However once the games began the focus turned to sport as it should. In week one we were fortunate to have several tickets for the basketball arena. On the first Sunday morning following instructions we aimed to be at Stratford at 7am that's two hours ahead of the first game. The threatened long delays to get through security were non existant, as the army ensured that the process was smooth and efficient.
It was our first sight of the Olympic Park and the various sites. We made our way to the basketball arena to see Tunisia v Nigeria, not necessarily the most enticing fixtures to drag neutrals out of bed on a Sunday morning and indeed there were many gaps in the stands. Of those present many had little or no knowledge of the sport, and I acted as an informal advisor. By the second game Brazil v Australia, more spectators were arriving, the game was of a higher standard.
After the session end we made our way through the park knowing we'd be back later in the week. The opening days saw few medals for Britain ( I'm not happy with the marketing term Term GB), however rowing and cycling are two sports where we began to achieve. Now being a poor swimmer, rowing offers little attraction to me, but cycling has without doubt been absolutely compelling. As I found myself shouting at the TV screen as British cyclists won gold medals, none more so than Victoria Pendleton.
On Wednesday evening I returned to the basketball arena to see womens basketball. My seat which I'd bought late turned out to be courtside and I was able to see two fine games Croatia v Czech republic and then USA v Turkey. However with the final game tipping off at 10.15pm, it was no surprise that the arena emptied well before the end. Nevertheless it did give me the opportunity to see the stadium lit.
Thursday afternoon and we saw two more games , this time the highlight was seeing Manu Ginobili ply his trade for Argentina. The opportunity to see a three time NBA champion was a highlight, then a close fought game between Russia and Brazil.
Friday saw the first athletics session at the Olympic Stadium. This would see the Park at its fullest as 80,000 spectators made their way to the stadium for a chance to see Jessica Ennis start her campaign to win a gold medal in the hepthalon. No one should underestimate the pressure that Ennis has been under. London 2012 demanded a poster girl to sell the games, and she has fulfilled the role. The crowd in the stadium could not have been more supportive of all the athletes. Cheering British performers while encouraging others. It has something about our culture that often the warmest applause was reserved for those athletes clearly out of their depth, yet determined to compete and give their best.
Athletics as a spectator sport is not like team sports, the passion is in the performance. The crowd is a better gender balance and definately family orientated. For all that I 'm delighted to say I was in the olmpic stadium, and I saw Jessica Ennis complete two disciplines on the way to her gold medal.
Saturday night was one of the most successful nights in British sporting history. Three gold medals in little over a hour. Jessica Ennis was followed by Greg Ritherford in the Long Jump and Mo Farah in the 10,000 metres. Collectively the success of these athletes together with others over the first week lifted the spirit across the country, at a time when celebrity culture is everywhere, these men and women proved that Britain does indeed have talent.
Their success also said much about modern Britain. The country shared the success not only of Jessica Ennis, a mixed race woman from Sheffield but also Mo Farah, a young man who came to London as a boy, a refugee from Somalia,a muslim, who went to school here, and supported the Arsenal. When Farah told a reporter, this is my country , I grew up here, and I'm proud to wear the vest of Great Britain. He spoke words that sum up modern British society. Nationality is about identification, not necessarily where you were born.
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