Olympic Dreams

A big part of me wishes I was young and fit enough to consider competing in 2012. There’s nothing like going for gold on your own turf. Sadly, the years have taken their toll, so I’ll just have to watch and cheer on the next generation of Team GB.

Earlier this week, some of Britain’s finest young Olympic hopefuls came with me to visit the 2012 site in Stratford, East London. Katarina, Liam, Freya, Matti, Rickie and Emma are all dreaming of competing in 2012. With the help of McCain’s Track and Field Programme, they have every chance of making it!

I’d been so looking forward to catching up with the potential young stars of the future that I hadn’t really stopped to consider what we might see on our visit to the Olympic Park. I was blown away. The main Olympic stadium is there in overall form and it looks impressive, even without the grass, the track and the seats! We could also see the aquatics centre and the basketball and handball stadia. Seb Coe himself came out to greet us, which my young friends were very excited about. When he told us he was going to show us round, even I felt a bit giddy!

Seb took us to the warm up area, where athletes will stretch, run, jump or just sit until they are called to compete. From there we walked on to the Call Room, where athletes gather before going out to the track. I know this might sound a bit silly, but I really felt the tension in there; it brought back so many memories for me! When Seb took us out on to the track, I was very emotional. I could see that some of my young friends were as well. I can hardly describe how it felt to stand on what will be the 100 metre start line, looking up at the empty stands. I could hear, taste and smell the atmosphere of a packed house waiting for the sound of the starter’s pistol…

A tour around the rest of the Olympic site allowed me to calm down and get myself together. I was struck by how close everything was to the arenas. I’ve competed in places where the trip from the athletes’ accommodation to the stadium is an epic journey by bus, train and bike. In 2012, athletes will have a five minute walk. Shops, bars and restaurants are being built around the stadia and competitors’ accommodation, so it’ll be really easy to meet up with friends and family in the little pockets of down time that athletes have. The London organisers have thought of everything.

Seb told us all about the 2012 legacy. Once the Games are over, the site will be transformed in to a public amenity. There’ll be loads of new housing, office space and, of course, some great sports facilities in a part of the capital that really needs some good infrastructure.

When I got home, my husband asked me how the day had gone. About an hour and a half later, I’d told him. I guess I’d sum it up by saying it was brilliant to see the young athletes dreaming of 2012 success in the place that is already becoming London’s Olympic reality.

Bye for now!

S