For the love of the Olympics

August 16, 2016 by Ray Morgan

For the love of the Olympics

I've had the blimmin' National Anthem in my head all weekend. I really can't stand that tune. When Team GB win a gold medal, don't you think they should play a proper banger? Something rousing and emotive, yet with a cracking riff? ANYWAY. These are the things I think about when I'm watching the Olympics. Oh hey, what about these Olympics!

Until London 2012, the Olympics were not on my radar. I am not a sport fan at all, but like everyone else I got totally whipped up in 2012. Me! The most un-sporty person ever! I got so into the Olympics that year that I took headphones into work and sneakily listened to 5 Live AT MY DESK. I was all "Yep, just editing this html boss," when actually I was on pins waiting to see if Tom Daly pulled it out of the bag.

I recently watched the Imagine documentary about the making of the 2012 Opening Ceremony and I basically cried all the way through it. I loved 2012. It was full of pride and excitement and people coming together to talk about 'Team GB'. So it made me really excited that those 4 years had whizzed by and it was all going to happen again. And Team GB are smashing it.

I can't truly understand sport in the sense that I would rather not exercise. I know it's good for you and that, but I'm lazy. I did a 5k "run" once for charity and I found it so traumatic that I probably won't ever do it again. I'm more of a 'bake sale' gal. But what I love about watching the Olympics is that you're watching people who are the best in the WORLD at their sport. They work incredibly, unbelievably hard and then win stuff for their country, and I think that is amazing. It's why I cry so much watching the Olympics, because you can see on their faces how much has gone into it. The sacrifices of not seeing their families, being apart from loved ones and going under immense pressure to win. I have a good friend who loves to celebrate 'people who bother' (something I totally love too) and this is a huge part of the Olympics. These people haven't gone "Ooh, I like a bit of tennis. I'll play it at the park next weekend". No. They've got up at stupid o'clock to train like mad every morning since adolescence so they can be heralded the BEST tennis player in the world. That is bothering on an epic level.

Weirdly, other than Wimbledon, I don't watch any other sport at any other time. But something about the Olympics tugs at my heart strings and gets me stabbing at the Red Button when I really should be in bed, yawning over cross stitch and cups of tea while I watch gymnastics, basketball, diving, swimming, all the things I should have got into so I wouldn't have a strop in the mornings when my clothes don't fit.

I'll miss it when it's over. And then I'll be stunned that it's Tokyo 2020 (I'll be 36, Leigh on Sea will probably be more expensive to live in than London, and we will communicate solely in emojis) and I'll be loving the Olympics all over again. They just really need to work on that National Anthem. A real banger, guys, remember? That would make it so much cooler. Ideas for a replacement anthem on a postcard...

To read all of Ray Morgan's previous blog's, please click the link https://www.leigh-on-sea.com/blog/tag/ray-morgan.html

*Picture from the Mirror