London 2012

I know I'm coming in a bit late to this particular issue, but I'm really starting to LOVE the Olympics.

The women's marathon has BLOWN MY MIND.

42 KILOMETRES.

A SPRINT to bring it all home at the end.

It's easy enough to sit on the couch, eating chocolate and watching these ladies run. But to do it? I cannot imagine. The personal discipline, sacrifice and determination these women represent is really at a remarkable level. They are the real deal, and a real inspiration.

When I heard about the tennis results, my first thought was 'who cares about Wimbledon?'. Then I remembered that tennis players get to have it both ways. There is so much more to pay attention to in the Olympics than tennis! Isn't 4 major grand slams a year enough?

What about the shooting? These guys do not get anywhere near the same time in the sun as Murray or Federer. In fact, some of those guys do not look as though they have seen the sun in years. It did cross my mind that they might have been locked in a basement for sometime, such was the deranged look in their eye (the one not covered by that bizarre plastic square tinted window connected to a headband, somewhere on their head) and slight pudginess. Some more sunshine definitely needed there. And maybe a new hobby. Sorry, sport.

The coverage I watched of the shooting was so focused on the shooters themselves that it actually only showed their faces. As in, there was one camera shot only. On their faces. No second camera to capture a long shot, or indeed the target, or outcome of their shooting. Just one ongoing shot of ... their faces. Very very weird.

North Korea v South Korea on the ping pong table. International diplomacy right there! It made me wonder what the North Koreans think of London. They would need some kind of radical high-speed western/free-world induction on arrival, and then a nation-state-still-at-war-with-the-world induction when they got back home. What a wild wild ride for that team. I really hope they have a good time in England. And maybe defect.

This is the great thing about the Olympics - it really is an international equaliser (and there are worse countries to seek asylum in). It is so moving to see the reaction of competitors and their teams when they succeed. The feeling of reward and wonder to win a medal, or beat a time, or break your personal best, or even just to see the world and other competitors like you have never seen it before must be a huge rush.

The pole vault! That is SO HIGH! How do you even become good at that? And when do you decide that you want to be? It's this kind of thing that I LOVE about the Olympics. An international showcase of decisions and sacrifices people have made in the course of their lives to get good at something, and commit to it. Not many people could look good flying through the air in their undies and a bra top, but those women did it. At five meters! Amazing.

One small negative - whassup with the London 2012 branding? The logo looks like graffiti someone did on my schoolbag in 1989. And as for all that daggy italic marking the course for every event, I desperately want to Select All and de-italicise. For the love of God!

One more week to go .... may it be gymnastic-filled with a dash of diving. You'll find me rooting for all the little countries, and competitors without a suite of sponsorship deals. I'll probably also be filling up on Coke and McDonald's without even realising, such is the not-so-subliminal power of the key Olympic 'partners'.

With the good, you must take the bad .....