Olympics - 2012

The crowds on Fulham Road

So you may or may not be aware, but there's a little sporting contest on in London at the moment, the OLYMPICS!!!

It's had a massive build up here, for maybe 2 months leading up to the games the public transport network have been sending out constant messages telling everyone that it's going to be a total nightmare to catch the tube during the games, and that everyone should basically not go into work.  If they really must go in they should leave twice as long for their journey, or walk to work, or roller-skate, anything but public transport.  And now come the games and there's literally no one on the tube.  It's wonderful, I wish the Olympics were on all the time.

I gotta say though, the BBC has nailed the coverage, we don't have a TV but we splashed out on a TV license, as you are meant to have a license if you stream live TV.  And it has so been worth it, all the sports are covered on the internet, so if the main channel is showing some montage, or replaying one of GB's few medal wins you can always just take your pick of what else is on.  It's pretty awesome, channel 9 in Australia has an awfully long way to go.

It has been funny listening to the British commentators, in Australia they are always really disappointed if a swimmer doesn't get a medal, whereas here they are overjoyed if they just make it to the final.  Though it is good to see that commentators the world over are incredibly nationalistic, a GB swimmer could be coming 6th in their race, and yet it is as if there is no one else in the pool.  The winner is mentioned as a bit of an afterthought once it is all over.

We didn't get tickets to anything, though following the furore of the blocks of empty seats there might be some more up for grabs, but we have been along to the free events.  So far just the men's road cycling race, and this weekend we have the women's triathlon and marathon.  The road race was pretty cool.  We could get live updates from the BBC website, so we knew that Cancellara had crashed, and then suddenly two riders came whizzing past, so close that if you were leaning over the barrier they would have hit you.  Then the rest came charging by, and we at this point we thought it was all over and started heading off, when Cancellara slowly pedalled past.  He's a lot smaller than what you might think, he always looks so big compared to the rest of the cyclists, but that really doesn't say much.