Is the Olympic hype healthy for our country?

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  • uknick I think I know where you are coming from but it is difficult to articulate. Bluntly speaking probably nobody alive in UK has been to a UK Olympic Games. The costs, stadia and venues have been extraordinary. Today's communications media is at an optimum. The Government has used all at its disposal to get the UK media to hype up the events to show that the games have been worth every penny of taxpayers' money. While in a recession and not everyone interested in sport there are those who might have sought political gain. Basically our Dis-United Kingdom has never known anything like it except perhaps during wartime.

    Perhaps it is all a case of we are not used to being SEEN TO BE UNITED as a nation?

    I am sure during overseas Olympic Games our athletes are supported within our homes but there is no public display of support except when the gold medal winners' return home to civic receptions. Was there ever a civic reception soley for silver or bronze, I doubt it.

      

  • Martenkay wrote (see)

    uknick I think I know where you are coming from but it is difficult to articulate. Bluntly speaking probably nobody alive in UK has been to a UK Olympic Games.  

    There are lots of people alive in the UK who have been to a UK Olympic Games.

  • Intermanaut wrote (see)
    Martenkay wrote (see)

    uknick I think I know where you are coming from but it is difficult to articulate. Bluntly speaking probably nobody alive in UK has been to a UK Olympic Games.  

    There are lots of people alive in the UK who have been to a UK Olympic Games.

    1948 Games is not even comparable and a new born baby would be 64 today! I do think many UK adults in 1948 might just have had other priorities. I did write "probably" and I would disagree that you would find "lots" that actually attended the Olympic Games. It really was not the point I made but never mind OK!

  • I think very few or hardly any might have not been picked up by the forum pedants Marten. Nobody alive means Not one single person.
  • Martenkay wrote (see)
    Intermanaut wrote (see)
    Martenkay wrote (see)

    uknick I think I know where you are coming from but it is difficult to articulate. Bluntly speaking probably nobody alive in UK has been to a UK Olympic Games.  

    There are lots of people alive in the UK who have been to a UK Olympic Games.

    1948 Games is not even comparable and a new born baby would be 64 today! I do think many UK adults in 1948 might just have had other priorities. I did write "probably" and I would disagree that you would find "lots" that actually attended the Olympic Games. It really was not the point I made but never mind OK!

    This lady was at the 1948 Games, and she competed there.  Given that even I've seen someone who was there, there'll be many other people still alive who were there.

    Edit: just checked, and about 10 medallists are still alive, and some of those were in their 30s when they competed, and one of the track cyclists (who's still alive) was nearly 40 at the time.  It's perfectly reasonable to expect that there are several thousand attendees still alive.

  • It's getting people interested in sports other than football, and we are cheering on our competitors, win or lose. What's not to like about that?

  • Intermanaut wrote (see)
     

    Edit: just checked, and about 10 medallists are still alive, and some of those were in their 30s when they competed, and one of the track cyclists (who's still alive) was nearly 40 at the time.  It's perfectly reasonable to expect that there are several thousand attendees still alive.

    That'll be Tommy Godwin, who won two bronze medals.  He did the media rounds leading up to the Olympics this year and I had the pleasure of meeting him (and his original BSA track bike. What a beauty!) at Herne Hill velodrome.  Looking pretty fit at 91, and he even did a lap of the track while he was there.

    http://carytownbicyclecompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/tommygodwin-hernehill-290x290.jpg

     

     

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