During the recent Olympics I managed to drag myself away from the television set to facilitate my weekly writing class, keen to set the willing participants an appropriate homework for the following session. Obviously, it was going to be about what they, also, had been glued to over the past number of days. Well, no. Vacuous expressions told me that not everyone loved sport quite as much as I did, which came as a bit of a shock to me to be honest.
So, I did what any crafty teacher might do and set them the task of watching at least 15 minutes’ worth of the Olympic games when they went home, and writing a piece about it. I’m happy to report that every one of them met the challenge (and one 90-year-old member could be heard declaring that he’d have taken up BMXing if only he’d been a few years younger)! Although I may not have persuaded them all to extend a long-term interest in sport, I do believe that they enjoyed researching a world that had formally been an enigma.
Sport has great value, but politics?
My own life, I’m sure, would have been very different without having sport in it. I was fortunate that I attended a grammar school where the Principal, Mr Woodman, acknowledged the equal value of non-academic subjects, allowing pupils like me to benefit from his forward thinking at the time. Incidentally, that school was Portadown College, when during my Lower Sixth year, former pupil Dame Mary Peters won her gold medal for the pentathlon in the Munich Summer Olympics in 1972. She continues to be an inspiration to me and has been a wonderful ambassador for sport in every possible way.
I don’t believe that politics should have any part in sport, yet it’s hard to get away from. So, let’s get this out of the way from the start. It provided me with various moments of amusement and surprise when during the Olympic coverage, BBC commentators got themselves into such a tangle about the Team GB/Northern Ireland thing. The first time I noticed it happening (no names), I thought, “oh no, please don’t even go there” – but of course it inevitably led to various embarrassing discussions about where, what, when and who, etc. I can only say this: we, here in Northern Ireland, can hold dual Irish and British citizenship simultaneously (perfectly legally, I might add), which I actually think is wonderful for allowing us to own that privilege of choice. Suffice to say that in the past I have played squash for both and been more than proud doing it.
New sports in, old ones out
Speaking of squash, it has finally been included in the new list of sports for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, and about time too. According to Forbes Magazine, squash is one of the healthiest sports in the world. In a 30-minute match you can burn up more calories than other sports and work your entire body, improving cardiovascular health, strength, flexibility and co-ordination.
It will be joined by cricket, lacrosse, flag football (?) and softball/baseball. I don’t know how these things work, but some sports also get reassessed and breaking will not be making a return. Admittedly, it wasn’t really for me, but I abhor the way the Australian contestant was vilified online for her performance. It was nasty, distasteful and truly mean to see some of the abuse she received, and along with politics, should not hold any place in our lives generally, never mind in sport.
What did I particularly enjoy watching this time around then? The rugby 7s for a start, although I didn’t think I would. The vast area of pitch that has to be covered and the physical fitness required is hugely admirable, in my opinion. The dressage for its beauty, precision and connectiveness between horse and rider. Climbing because of the sheer nerve and strength it takes when you are upside down and literally hanging on by your fingertips. Swimming and athletics – together too broad to specify events individually but gripping, exciting and ultimately inspirational. The list goes on and hopefully you will have many to add of your own.
Reaching the Olympics: dedication and resilience required
Parents and guardians of potential Olympians know the sacrifices that have to be made for their children to achieve ultimate ‘success’ (I use that term loosely). The hours and hours spent ferrying kids about, sometimes at an ungodly hour of the morning or late into the night, five or six days a week, 52 weeks a year, can be both expensive and challenging, and quite often detrimental to other family members in unseen ways. As a parent, I’m not sure if I would have the dedication and perseverance that’s clearly needed over such a long period of time.
And for the contestant, there’s the physical and mental wear and tear of it all with no guarantee of achieving that final goal. How do you deal with fourth place, for example, when someone puts a microphone in your face and says, “Tell us how it makes you feel, losing like that?” It’s a big ask to expect someone to be gracious in their reply and I wish the media wouldn’t do it.
Paralympics: inspirational
So, what next? The most inspirational event of them all – the Paralympics. For sheer resolve, it stands head and shoulders above everything else and you could say that sport has the magic to create that desire in people to overcome challenges most of us never have to face. While living in Bahrain, I played squash with a gentleman who had lost a leg and was using a prosthetic one, but who expected no quarter from his opponents on court, and who systematically thrashed me in nearly every game. His determination, belief and fortitude have stayed with me over the years and I’m excited to witness an awful lot more of those qualities over the next few weeks. It’s the Paralympics, and I simply cannot wait.
