Armchairstato.com: London 2012 - Week 1

Armchairstato.com: London 2012 - Week 1: Well after all the hype, expense and rumour, the Olympics are here and what a week it has been. Before the opening ceremony, with the North...

London 2012 - Week 1

Well after all the hype, expense and rumour, the Olympics are here and what a week it has been. Before the opening ceremony, with the North Korea/South Korea flag fiasco and the printing errors claiming Joe Allen was an English footballer, I really worried that the opening ceremony would be filled with disaster. Maybe for once I was wrong to doubt the nation. Right from the off with the four corners of the kingdom singing their choirs, through the industrial revolution, from the queen 'jumping out of a helicopter' with James Bond to Mr Bean's involvment in Chariots of fire, right up to the very modern and impressive Olympic flame, I was very impressed. After all the fireworks had died and the events got under way, one thing started to become clear. It dawned on me during the men's road race in the cycling. Our nation is despised greatly throughout the world. Other countries seem to have a mentality of it doesn't matter who wins as long as it isn't the British. So that said I was surprised considering the quality of the team that the cyclists couldn't get Mark Cavendish a medal but it made it obvious how hard it was going to be for out team to even get close to the success of Beijing. A week on and we have gained a credible medal in the ladies road cycle race, a slightly disappointing medal from Becky Adlington, a medal in equestrian, a brilliant if some what unlucky bronze from the men in the team gymnastics competition, 3 decent medals from the rowing lakes including a first ever Gold from a British female boat, a somewhat surprise medal from the swimming pool and a first and third in the men's time trial. I might be doing a dis-service but I would of expected a few more medals by now though. As we close week 1 and look forward, we see the entrance of the track cycling, the conclusion of the sailing events, some prospective swimming finals and the track and field athletes set to take to the stage. I do think at this stage that Team GB's medal target does seem a little out of reach but it only takes a few days of sporting excellence to change all that. For example maybe 5 medals from sailing, a woman's football medal, 3 swimming medals, near 10 cycling medals and 5 to 10 athletics medals will only leave the target short by a little.