I can’t tell you how pleased I am that London’s been awarded the Olympics in 2012.
I’m as big a naysayer as you could find, and I’ve long railed against the corruption that’s endemic in the IOC.
But I’m thrilled!
I was basically transfixed the whole morning as the IOC went through its voting process which saw the five candidate cities whittled down to just London and Paris after three rounds of voting. Finally it was Paris and London, and we were to be kept waiting for an hour to find out who’d won. Someone in the office described this as the “Henman moment” – that time when you truly think that something great might happen, before all is dashed in front of you.
But then, finally the announcement came, and we let out a great cheer in the office.
Thrilling.
I’ve been on board since the start, despite the cost and the worry about what we do with the facilities afterwards.
The whole enterprise will be a tremendous boost the country and will fill us all with pride. You can’t buy the kind of spirit the country will be full of when the games come around.
And full marks to Seb Coe who’s done a sterling effort. He may be a Tory, but he deserves all the plaudits that he’s got coming to him for a sensational job in turning around the British bid. He’s already got Olympic medals and he’s a Lord. What else can we bestow on him? Houses on the edge of Hyde Park? Pensions in pepuity?
One final quick word about the panel discussion about the Olympic win on Newsnight. Well done to Tony Banks and Sharon Davies for putting up such a stout defence to rent-a-quote Cristina Odone’s criticims. It’s really no good putting up arguments about the number of hospitals we could be build with the £5 billion that the Olympics will cost because that money simply wouldn’t have been made available beforehand. Yes it’s going to cost everyone £270 over the next 12 years to pay for it, and if asked, many would say no. But then they’d also say no to paying for the refurbishment of the Royal Opera House, or maybe keeping museums that they don’t visit open. What she really fails to understand is that passion and renewed spirit and optimism this will bring to the country. In the past, you only got that kind of thing when you won a war against the French (bad example) or something. Sport is the one thing that unites (most of) the country, even if you don’t actually like sport. And this isn’t a question of forking out the cash for a two week period. This is about kids in schools now being focused on performing in front of the nation in seven years’ time. And more being inspired with what they will see others achieve in 2012 and going onwards from there.
On an entirely separate note, you remember how in school, there was always someone who “spoilt it for the rest” of us? I bet that’s Bob Geldof and the aid agencies and charities currently gathered in Scotland are thinking when you see those hooligans pointlessly chucking bricks and smashing car windows. What are they trying to achieve? Their behaviour does dilute the message and undermine what others are trying to do.