Olympic high

Dear all,

Team Great Britain’s (GB) impressive performance in the Rio Olympics has left the country feeling really rather good about itself.

Britain placed second in the medals table, behind the US and ahead of China, and its Olympic story included many memorable moments -- like the triumph in a penalty shootout of the women’s hockey team over defending champions The Netherlands, or the Equestrian gold medal won by 58 year old Nick Skelton whose story is even more remarkable by the fact that 16 years earlier he had broken his neck. Then there were all the successes in athletics, swimming, cycling, boxing etc. Team GB came back with a haul of 67 medals (27 gold, 23 silver, 17 bronze). Not bad for a small island.

In addition to the warm fuzzy feeling and sense of national pride inspired by this fine Olympic performance, there has been much discussion on how British sport has been raised to such a high level and whether it’s all actually worth it or not. Just contrast this performance with that of the British team 20 years ago, at the Olympic games in Atlanta, when they won just one gold medal -- and finished 36th in the medals tally -- even behind Kazakhstan and Algeria. It’s been pointed out that this recent success has come about because sport was made a priority and a great deal of National lottery money was invested in training.

But is state investment in elite sport really a good thing? And what are its actual benefits?

Well, apart from the warm fuzzy feeling and sense of national pride that sporting victories inspire, there is also the matter of fitness and of aspiration. Athletes competing on a world stage inspire young people. They become role models, heroes, whose dedication and hard work and determination are something to emulate. Their stories of personal best, endurance and pursuit of excellence illustrate how aspiration and focus can give some focus to life.

Then there’s the whole question of the ‘sporting spirit’, the idea of fighting hard but playing fair which supposedly extends beyond just sport to how you live your life. So there are many reasons why Britain is so delighted that two decades of investment yielded such winning results at Rio.

Rio 2016 produced many memorable moments. The inclusion of a refugee team was a first -- and a great initiative; swimmers like Yusra Mardini and Ramis Anis may not have won medals but they certainly seemed to have won the hearts of spectators. Then there was the magic of 19-year old American Simone Biles’ gymnastics and the thrill of the track as Usain Bolt flew over the finish line -- again. Sporting heroes bowed out from the Olympic stage, young competitors stepped forward with thrilling performances.

And some seasoned Olympians behaved terribly -- namely Ryan Lochte and his fellow American swimmers who after a night out, vandalised a petrol station, urinated on walls, and then fabricated a story about being held up at gunpoint. The hosts were having none of it. They revealed a different story, and one which was substantiated by CCTV footage. Now Lochte is in disgrace and has been dropped by all his sponsors. His arrogant, bullying frat boy behaviour was certainly bizarre for a 32 year old experienced Olympian.

Team GB’s golden couple, the cyclists Laura Trott and Jason Kenny, also provided some good pictures. They got together four years ago at the London Olympics and are to be married soon. They have 10 Olympic medals between them and Trott has 4 of these from just two Olympics. She’s an impressive young woman so I was terribly disappointed to hear her tell tv audiences she was definitely going to change her name after marrying. So unnecessary…

Best wishes,