Olympics

The Olympic Games held in London last year have been critically acclaimed as one of the best Olympic games ever, possibly the best ever. The fortnight over which the games took place was strange in Britain; it is rare that the country comes together. Yet for the course of the Olympic Games the country was mesmerised by the success of our athletes. Andy Murray beat Roger Federer to win gold after his defeat in the Wimbledon final less than a month earlier. Chris Hoy finished his Olympic career in style and became Britain’s most decorated Olympian. Jessica Ennis won a gold and Mo Farah won two bringing joy to many Britons. Note the multi-ethnic nature of Britain’s success. Foreign success was also aplenty, Michael Phelps added six medals – including four golds – to his Olympic chest and Usain Bolt once again triumphed.

Cycling was Britain’s greatest success, Team GB won eight of 18 available golds, no other country managed more than one. Rowing was Team GB’s other major success, bringing in four more golds. In the end Team GB finished third in the overall medals table with 29 gold meals and 65 in total.

Mo Farah looking astonished as he won fold
source: mirror.co.uk

The Paralympic Games were indisputably the greatest ever; they too had success for Britain. Millions cheered on athletes with a range of disabilities. Most famous was Ellie Simmons who swam her way to two golds, a silver and a bronze.

Yet there were some things about the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics that were just as important but had nothing to do with sport. London 2012 was the first Olympic games in which every National Olympic Committee sent female competitors. Saudi Arabian athlete Sarah Attar became the first female Saudi to compete in a track and field event. Despite finishing a full lap behind her competitors in her 800m heat, she was given a standing ovation by the crowds in the Olympic Stadium to mark her historic run. Oscar Pistorious became the first disabled athlete to compete in the Olympics. The Paralympic Games in 2012 were also the first to sell out and a record 164 countries participated, 18 more than at Beijing. David Cameron said something quite moving later that year at the Conservative Party Conference, something that brought his wife Samantha to tears. The Cameron’s son, Ivan, died three years ago, he was severely disabled and in a wheelchair.

“When I used to push my son Ivan around in his wheelchair, I always thought that some people saw the wheelchair, not the boy.

Today more people would see the boy and not the wheelchair – and that’s because of what happened here this summer.”

The End of a Sensational Summer

The closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games in London yesterday evening has marked the end of the fantastic summer of sport this year. Rio have a tough act to follow, but I’m sure the city will step up to the mark in hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games.

The ParalympicGB athletes have done fantastically, finishing third in the medal table behind Russia and China.

	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	95	71	65	231
2	Russia	36	38	28	102
3	United Kingdom	34	43	43	120
4	Ukraine	32	24	28	84
5	Australia	32	23	30	85
6	USA	31	29	38	98
7	Brazil	21	14	8	43
8	Germany	18	26	22	66
9	Poland	14	13	9	36
10	Netherlands	10	10	19	39

But the Paralympics is about much more than just medal tables and national glory, the whole ideal of the Paralympics is to try an advance disabled people. What began in Stoke Mandeville, the UK in 1948 as a sporting event for British soldiers injured during WWII has flourished in recent years to become the world’s second biggest sporting event (after the Olympics). The Paralympics in London have been the biggest ever; it is the first time the event has sold out – the organisers selling 2.7 million tickets over the course of the games. 164 countries participated in the games, 18 more than in Beijing and it was the Paralympic début for 14 of those countries.

The hope is that these games will change people’s attitudes to disability, no longer perceiving those with disabilities as a drain on society. These athletes have experienced more difficulties than the rest of us; they will likely have experienced bullying and for many of them that were not born with disability will have got their disability in a traumatic experience.

In reality I believe that these games have taught us all something; the only disability is one of confidence. With confidence you can do anything, regardless of race, religion, gender or physical ability. We are all human, and we all deserve a chance.  

The End of a Fantastic Journey

The Olympic flame is extinguished, the Olympic flag has been handed to Rio de Janeiro and the athletes will soon leave London. Yet the games of the XXX Olympiad have exceeded all expectations, before the games there were worries over how London’s transport system would cope with the influx of tourists and athletes, there was also fear about whether or not Britain would get behind the games. With the games finally over, we all recognise the triumph they have been, everything went off seamlessly.

One thing that I’m really impressed with is the way in which the British public got behind the games, there was so much joy and passion in the media. Speaking with friends and family and from watching the television, most of us seemed glued to our TV screens for the sixteen days of competition. One of the reasons why the British public were so enthusiastic once the games began may partially be due to Team GB’s success. Great Britain has had the best Olympic Games since 1908; we are third in the medal table with an impressive 29 gold medals. 

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	USA	46	29	29	104
2	China	38	27	22	87
3	Great Britain	29	17	19	65
4	Russia	24	25	23	82
5	South Korea	13	8	7	28
6	Germany	11	19	14	44
7	France	11	11	12	34
8	Italy	8	9	11	28
9	Hungary	8	4	5	17
10	Australia	7	16	12	35

There have been some really memorable moments at London 2012, for most Brits the best will probably be “Super Saturday” when Team GB clinched an impressive six gold medals. The rowers at Eton Dorney and the cyclists in the velodrome gave Britain three gold medals in the morning. Beneath the watchful eyes of 80,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium; long jumper Greg Rutherford, heptathlete Jessica Ennis and 10,000m runner Mo Farah all won gold medals to cap Britain’s most successful day since 1908. Many commentators are already calling it the greatest day in the history of British sport.

