have a couple of earlier editions, the latest being the 2004 one.

These books, as well as containing results and statistics from every Olympic event ever held, also have some wonderfully colourful, and often obscure stories and anecdotes from the history of the Games.  The author does not just concentrate on the legendary athletes and episodes; he also relates innumerable human interest stories from minority sports and under-reported corners of the Games.

This is the kind of book that you will find myself going back to constantly, as each subsequent read reveals another tasty morsel of information, or enlightening tale.

David Rudisha

The action in the Olympic Stadium on Thursday evening was spectacular and memorable, but it also left me feeling slightly aggrieved and puzzled.

We had what was by most definitions and measurements, a quite breathtaking men's 800 metres final, with one of the most majestic performances I can remember in my three decades of watching athletics.  David Rudisha lead almost the whole way, throwing down the gauntlet to his rivals, and breaking his own world record.  His searing pace and front-running towed his rivals round to some remarkable times, with five men breaking the 1 minute 43 seconds barrier.

Yet, by the end of the evening, and then this morning, talk of Rudisha's momentous display had largely faded from the forefront of the media, with the focus firmly on Usain Bolt's 200 metres victory, and more "Team GB" success.  I am not under-estimating the importance of Bolt's achievements, or the GB feats, but it seemed to me that things were a bit out of balance.

Perhaps I should not be surprised by all this, really.  This is where we are inexorably heading.  The cult of celebrity, such a pervasive feature of our world today, no doubt influences things, and those with "Pied-Piper" qualities and that aura about them will receive more attention and adulation those who are just simply brilliant at what they do but undemonstrative..  I doubt that this all bothers David Rudisha much, either.  He knows what he achieved last night, as do genuine track and field and sports fans.

I certainly know which race from Thursday's track and field programme I myself found most "inspirational", to use the current buzz-phrase.  A clue - it was won by a Kenyan....

The Olympics

Well, we are around half-way through the London 2012 Olympics.  I am a huge sports fan, but prior to the start of the Games I found myself struggling with a curious lack of enthusiasm, which I found difficult to rationalise.

However, as soon as the competitions got up and running, my interest was aroused, although I have noticed that many of my attitudes and perspectives have changed compared to previous Olympics. These changes are probably a consequence of changes in my own life, and alterations in my outlook on the world and people.

I think that what these Games have shown to me is how alienated and detached I have become from conceptions and notions of "country", "nationality", "patriotism" and partisanship. Of course, enormous credit and congratulations should go to the Team GB athletes, but if I am being honest I feel little different about their success to what I feel about that of athletes from other nations.  I am a human being, and my interest is in human endeavour and human emotions, no matter what colour flag somebody happens to be waving.  I have some favourite athletes, but they come from all over the world. I was delighted for example to see Dee Dee Trotter, who I have admired for a number of years, get a bronze medal in the 400 metres.


I don't subscribe to the theory that the Olympics only really gets properly under way when the track and field commences.  However, there is plenty to look forward to in the next few days, with many of the events looking unusually open and competitive.

Oh, and I wish that the media would make it abundantly clear that their precious "medals table" is unofficial.....

The Year Ahead

From a blogging point of view, the year ahead presents numerous possibilities.

For a sports afficionado like myself, there is the prospect of the London 2012 Olympics, as well as the European Football Championships, Euro 2012, in Poland and the Ukraine. I dare say that I will be posting the odd article about those two events!  To be honest, I have thus far held quite a cynical and negative view of the London Olympics, but I expect that my enthusiasm will increase as the Games draw nearer.

In addition to the "marquee" events, I will continue to follow the F1 circus and domestic and European football.

I hope also to do the odd bit of travelling during 2012, both within the UK and possibly beyond, so some blog posts on these excursions can be expected....

My cultural activities, in the form of music,literature and cinema, will also provide much blogging material. I have piles of books, purchased over the past two years, gathering dust and awaiting my attention, so I will review these publications from time to time.

Any suggestions for other topics to be covered would be welcomed!