Olympics,Paralympics,let the festivities continue

It has been a great summer for British sport. Team GB excelled more than expected and sports fever has taken off because of the hugely successful Olympic games. I was at some of the events where tickets were available, such as the Women's football in Wembley and at Cardiff as well as the Rowing at Dorney,Tennis and early rounds of the Boxing. I was impressed by the energy and friendliness of the volunteers who really made the games special and I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere created by the crowd watching events. It was fantastic to see people from all over the world getting behind their competitors, whilst cheering on all the others, without a hint of bigotry. Robbie Savage called it right when he said that the Olympics is a racist's nightmare as the world came together to make London 2012 a huge success. But where do we go from here. Firstly we should salute our local olympians who were a credit to our town and we should think about a reception for them and celebrate their success, Reading would have come 21st according to the media and we should mark this with pride. We should also now be proud of multicultural Britain and not let critics run us down. Britains Olympians are the most diverse in the world as well as being the third best in the globe. This reflects 21st Century Britain, so lets get used to it and celebrate it. I for one have never been more prouder to be British and support Team GB, we have done well together. Lets hope this is the begining of a united Isle of Wonder as Danny Boyle called it and not an epitaph. Young people have undoubtedly been enfused by the success of the games and will want to emulate the olympians in Team GB by joining clubs and getting involved. Some seem to think that all you have to do is to bring in an element of competitiveness and we will win medals by the bucket load. If only it is as easy as that. The Coaltion cut Government spending on school sports, stating that the money was wasteful and with too many targets. Now they are backtracking on this and looking to bring back the strategy Labour successfully used after Atlanta Olympics in 1996, when we only won one Gold Medal. Jessica Ennis made an important point when asked about how she got involved in Athletics as a youngster when she explained that competition is ok but the young people getting involved must enjoy what they are doing and have fun in the process, so they will want to come back and continue training. She was right to state that it is not just about the elite atlete but others having fun and getting involved. I believe what was best about the Olympics is that it was hugely enjoyable and fun and it wasn't too pressured on olympians, unlike football, where I am already contemplating a tough season for the Royals in the Premier League. If we believe the Olympics were a huge success then the Paralympics will be even better, with even more success for Team GB and more wonder and awe at the great competitors. Let the festivities continue long into the summer and trust our young people to create a legacy that will be permanent and successful.