Olympic fever has gripped the country but Ireland is still in search of that elusive medal.
So far the 2012 games have given us plenty to ponder and the athletics have not even begun yet. The swimming has been sensational. We’ve seen American swimmer Michael Phelps become the most decorated Olympian ever, despite the fact his star seems to be waning. At least the American powerhouse will have something to take away from these games, even if it isn’t the same clutch of medals he brought home from Beijing.
Eight badminton players have been sent home in disgrace for match fixing. Who knew that losing was the new winning.
It has emerged that the Chinese have developed 3,000 sporting academies across the country to groom athletes in the pursuit of sporting dominance. However, this is often at huge personal costs. Kids are taken from their homes at a young age to dedicate their lives to their chosen sport.
One Chinese diver had the news that her grandparents died kept from her for over a year until after she received the gold medal. Her mother also battled with breast cancer during that time but didn’t tell her daughter until after the medal ceremony because she was in remission. One would wonder was the gold medal worth the lies and deceit?
The gymnastics was heart-wrenching for Irish hopeful Kieran Behan who failed to make the finals. He competed in the vault, the horizontal bar and his favourite discipline, the floor exercise. Once paralysed and told he would never talk again, the 23-year-old hopes his story will be inspiration to anyone facing hardship. He was visibly emotional after his last performance and why not given the hurdles he has crossed and left behind.
Our biggest hope for medals seems to once again lie with the boxers. Katie Taylor is only a fight away from a medal but she won’t settle for bronze. The Dublin fighter has fought long and hard to have women’s boxing included as an Olympic sport and her sights will be firmly set on gold.
John Joe Nevin is also one fight from a bronze but he has told the media there is more left in his considerable tank.
And they are just the top Irish names. There are plenty more to follow in these exciting games.
To top it all off the English are rooting for us. Irish sports commentator Des Cahill tweeted during the week: “The English public are giving massive support to all the Irish athletes at the Olympics. It’s embarrassing, knowing it is not done in reverse.” I’m not sure that’s entirely true though. From a personal point of view you can’t help but want Team GB to realise their dreams, especially at London 2012. Not everyone will share that sentiment but for two countries who share such common bonds, culture and a dark history, it’s time we had each other’s backs.
Would Ireland reciprocate if the games were held here? I hope so. Surely Queen Elizabeth’s visit last year put paid to any old grievances which still existed between our small nation and theirs. Come on Team GB.
The television coverage of these games has been fantastic. RTÉ’s coverage has been up to scratch without a doubt but if you tune into BBC you can’t help but admire the calibre of their studio guests and pool side/ring side commentators.
Credit where credit is due - the BBC are giving phenomenal coverage to their home games and with a few medals thrown into the mix, they’ve had something to shout about.
Making it all worthwhile for us are the 30 teams who visited Ireland for training camps and the €300 million in contracts that London 2012 has been worth to Irish companies. And the tally keeps rising. There’s nothing like sport to lift the spirits, even if the good weather has eluded us this summer.
