For the Cynics: were you won over?

[Jurek]

.....
I miss it now it's over!

Yup!

[pumpkin]

Avoided most of it. The corporate bo**ox was outrageous and the G4S fiasco and ticketing issues could have sunk it. What saved it was the sheer brilliance of the athletes (that's how it should be). 3rd in the medal table after China/US? I remember the days when it was the US,Soviet Union and everyone else and the Eastern bloc results were the result of those Communist gymnasia and some clever chemistry and the US prob. wasn't far behind. So 3rd was bloody good. Can you imagine how good w'd be if we had the resources of China and the US (Altho' tey have larger populations). The political nonesense is irritating now. Cameron et al make it sound like it was their Olympics when a lot of it was funded by Lottery tickets.

[teethgrinder]

I always thought it would be good but was expecting a few cock ups, especially after the G4s and ticket fiasco at the start. I expect that there were a few.
I went to watch the road race for free and was amazed! They actualy did it properly! I thought that watching the road race would be somewhere to go on my bike for the weekend with the added bonus of watching a bit of world class road racing, which I thought would be reasonably OK, but not great. It turned out to be a very good day out! The organisation matched the class of racing IMO and ever since then I thought that the Olympics would be a big success and I think I was right.
I'm not keen on the corporate side of things either, but that's jjust the way of the western world. I'm not sure that it was us paying the corporate billionares. I'm guessing that the mega bucks companies bunged Coe & co a few million quid to help with the finances and get some worldwide publicity. Not that I'm too fussed about it.

I wonder if I'll get a go on the new velodrome....

[David Martin]

A view from the other side:

On the road race I was one of 1500 volunteer marshals.
We were organised into about 100 teams with a team leader in 30 sections in 3 major segments.
In addition to us were about 1000 stewards and security (G4S and other companies) responsible for crowd management.
About 150 route engineers and event management staff were there fixing issues and on standby for problems
It was coordinated by a team of over 200 in the control room. That is one part of one event.

Then there were the drivers and support staff to ensure the athletes and officials could do what they need to do, the drivers, cooks, cleaners, greeters, the people who did the admin and organised the uniform distribution to about 100,000 volunteers and officials.

There were a few minor hiccups. Yes G4S were short in supplying the total number of staff expected, but that should be looked at in the context of the number of staff that were provided, including SIA accredited people (for crowd management etc.). 

What you missed was the little things that got solved. The 'why doesn't someone do that' things did just get done. You probably haven't heard about the three people arrested for attempting to sabotage the road race with tacks. I presume there were many similar things at other venues that just went unreported, and were dealt with.

It's fine for the armchair critics to snipe and criticise, but overall the olympics has been a massive, massive logistical success. It has been a huge success for Britain's reputation worldwide.

I don't like the commercial branding, but without the management and logistical expertise of people like ATOS and (dare I say it McDonalds), there would have been a lot of issues to complain about.

What we have left (apart from some world class venues, some great regeneration and some world class bills) is a discovery that we can do this, as a nation we can pull together, give a great welcome and really live up to the nations name of 'Great Britain'. There is a new atmosphere in Britain, a belief in the nation again. That it will only go to the dogs if that is where we choose to take it.




 

[Sergeant Pluck]

A view from the other side:

On the road race I was one of 1500 volunteer marshals.
We were organised into about 100 teams with a team leader in 30 sections in 3 major segments.
In addition to us were about 1000 stewards and security (G4S and other companies) responsible for crowd management.
About 150 route engineers and event management staff were there fixing issues and on standby for problems
It was coordinated by a team of over 200 in the control room. That is one part of one event....

Fantastic stuff and well said.

[spesh]

A view from the other side:

On the road race I was one of 1500 volunteer marshals.
We were organised into about 100 teams with a team leader in 30 sections in 3 major segments.
In addition to us were about 1000 stewards and security (G4S and other companies) responsible for crowd management.
About 150 route engineers and event management staff were there fixing issues and on standby for problems
It was coordinated by a team of over 200 in the control room. That is one part of one event....

Fantastic stuff and well said.

+1

[David Martin]

Oh, I should add that I am very proud and pleased that I was able to do a little bit with some great people to bring these games to the world, to showcase my home town and the streets I grew up in, and to say I was there and part of that.

[Jurek]

A view from the other side:

On the road race I was one of 1500 volunteer marshals.
We were organised into about 100 teams with a team leader in 30 sections in 3 major segments.
In addition to us were about 1000 stewards and security (G4S and other companies) responsible for crowd management.
About 150 route engineers and event management staff were there fixing issues and on standby for problems
It was coordinated by a team of over 200 in the control room. That is one part of one event.

Then there were the drivers and support staff to ensure the athletes and officials could do what they need to do, the drivers, cooks, cleaners, greeters, the people who did the admin and organised the uniform distribution to about 100,000 volunteers and officials.

There were a few minor hiccups. Yes G4S were short in supplying the total number of staff expected, but that should be looked at in the context of the number of staff that were provided, including SIA accredited people (for crowd management etc.). 

