We Finally Have the Midas Touch!

After a lifetime of great British sporting failures, near-misses and over-hyped potential stars I have to say the recent successes of Team GB in the Beijing Olympics leaves me somewhat stunned. Similarly the sight of Britain in third place behind China and the United States in the medal table does kindle a wave of jingoistic nationalist pride which in turn evokes Elgar, the Last Night of the Proms, the humble pint and the Great British cuppa. I also have to admit to getting rather carried away shouting words of encouragement at British cyclists and rowers! It is also wonderful to be ahead of all of our European rivals (sorry partners) and those sportsmad Australians. The press coverage (print, radio and TV media) has been ebullient, full of as many puns and clichés using the words gold and golden as you could think of with blanket coverage of any sport where there was a medal prospect – cue the most coverage that cycling and sailing has probably ever had on British TV.

Its all a long cry from the spectacular underperformances we have grown use to in post-Imperial Britain. Previously we had to seek solace in heroic failures such as plasterer Eddie-the-Eagle's famed last place in the Olympic ski-jumping competition in the 1988 Calgary Olympics. For those of you who don't remember his 'gallant' attempts, while Eddie was the first Brit to ever compete in this event and the British record holder he came last, and was an unmissable figure jumping in his thick glasses because he was so short-sighted. Qualifying because he was the British No.1 some within the IOC who clearly had no sense of humour felt Eddie was making a mockery of the sport and indeed the games and so changed the rules of qualification to make it impossible for anyone else to follow in his wake.

So from over-used clichés about sportsmanship, and 'its not the winning that counts' we are currently all being cheered up by our Olympian champions, and boy do we need it with all this rain.