Watching sport is something I like to do. I wouldn’t say I am a die hard fan of anything, even football, which I have more or less followed all my life, I can take or leave, to be honest. Getting upset if my team loses has never been a thing. What I do enjoy is the drama of a big game or event, and the opportunity for something extraordinary to happen, whether that is a superstar of the sport achieving something incredible, or an underdog overacheiving in spectacular style.
Of course, most sport was cancelled completely for a while there, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics included. And whilst some sports, including football, horse racing snooker and formula 1 have managed to carry on behind closed doors, it just hasn’t been the same. And it looks very much like Tokyo may never hold their version of the games at all. That for me is the biggest loss for sport during the pandemic.
A lot of people seem not to care less about the Olympics, feeling alienated from sports they don’t understand or care about, played by people they have never heard of. I am the opposite. I love learning about new sports and watching skills unfold that I could never imagine doing myself in a million lifetimes. There is usually drama and tension in any event, and the BBC, especially since London 2012, but always really, have got increasing good at presenting as much detail of it as they can. Often in Olympic years I have been found watching glued to it around the clock, rooting for competitors and countries for all sorts of unpredictable reasons, enjoying most a British triumph or an unexpected upset.
With no coverage to show from Tokyo this Summer the BBC via iPlayer decided to replay their full highlights collections from each of the previous three Olympics. With almost 20 hours worth from Rio and London, and 12 hours worth from Beijing. I knew instantly this would be something I did every minute of… and I eventually did. It only took about a week!
Starting in Rio 2016, which I felt I hadn’t remembered much about, but in fact I remembered almost all of as soon as I was reminded, it felt very much like reliving each event and drama as it unfolded. The exact details of how many medals Britain had won was hazy, but I remembered we started slowly and finished phenomenally, with the cycling events especially fruitful. Then there were the obvious highlights of seeing two of the greatest ever Olympians achieve their final victories: Usain Bolt on the track and Michael Phelps in the pool. Absolutely super-human legacies that will never be forgotten.
London 2012 speaks for itself, being British, and reliving the excitement of it all was such a treat, especially the high emotion of Super Saturday. I just can’t watch the Mo Farrah race without shedding a tear. And many other times too I was moved emotionally by events and results. I guess it’s that you can empathise with the commitment, dedication and sacrifice it takes to excel and succeed at this level. To see the joy and relief on the faces of victors, and the broken, exhausted devastation on the faces of the losers can be very draining.
Backtracking to 2008 in China it was fascinating to see the path that led to a lot of the British success in London. This was the games I inevitably remembered less of, apart from the obvious rise of names like Bolt and Phelps. But, for that reason I probably enjoyed it even more, because it was mostly like watching events for the first time, so little memory I had of who had won. It was noticable how much of a leap forward the coverage, commentaries and presentation had taken between Beijing and London, so often I found myself wanting more detail that just wasn’t there. Even going back to 2008 the computer graphics, stats and transitions just weren’t as slick and effortless, in a way we take for granted now.
By the time I had done over 50 hours of retrospective Olympic viewing I felt better educated in sport history, and also felt a lack of being able to go back even further. The Los Angeles Olympics of 1984 were really formative for me, as I remember being in awe of everything I was seeing and on tenterhooks waiting for the big moments, as this was the first time I was old enough to stay up and watch it all unfold, and the first time the BBC really offered such extensive footage. I remember watching the 100m final at 3am as if it were yesterday. It was that Olympics which planted the seed for me and I have enjoyed it ever since. I know collections do exist that go way back, so perhaps one day soon I’ll seek those out.
I can’t imagine watching reviews of old world cups, or any sport, with such enthusiasm for such a period of time. Which leads me to believe it isn’t sport per se that I like, but more the drama and spectacle of a worldwide event that feels like a show with endless history and storylines. I sincerely hope Tokyo manages to get its games, however delayed, and that all the athletes that must have been it turmoil over not being able to compete get their chance to have their moment in the spotlight. The ideal of the Olympics is so essential to understanding how the best of humanity can be; I have always felt and believed that. The flame, the oath, the medals, the legacy of it all – I find it breathtaking, and probably always will.
9/10
The Wasteland 