What you missed was the little things that got solved. The 'why doesn't someone do that' things did just get done. You probably haven't heard about the three people arrested for attempting to sabotage the road race with tacks. I presume there were many similar things at other venues that just went unreported, and were dealt with.

It's fine for the armchair critics to snipe and criticise, but overall the olympics has been a massive, massive logistical success. It has been a huge success for Britain's reputation worldwide.

I don't like the commercial branding, but without the management and logistical expertise of people like ATOS and (dare I say it McDonalds), there would have been a lot of issues to complain about.

What we have left (apart from some world class venues, some great regeneration and some world class bills) is a discovery that we can do this, as a nation we can pull together, give a great welcome and really live up to the nations name of 'Great Britain'. There is a new atmosphere in Britain, a belief in the nation again. That it will only go to the dogs if that is where we choose to take it.

Thanks for that, David.

[Manotea]

It's almost the case that from a logistical point of view, from the punters point of view, most everything just worked far better then expected and most everybody had a great time. Almost a bit of an anticlimax really.  Not unlike running an Audax when the weather is great, everybody gets round in good time, nobody falls off, gets lost or comes home with an epic tale involving a thousand punctures and the slaying of mythical beasts.

I mean, how BrItish Is that?

[citoyen]

Oh, I should add that I am very proud and pleased that I was able to do a little bit with some great people to bring these games to the world, to showcase my home town and the streets I grew up in, and to say I was there and part of that.

That's nice for you. Nice if you can afford to give up your time for free while someone else profits from your labour. Nice that you don't feel exploited. I'd like to have been able to take part but I couldn't afford to.

d.

[hubner]

The problem with the Olympics is that it's become, or perhaps it has always been, more than just  a sporting event. The country's sports people wins some medals and  suddenly there is "a new atmosphere in Britain", er.. who says? We've been bombarded with so much non-stop propaganda from the media for the last 2 weeks that you'd be completely forgiven if you actually think there must be "a belief in the nation again".

"That it will only go to the dogs if that is where we choose to take it."

Who is "we"? If you mean ordinary people, then they have practically no say in the matter. If you mean the country as a whole, then the political, financial and corporate elite who are in control are not going to change the policies of more than the last 30 years just because of some sporting contest. In fact they will continue what they are doing because of it. Whether it'll go to the dogs depends on your political view though.

Sport in general doesn't interest me but I do like a couple of specific sports.  I did watch a minority sport (not cycling) that otherwise is never shown on TV. And as there weren't any British players in it, I didn't have to put up with all the obligatory  jingoistic commentary crap. Well I actually only caught a few minutes of it on actual TV, most of it was through the website catch-up page. That's another another thing about the Olympics, it is very difficult to watch one specific sport or event, even if they broadcast it. You would need to be at the telly all day flipping channels. At least now all the coverage is online.

What I loathe about the Olympics is all the stuff that goes on in addition to actual sport: endless propaganda about the Olympic "spirit", the torch, opening and closing ceremonies, constant flag waving, medal ceremonies and anthems, all the background stories about how everything is great and wonderful, the self appointed IOC who go from city to city sucking up billions of public money, LOCOG which is a private company spending billion of public money, "legacy" and "inspiring a generation" bollox to justify £10 plus billion of public money being  transferred into private hands.

The volunteering stuff is not to save money, there's so much sloshing around they wouldn't know what to do with it, it's so that they can use it for propaganda and claim there's some sort of community spirit, that the games is for all and inclusive.

The thing about sport is that someone has to win. So how can the games be anything other than a success? Sports people arrive at a venue, winner wins, everyone claps, all leave and go home, and that's it. That's how other sports events are run.

[LindaG]

Thanks DM. I have a couple of real life friends who volunteered for the Olympics ( giving up their annual leave to do so). My friend's son presented medals. And my friend Lydia Rose (who is six) was one of the twenty twelve children.  She and her family had a lot of fun being involved. I'm proud of them all and felt involved in the whole thing by proxy. Anyway what's to worry about? It'll not happen again in any of our lifetimes.

[Justin(e)]

New York Review of Books

And I look in bemusement at Great Britain’s sudden rise up the medals table—the telltale sign of a country with an inferiority complex that has decided to spend lots and lots of money on attention-getting elite sports: modern-day penis envy.

[clarion]

Does that make Americans a load of pricks?

[bikenrrd]

Sudden rise?  We were fourth in Beijing and usually finish in the top ten.
Sign of a declining nation - worried about those coming up behind them.  Pretty funny, seeing as we're the most declined nation in history!

[citoyen]

Some people (though not me, obviously) might wonder if there was a hint of sour grapes behind an Australian posting that link.

d.

[mattc]

New York Review of Books

And I look in bemusement at Great Britain’s sudden rise up the medals table—the telltale sign of a country with an inferiority complex that has decided to spend lots and lots of money on attention-getting elite sports: modern-day penis envy.

It only gets better:

... the UK, which is a western version of China  —a country with limited public sports infrastructure and little public participation but hell-bent on winning gold.

!

