The second day of the Olympics in London, the 29th of July, and rather than watching on TV from home as Team GB attempt to surpass their 47 medals in Beijing, I jumped on a train to the Olympic Park. An hour and a half later, and having passed through stations that were not on my journey plan, I arrived at West Ham, rather than my intended destination of Stratford. Nevertheless, as I left the station I was greeted by purple-clad volunteers all waving 'London 2012' foam fingers at me, which somewhat blocked my view of the impressive stadium looming before me.
Before long I had found an illustriousness foam finger myself, one which had been discarded and cast to the wet ground, neglected by one of the 'have-a-nice-day' volunteers. I carefully placed the item in my bag, sandwiched between my copy of the Metro and the Daily Telegraph (which came free with my chocolate bar.) There it quickly dried and was shortly being waved around contently as Tunisia took on Sweden in an enthralling handball match. One friend dismissed handball due to the fact that it was "just a foul in football" but any man or woman who fails to acknowledge the athleticism and skill involved in handball merely acknowledges their own naivety. Eventually Sweden triumphed, as did Spain in the next match against Serbia. Serbia had the muscular advantage but were outdone by quintessential Spanish bravado and skill. Next stop: McDonald's.
A rumoured £50 million was forked out by the American burger giants to be the sole restaurant sponsor of the 2012 games, a deal which seemed justified as the queue for what is apparently the biggest McDonald's in Europe was the longest I encountered all day. After my meal (which unfortunately didn't include a mayo chicken because the biggest McDonald's in Europe didn't provide a full menu) I was off again, this time in search of some good quality basketball. Team GB vs. Russia unfortunately didn't comply. Even our own NBA All-Star Luol Deng was not much more than a spectator as Russia (ranked 11th in the world) slowly and painfully dismantled a GB team ranked 47rd. This put me in a bad mood, why did Team GB seem to be losing all the time?
However my mood was lifted somewhat when the Basketball arena became drenched in light blue and green as the national teams from Argentina and Lithuania bounced onto the court. Perhaps surprisingly, both these teams are ranked in the top five in the world, but their quality was evident as a fiercely contested game ended leaving Argentina with more points, and many Lithuanians despondent.
Yes, the sport was great. The spectacle of having people who can run faster, jump higher and be stronger than possibly anyone else in the world in one place is wonderful. But it was as I left the Basketball arena shortly after midnight and walked back towards the station that my love for the Olympic Park was most deeply felt. The stadiums, both temporary and permanent, were impressively lit up, exhibiting some wondeful architecture. Protruding from the aquatic centre was a giant, graceful sweep resembling a whales fin, and the stunning circular velodrome reflected the geometry of cycling. Another thing that struck me was the fact that it's easy to imagine the Olympic Park becoming just that after these games; a park! The venues are fabulously and thoughtfully laid out, allowing them to be both impressive yet not overpowering. Also the size of the park means that congestion was not an issue.
Having visited the Olympic Park once, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't very keen to go again. But now I know that if I cannot, and Paralympic tickets sell out faster than expected, I'll be able to jump on a train to Stratford and wander through the park after these games, thereby enjoying the London 2012 legacy for many years to come.
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