I wish Paris had won the bid to host the Olympics. I don’t believe
London deserved to win. Too many athletes in this country struggle to get the
recognition and backing they deserve. Thus you have Olympiads sponsored by
their local butcher. That is an unacceptable situation. And I’ve yet to see any
journalist take a serious look at how those selected on the Olympic team are
coping financially.
But what really disgusts me - yes, disgusts - is coverage of women’s
sports in England. The coverage of last year’s Wimbledon was a case in point.
Reporters seemed to concentrate almost exclusively on what they were wearing
and the noises they made on court. That there was an eventual winner was almost
an aside.
In England, there is a peculiar attitude to female athletes - especially
if they don’t fit a particular image. Unless they are preferably white,
middle-class and married with children, the press are ready to stick the knives
in. For example, Venus and Serena Williams are among the finest athletes of
their generation and yet journalists seldom credit the pair with their
phenomenal success. Instead we get catty asides about how they look - that they
are not “properly feminine”. Hello? They are professional athletes.
I’m a former athlete and I won’t be applying for tickets or watching the
Games on TV. In fact, I’m planning on getting out of London entirely for the
duration of the Olympics.
The English seem to prefer pathetic losers like Eddie the Eagle, the skijumper who
crashed and burned in 1987. There is little understanding or appreciation in
this country of what it takes to reach the top in athletes.
Be the best? The English apparently prefer mediocrity.
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