2012 Olympics

Yesterday was a big day as far as the local olympic celebrations went.  The olypic torch came through Kettering.  My daughter took the day off of school to go and watch.  One of the torch bearers was Dean Barnett, a local sportsman.  He is ranked about 5th in the UK for cyclocross and does a lot for the local cycling community, including organising regular Go-Ride sessions for kids (Which is where my daughter recognised him from) and he does a mean Tuesday night skills session for the adults. 

This, as far as I am concerned, is what the olympics are about.  Bringing the sport to the people throughout the country.  So as far as the Torch goes, I think that the organisers have really got it right.

Now for the moan.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Olympics is not so national.  It is called London 2012 for a reason.  The rest of the UK is not included.  It is purely for London and Essex.  If I were running the games I would have planned events throughout the country.  Take the mountain biking for example.  The UK hoasts some really nice, world class mountain biking countryside.  Lots of epic terrain or interesting singletrack.  They did not even need to use an existing track, but could have picked from any number of locations to stick their course.  Wales has a lot of great terain, as does the North, where you have the Lake District, the Peaks, etc.  So where do the organisers decide to put the world class mountain biking venue.  Yep, you guessed it.  Near London. 

The Terrain for the MTB event is flat.  So they have had to build little hills.  The usual gnarly roots and natural obstacles that make this such an interesting and challenging sport have been replaced by rock gardens and man made obstacles, along with nicely paved track to ride on.  I think they missed the point, especially since the UK is a really muddy country.  Something that, if exploited, can give a really nice advantage to local riders or people used to UK conditions.  However, as it stands there are no snake like muddy bits, with roots.  No epic ascents or descents.  Just a moderate track of uninspiring, but camera friendly, proportions.  Ideal for 29ers, but....

Now I can understand the need to have the track events centralised.  After all, competitors will be competing in several events and it would be very stupid to have them wizzing all over the country for different events.  However, there are some events that are mutually exclusive.  Cycling competitors probably won't be long jumping.  Boxers will not be pole volting etc.  So the opportunity to stage different events around the country has been lost.  The Welsh call this the English games.  It is not even that.  The rest of us do not get a look in.

True, trains etc run to London and it has an airport etc.  But so does Birmingham.  Leicester is not badly served by support networks either.  Milton Keynes has a nice ice rink.  You get the idea.  The thing I find bites is that the whole country is paying for these events, about 12 billion.  And only London and the South are gaining benefit.

Nothing like undermining the North/South devide, especially where North is considered anything above the Watford Gap.

There you are.  Moan over. 

By the way.  Well done Dean.  You deserved to hold the torch.