The games have also helped further the idea that the United Kingdom really is multi-cultural, and that it’s a good thing to. Mo Farah moved to Britain when he was only eight from Somalia and Jessica Ennis is of mixed race decent. Numerous other black and Asian athletes competed for Great Britain; the feeling of patriotism instilled by non-white athletes will surely better us as a society.

These games also made history, the 2012 Olympic Games are the first ones in which women were able to participate in an equal number of sports and every National Olympic Committee sent female athletes. London has been dubbed the “women’s games”.

The Olympics have had many other memorable moments, Usain Bolt is undoubtedly the international star of the Olympics having achieved gold in the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay for the second Olympics running. Kirani James gave his country, Grenada, a reason to celebrate by winning the country’s first ever medal, and it was a gold! Michael Phelps also secured his place in history by becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time with an astonishing 22 medals, 18 of which are gold. David Rudisha’s record breaking performance in the 800m for Kenya wowed us all and Steven Kiprotich won Uganda’s first gold medal since 1972 in the men’s marathon.

I believe a special mention should be given to the BBC, recently the corporation has been receiving a lot of criticism, especially surrounding coverage of the Diamond Jubilee. Yet the BBC has proved that it’s worth the license fee, the coverage of the Olympics has been fantastic. At one point Clare Balding was trending on Twitter, many of the messages were calling her a national treasure and claiming that she should get an award for her contribution to sport.  

It’s not just Brits who have enjoyed the games; a group of foreign journalists have voted London 2012, the best Olympic Games ever. Athletes have also praised the British people for the hospitality they received during the games. Speaking in interview the Bolt and Blake personally thanked the people of Birmingham for their kindness and helpfulness (the pre-games Jamaican training camp was in Birmingham)

Although I am naturally very biased, I do believe these games have been the best is ever seen. Rio will find it difficult to follow, but I’m sure 2016 will be another phenomenal Olympic instalment.

Mo Farah and Usain Bolt exchange dance moves

Third British Bank Scandal

Britain’s thirteenth largest company, Standard Chartered, becomes the third British bank to be mired in controversy. This follows the LIBOR Scandal at Barclays and the HSBC Mexican gang controversy. Standard Chartered has been accused by American authorities of performing illegal transactions with Iranians. As you probably know, America has placed economic sanctions on Iran, so if an Iranian company wishes to perform a trade based in US dollars, it cannot do so. What Standard Chartered is accused of is hiding the fact that these transactions involved Iranian companies. Allegedly Standard Chartered has performed such actions up to 60,000 times. Standard Chartered completely refutes the accusations.

If it turns out that Standard Chartered has acted illegally then it would be devastating to the bank. It could lose its banking license in the US, considering that the dollar is the worldwide reserve currency, this would affect a significant proportion of transactions outside of the United States. It would also cause irreparable damage to the bank’s image; the bank prides itself in being ethical. Consistent reviews by organisations place the bank as one of the most ethical banks in the world, and Britain’s most ethical bank.

Another important point to note is that this is the third scandal involving a British bank that has been exposed by American, not British, authorities and regulators. There is a growing feeling in the City of London that the Americans are increasingly gunning for UK banks. This is somewhat unfair as the Barclays’ scandal is known to involve more banks, Barclays’ was simply the first to admit its guilt. Nonetheless London’s taking over as the worldwide financial centre from New York has left a lot of American banks less than happy.

Let the Games Begin!

Today the Games of the XXX Olympiad begin in London. The opening ceremony begins at 9PM showcasing "Isles of Wonder" which features British farmland, families and rain! From what I have heard so far I do not believe it will be better then Beijing, but I will be watching nonetheless.

Many people wonder what benefits the Olympics will actually have for London or the UK. Many politicians point to increased tourism, yet London is already the world's most visited city. Also many tourists who aren't interested in the games will try to avoid the Olympic rush and visit another time. Lisbon isn't an unknown city either, only it and New York are in the top category of global cities (Alpha++). It is the political and business centre of the UK and has Europe's largest airport (Heathrow). Nonetheless there is a lot of national pride around hosting the Olympics. After this year London will have held the games more times than any other city (1908 and 1948) and the USA will be the only county to have hosted the summer Olympics more times than the UK (Saint Louis in 1904, Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984 and Atlanta in 1996). The Olympic games already have some benefits, the east end of London is certainly in need of improvement, the facilities provide by the Olympics will help to improve the area. There are increased transport facilities and new housing, as well as the use of the sporting facilities and areas that are kind on the eye.

The rewards from hosting the Olympics will only be seen long after the games are over, but I am delighted that the Olympics will return to London.

