An Olympic Story

Beach volleyball, table tennis and boxing were the final three Olympic events we had tickets to see, all within the space of 24 hours. Sadly none of these were at the Olympic Park so we could not enter its environs, a major regret, but I still think I was lucky to secure four sets of tickets at all so I'm not going to complain.

The highlight of the three, and indeed the Games for us, was the Beach Volleyball at Horse Guards Parade. With the Houses of Parliament to our right and the London Eye straight ahead, flashing many colours including a delicious red, white and blue ensemble, it felt very much like a London venue rather than detached from the City. Furthermore, the atmosphere was extraordinary, despite the heavy shower which had been falling just prior to the matches.

It was men's quarter-finals between Germany and Brazil initially, then Netherlands against Italy. The former won on both occasions and I was supporting the Netherlands due to rye vast number of Dutch people in bright orange spandex. Indeed every country was well represented in the stands, particularly the Brazilians. There was one guy who was so passionate, he was rallying his troops with aplomb while trying to gee up his fellow Brazilians in the other stands.

Beach Volleyball was very much like a carnival, with dancers coming on every mow and then to entertain, along with rake men who raked the sand in what was called 'Rakey Rakey Time'. The voice of the X Factor was doing the announcing, adding a great deal to the fun factor, while the crowd all got to play the bongos on the giant screen between matches.

Table tennis the next day was a more mute affair. The match we saw was a female team bronze medal tie between South Korea and Singapore. The singaporeans had many fans while the Koreans had a tiny pocket stuffed in one corner. The game, a best of three sets featuring two singles, a doubles, then two singles games if necessary was a walkover for Singapore who climbed into an unassailable 3-0 lead, claiming the bronze prize. The reactions and quickness on show was something to behold and it was surprisingly interesting watching the match. We had good seats with a side-on view so I'm glad I bid for these in the free-for-all process back in May - this was our additional event and it didn't disappoint.

Wolfie was looking forward to the Boxing the most and the atmosphere was again electric. Luckily, two Team GB boxers were slugging it out, along with an Irishman, so we got to experience some of the passionate home support. These bouts were again quarter-finals, at fly weight and welter weight divisions, the latter being more interesting due to the greater power in the punching. Some of the judges' decisions I thought dubious, a common complaint throughout the Olympic Boxing, but the eight bouts - four in each division - thrilled and delighted.

We were offered tickets by the volunteers for Greco-Roman wrestling too as two people had left early but the no-readmittance policy meant we couldn't indulge. This was a shame as in hindsight I do wish that I had bid for more events. I tried over 200 times on the website over the last fortnight to try and get the few tickets which were being released day by day to fill any gaps in the stadia but to no avail. This was annoying as there were clearly empty seats at the Boxing and Table Tennis but I guess these had been sold and the people had just not turned up. It's a shame but sadly unavoidable. We had a great time in London though and are both looking forward to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in two years time.

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Holiday From Reality

One of the amazing things about the Olympics has been the sense of optimism and positivity they have imbued upon the country. At the Games, everyone was so friendly and positive, led by the exceptionally friendly volunteers who were all excellent, both in terms of their organizing skills and their attempts to gee up the crowd. There was no rancor, no bitterness and no negativity - everyone was having a good time, and this was despite the security checks and the food and drink prices (which I didn't think were too bad for an event of this type).

Going into the ExCeL we were also privileged to see one of the foreign athletes mingling with the crowd, showing off his gold medal. Up close they are a real delight and everyone was trying it on, getting their photographs with it. The camaraderie, as well as the coming together of nations, has been a real highlight over the last fortnight and in that time I have successfully managed to forget all of the negative points of this country and all the problems we all face. If this is the Olympic legacy, even just in the short term, then I feel this is a good thing.

Another example of the Olympic spirit was displayed at the free BT Live event at Hyde Park, which we attended between our ticketed events on Tuesday. Thousands of people were there watching the velodrome action on the big screen, cheering on Laura Scott to success before Victoria Pendleton's controversial defeat. I'll admit I find the national anthem an anachronism, and believe it should be changed as I don't think it's relevant to the views of most of the populace, but being part of the crowd singing along was a fantastic experience, despite my rather acerbic views on patriotism. Indeed, I am happy to celebrate in such a way as I see this as supporting and honouring the achievements of the individual athletes involved. And if this form of patriotism can fuel this sense of positivity, then this can only be a good thing.

Next week, everything will all be back to normal and no doubt my personal frustrations with the UK will increase once again. But until then I will enjoy the spectacle and revel in this classic British summer - it has been a most welcome two week holiday from reality.

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