[David Martin]

Oh, I should add that I am very proud and pleased that I was able to do a little bit with some great people to bring these games to the world, to showcase my home town and the streets I grew up in, and to say I was there and part of that.

That's nice for you. Nice if you can afford to give up your time for free while someone else profits from your labour. Nice that you don't feel exploited. I'd like to have been able to take part but I couldn't afford to.

Well, I chose to do it. I could have chosen not to. It was a lot of fun and I feel that I got out of it more than it cost me. Every week people profit from my labour, whether it be taking pictures of Audax riders, helping organise events, doing other stuff.. Do I feel exploited for that? In this case who profited? The million or so people who enjoyed watching the events live, the many tens or hundreds of millions watching on TV, the small handful (a few dozen) with whom I interacted and was able to bring some smiles and happiness to their lives? Some corporate fat cat (not the major sponsors, it would be the companies responsible for delivery)? The apprentices who got the opportunity to build some iconic venues?



There are plenty of other things I could have done instead but couldn't afford to.

[Tigerrr]

Thats a good article I think.  The olympics works at many levels doesnt it.  Peopel can get involved in the whole volounteering side and be party of a huge social cohesion that must feel like a return to national consensus. That would be inspiring and I regret not being retired or in teaching so I could have done it.
It also clearly works at a huge propaganda level and to ignore that would be very nieve indeed. Hubners diatribe above is also true - teh games is a global propaganda vehicle as much as anything else, designed to wash govts and corporates clean in the sweat of athletic prowess.
Money is thrown at elite sports prodigies to win medals under a national flag and there is a huge payoff for govt, national pride, hegemony etc  - whoever is in power. On that basis there is a certain underlying truth in the comparison to China and GDR in team GB. Perhaps most notably so in the cycling given this is not a nation of keen cyclists at all, just an elite medal winning system.
But there's no denying that its huge fun to get into it and join in.

[LindaG]

Spot on Tigerr.

Interesting how the NYRoB guy thinks Merkins are exempt from the propaganda machine - when Jingo is their name sir!

[citoyen]

It was a lot of fun and I feel that I got out of it more than it cost me.

Look, I'm really impressed by the efforts that you and all the other gamesmakers put in to make the whole thing go off so smoothly. I just think you all should have been paid the going rate for your time as a matter of principle. Of course you're entitled as an individual to give up your time for free for something you want to do for no material reward, and I'm honestly happy for you that you found it such a rewarding experience - I'm really not so churlish as to begrudge you that - but look at the bigger picture: what's the cost to the economy of providing all that free labour to a massive commercial enterprise that isn't paying tax in this country on its vast profits?

I don't accept the label "cynic" - I don't choose to look for the negative in this but I can't ignore it. Feel free to label my point of view as the sniping of an armchair critic if you like but that doesn't address my concerns or convince me that I'm wrong.

Every week people profit from my labour, whether it be taking pictures of Audax riders, helping organise events, doing other stuff.. Do I feel exploited for that?

Audax UK is a non-profit organisation.

the small handful (a few dozen) with whom I interacted and was able to bring some smiles and happiness to their lives?

Would you have been less able to bring happiness to their lives if you were paid the going rate for the job?

d.

[mattc]

That would be inspiring and I regret not being retired or in teaching so I could have done it.

My dear chap, please don't let your bitterness spoil these great events for you. They are for everyone, not just the elite groups you mention!

Perhaps most notably so in the cycling given this is not a nation of keen cyclists at all, just an elite medal winning system.

We played a significant part in inventing/developing the bloody thing.

[Justin(e)]

Some people (though not me, obviously) might wonder if there was a hint of sour grapes behind an Australian posting that link.

d.

Firstly, congratulations for a sterling olympics second best ever.  Well done, I really enjoyed it.

Secondly, I think the article I posted suggested that Australia also uses sporting prowess to bolster a sense of world inferiority. 

Elite sport has its place, but I think that we should prefer government spending our money on encouraging mass participation rather than places like the AIS.  Obviously the two are linked, but I think the bottom line should always be on the health of society - and that is best looked after if people are encouraged to be healthy.  This may sometimes include spending less money on the chance of a gold medal and more on play grounds.  Occasionally it is appropriate to have a big party, but the real job of keeping people healthy is much more boring.

I repeat - you should be proud of what has just happened. 

[Jaded]

I read that Australia spent more money on its Olympic sports than we did?

As for volunteering, well, communities with volunteering seem to be happy, thriving ones to me. I think most people would be rather surprised if they found out how much of what is done around them is done voluntarily. Even on this small insignificant forum there is volunteering every day. I've read several threads this morning where people have given up their time to provide help to other forummers. Maybe we should charge each other for that? That would be much fairer and would mean that those giving their time and expertise would be paid as a matter of principle.

Communities that place money as the measure of human effort seem rather impersonal and lacking. They certainly aren't communities I want to be part of.

[LindaG]

You can't move in Toytown at the moment without bumping into a gang of jogging women carrying bottles of water. The Games has definitely inspired people round here anyway. Nothing is perfect.