Worries Raised over London Olympics

Worries over the security of the Olympics have been raised this week with the news that the company contracted by the government to hire security staff to protect the Olympic venues will be unable to meet the required amount of persons. As a result 3,500 soldiers have been put on standby in what has become the biggest peacetime operation the UK has ever performed.

People are becoming worried that the games are going to have too large a military presence, already rockets are being placed on people’s homes in the East End and a military ship will be stationed in the Thames at all times. Personally I understand why London 2012 needs such a large and visible military presence, unlike Beijing in 2008 and Athens in 2004, London is a much more at risk of a terrorist attack. The United Kingdom is one of the biggest terror targets in the world, second only to the United States. The terrorists must be forced to believe that they cannot win, and that if they are going to attack London, do so another day.

Most likely the Olympics will go off with absolutely no troubles, but there will be a whole myriad of groups who wish to disrupt the games and kill innocent people. We must do everything in our power to make sure that never happens.

The Diamond Jubilee has Begun!

Jubilee celebrations have begun!

Today marks the beginning of the celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, the four days of partying across the country mark 60 years on the throne for her majesty. Today across the country, from London in England to Hillsborough in Northern Ireland and Perth in Scotland celebrations began as a nation still in love with the monarchy took to the streets to display its gratitude to the Queen.

The celebrations were marked with 41 gun salutes across the country marking the beginning of the fabulous weekend. Probably the biggest celebration will occur tomorrow when over1000 boats sail down the Thames on a scale not seen since the 1600s. The flotilla will be a glorious spectacle to watch and would be fantastic to participate in.

At this time of celebration polls on the popularity of the monarchy have risen to 80%, this has not been seen in a very long length of time. The continued popularity of the monarchy is astounding, there has never been anyone or anything that has managed to maintain popularity for so long. Despite republicans attempting to gain more ground, they have not succeeded, for the British people recognise that there is no real reason to change the monarchy as it is part of a culture and change would only be for idealistic reasons. Long live the Queen!

Assembly & Mayoral Elections in London

London Mayor (1^st preference)

Boris Johnson (Conservative):                  971,931                  (44.01%)

Ken Livingstone (Labour):                       889,918                  (40.30%)

Jenny Jones (Green):                               98,913                    (4.48%)

Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrat):           91,774                   (4.16%)

Siobhan Benita (Independent):                 83,914                    (3.80%)

Lawrence Webb (UKIP):                        43,274                    (1.96%)

Carlos Cortiglia (BNP):                           28,751                    (1.30%)

(+2^nd preference)

Boris:     1,054,881   (51.53%)

Ken:       992,273     (48.47%)

London Assembly

Labour: 12
Conservative: 9
Liberal Democrat: 2
Green: 2

It was a mixed result in London for both Labour and the Conservatives, Boris narrowly beat Ken to be London's mayor. This result will help to ease the painful night the conservatives had on Thursday. Despite Boris' success, the Conservatives went from being the biggest party in the London Assembly to second, losing two seats to Labour. Labour now is just one seat shy of a majority in the assembly, meaning that they only need one vote from the other parties to block bills proposed by Boris or to push through their own.

It was a good night for the Greens, they became the third largest party in London, Jenny Jones, the Green candidate received 7,139 votes more than Brian Paddick, the Lib Dem candidate. As well as this the Greens have two seats in the Assembly, tied with the Liberal Democrats.

It was an excellent night for the independent Siobhan Benita, who came from nowhere to take 83,914 votes, more than UKIP and the BNP combined! For someone who nobody knew about before this election and with very little TV appearances this is very impressive. After the results came in Ms Benita said that this would not be the last we see of her and she will continue to play a part in the capital's politics.

London 2012 Olympics Under Threat

This summer the eyes of the world will be on the UK, specifically London. This is due to the Olympic Games, the world’s greatest sports event. When the UK won the even back in 2005 it was a huge victory. The 2012 games will be fantastic for the UK, unless Len McCluskey has his way. McCluskey is the leader of the UK’s biggest Union, “Unite the Union”, and he has said in a statement that he would see the 2012 Olympic Games as an opportunity for strikes and general protest against the government cuts. These comments have received a battering of criticism from all sides; David Cameron, Ed Milliband and other trade unionists have all come out in opposition to the proposed strike date. The Labour Party's close links to Unite make it difficult for Milliband to come out with too strong condemnation. I agree with Milliband, although I believe very firmly in public protest, doing so during the Olympics would be a grave mistake. It could frighten people into not investing in the UK and would give us a bad image abroad, people would go to their home countries and speak of the disruption they had and many people would miss events.

 

During London 2012 the British public must be on their best behaviour to maximise the beneficial impact of the games, otherwise it would be a huge waste of money and time. It will be extremely difficult to top Beijing, especially considering the economic climate, but if London manages to put on a fantastic show, considering the circumstances, then it would be a resounding success.

Hopefully the fourth games in London (whenever they are held) will be under better circumstances than all of London’s three other games. In 1908 Britain had only two years to prepare for the games due to the cancellation of the Rome games as the eruption of Vesuvius meant the Italian government had to direct funds away from the Olympics. The 1848 games were held in the immediate aftermath of WWII and the current games are being held during the worst economic crisis in living memory.