So
after 7 years of planning it is finally here, the Olympics have
started in London. My own preparation started at the end of last
month when my wife and I moved our training camp to Fuentaventura for
a fortnight where we worked on our starting position and posture
through extensive inactivity in the prone position on the beach. Over
the weeks we were able to increase our stamina and saw significant
gains in our endurance and concentration levels.
I
had chosen the weeks specifically so we could benefit from a close
approximation of the environment we would be confronted with once the
games got under way. To this end our trip coincided with both the
European football tournament and Wimbledon. My reasoning was that the
England team would be back in the UK long before we were scheduled to
return and that there would be no English player left in either of
the singles tournaments. My suppositions were largely correct – the
England team once again failed to make any impact in a major
tournament though Andy Murray did manage to carry the lone beacon of
hope all the way to the final.
With
emotions being stretched to the limit almost nightly during our stay
on the island our daily workout on the beach was not only important
to our Olympic preparation but also allowed us time to reflect on the
previous night's frustrations and recover in time for the next
disappointment. Breakfast was an important part of out training
regime since we were able to watch re-runs of the previous days
football while tucking into our wheatibangs, yoghurt and strong
coffee. We did not have the luxury of Sky TV in our room though it
made little difference whether we watched the commentary in Spanish
or German, the majority of the games were tediously boring. It was
difficult to be sure what the commentators were getting so excited
about, though judging by the TV camera work I am guessing it was
because the cameraman had picked out a pretty face in the crowd.
Is
it me or are TV producers increasingly looking to make an event more
'inclusive' by showing 'characters' from the crowd. To me it is
dumbing down. If I wish to watch a sporting event it is because I am
interested in that sport. I don't need to see loads of images of
leering spectators with painted faces or banners being waved
proclaiming undying love to their nearest and dearest being beamed
into my living room. You don't see extras pulling faces in the
background during TV dramas why should it be an acceptable part of
sports coverage?
For
the first time in a very long while the expectations of the England
football team were relatively low, and even then most of the players
struggled to reach even that standard. My greatest concern about the
Olympics is that certain individual competitors have been lauded to
the point that you would believe they simply have to turn up in order
to collect their medal. As any enthusiast will tell you sport is not
like that, the element of surprise is forever present, nothing can
ever be taken for granted, unless you happen to be a member of the
Pakistan cricket team. There will be moments of brilliance,
reputations will be made or dashed, that is what makes the Olympics
so exciting and why my wife and I have put our bodies through such a
rigorous training as elite couch athletes in order to watch as many
of the events as we can from the comfort of the armchair.
