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| London Olympic rings. |
However
some in London and the UK were perhaps understandably cynical of the games. The
huge cost and disruption to infrastructure were going to leave a legacy of
debt, something most Olympic hosts know only too well.
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| Rule Britannia |
I
have to declare a vested interest here - I now live in London and this is the
first Olympic city I have ever lived in - or probably ever will. So it's
difficult to be properly objective about the effect the games has had outside
of the capital.
The
failure of the commercial company G4S to supply a sufficient number of security
staff just a few weeks before the Olympics kicked off elicited a cry of 'Told
you so' from the naysayers. Miles of roads in one of the most congested cities
in the world were going to be blocked off or restricted as Olympic routes. Zill
lanes, as they were disparagingly referred to, making reference to the Soviet
habit of reserving lanes on major roads for a privileged political few. There
was something decidedly un-British about allowing others to go first without
asking!
But
then as we got closer to the games attitudes seemed to change. We were waiting
for a disaster but it never came. Instead we had the sight of mega-countries
like Team USA training in Birmingham. And the sport itself was truly memorable.
The whole country - maybe the world - stopped for the ten seconds of Usain
Bolt's 100 meters final. Mo Farrah, a refugee to these shores,
has become a national hero in the UK with an affectionate nickname - the
MoBot. Cyclist Sir Chis Hoy, no stranger to Gold Medal Winning, moved himself
and the nation to tears with his emotions on the podium. And Danny Boyle's
opening ceremony, whilst sharing the slight bizarreness of all Olympic
Openings, was actually rather good.
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| Jesica Ennis in action. |
Practically,
as London Mayor Boris Jonson mentioned in his speech during the celebration
parade, this Olympics has been the first time ever strangers have felt able to
converse with each other on the tube - the London Underground - about matters
other than complaining about treading on each others toes. The Olympic traffic
flowed as it should. The security survived flawlessly. The Olympic volunteers -
the Games-Makers - smiled and could be seen all over London just being happy
and helpful.
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| How moving was Saudi's first woman athlete |
But
chiefly there was the impact of other non-superstar sportsmen and women. We witnessed in-yer-face grit and
determination from people who participate in sport for good old fashioned
reasons. To take part. To achieve for the sake of achievement itself. We're
used to seeing multi-millionaire footballers on our TVs but who could fail to
be moved by the sight of Saudi Arabia's first ever women athlete, hopelessly
out-classed, cross the finishing line in last place and receive a huge standing
ovation from a packed Olympic stadium. The super humans of the Paralympics also
proved that sport and achievement is its own success. Years of sacrifice to be
the best had nothing to do with direct financial reward. In a world dominated by talk of
unbridled capitalism, greedy bankers and financial strife, the real legacy of
the London 2012 Olympics is that for the month or so of the games, we were all
reminded globally that in spite of colour, creed, religion or belief we are all
human. And when some of us strive to be great, to be heroic, we support each
other and we all benefit.
The real
legacy of the London Olympic games is that it has reminded us how beautifully
human we all can still be.
