London 2012: Inspiring generations

Who’d have thought that the Olympics would have produced such a feeling of pride, joy and happiness across the country? In the seven years building up to the 30th Olympiad, headlines were filled with worries of the cost, the effect on London’s transport system, even with just weeks to go, American presidential candidate Matt Romney didn’t think that London was ready, but how wrong they all were.

Olympic fever spread throughout the nation as the Olympic torch relay went through the length of Britain, this wasn’t just London’s Olympics, it was the whole the United Kingdom’s Olympics. This was evident to see as thousands gathered to get a glimpse of the torch, held by celebrities and local heroes. 

There were low points: the badminton non-effort, the racist tweeting of a Switzerland football player and the women’s shot-put gold medallist who failed a drugs test meaning she lost her medal. But that doesn’t seem to put a stain on these Games, people will remember the volunteers whose enthusiam and smiles made everybody’s Games more enjoyable. The “mo-bot” winning the 5,000 and 10,000 metres, Usain Bolt becoming the first person to retain the 100 and 200 metre crown. 

This is what made the Games. From the opening ceremony to the closing, a feel-good factor has spread across the nation and Lord Coe was right, Britain did it right. LOCOG wanted to inspire a generation, but I believe these games will do much more than that.

Dean Mears, sports editor