By:Pradeep Bhujel
And so, to quote (somewhat fittingly) Shakespeare, our revels now are ended. And with them, two weeks of glorious, feel-good bonhomie, joyful exaltation, unbridled merriment and intoxicating upliftment, the likes of which I cannot remember ever feeling before in London.
Will the nation now breathe a collective sigh, exhausted and emotionally drained from the mass euphoria which has overcome us since the opening ceremony, or will we shed a poignant tear, sad that this successful celebration of British athletic achievement, and with it Britain and Britishness, has come to an end? The latter, I think - and for good reason.
London 2012 has been a triumph, a gargantuan victory over everyone and everything. Team GB has beaten not only the other world class athletes on the track, field, water, velodrome or arena, but also the political nay-sayers, the portentous cloud left by last summer’s riots, and the habitually offensive buffoonery of overpaid and under-performing Premier League footballers, which all served as the backdrop to these games.
The Olympic legacy for Britain is one of increased unity, belonging and pride in our country for all who live here and for all who call it home
Last night at the closing ceremony a somewhat quirky medley of British music, from the Spice Girls to George Michael and Eric Idol, brought the curtain down on the London 2012 oneiric idyll, and with it came Lord Coe’s laconic but fitting words, “we did it right” – delivered in that quintessentially British, restrained way.
The tally of 29 British gold medals certainly defied all expectation, and marks a rarity for our country, which so often fails to deliver at the highest level that we as Brits are accustomed to feeling let down on the big sporting occasions.
But beyond memorable sporting triumphs, what have the London Olympics bequeathed to us? What will their social ramifications be in years to come? How will they endure in the popular consciousness?
I for one think they have bequeathed several great and meaningful things at a very opportune moment. I certainly hope these games will have a resoundingly positive effect on the social, cultural and racial fabric of this nation and its values.
World's best: Helen Glover and Heather Stanning stand proudly with their gold medals after winning the women's pair final at Eton Dorney
For me, the swathes of Union Jack flags, worn proudly by black, brown and white Brits together, have been a delight to behold. This harmless but stirring sense of patriotism, uniting formerly disparate communities behind Team GB, has been utterly beautiful, intensely moving and thoroughly enchanting.
Naturally, the sight of Mo Farah draped in the Union Jack after his two victories, a symbolic gesture telling of an ardent desire to integrate both as an immigrant and as a Muslim, was majestic, deeply poignant and hopefully far-reaching in its potency. If anything, such is the stuff of which dreams (not to mention increased social cohesion and with it prosperity for all Britons) are made.
If we are honest, Britain’s fast-fading grandeur and rapidly diminishing place on the world stage – now almost belonging to a bygone era, when men wore bowler hats and everyone on the BBC spoke in R.P. – has been reclaimed, if not reversed, over the past two weeks. We can never deny that Britain has changed, in many ways for the worse, but maybe, just maybe, these games have given us a tangible sense of hope for better things yet to come.
Inspirational: Mo Farah powered ahead of the field in the closing stages of the 10,000m
A sense of the possible, a sense of not just what we once were, but of who we can still be, and who we will be in the future. A sense of where we can go as a nation is what I will take from London 2012. And maybe, on the evidence of the last two weeks, there is still lots to extol and acclaim. In short, there is still an awful lot of greatness here.
Mo Farah, Jennica Ennis and Nicola Adams – poster-men and women for a Britain of many hues and as a land of opportunity for all, were truly heroic, both in deed and stature.
So too were Sir Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins, Tom Daley, Greg Rutherford and countless others. I know that many black or mixed-race British athletes, such as Daley Thompson, Kelly Holmes and Linford Christie (to name only a few) were Olympic gold medalists in previous games, but it definitely felt that at London 2012 for the first time on home soil, both the country and the athletes felt genuinely at ease with our gloriously multi-racial background. There were no awkward contradictions, or moments of uncomfortable allegiance.
Everyone felt at ease in their skin. For me, as a mixed-race Brit, this can only augur well, as it points to an increased racial maturity in our island consciousness. Hopefully this can serve as a watershed moment in the development of a Britain of many colours, which can lead to better race relations and to more unity, more integration and a less fragmented, less apologetic sense of Britishness.
Champion: Wiggins, posing with his gold after the time trial, briefly became Britain's most decorated Olympian - until Chris Hoy's Olympics started
What about the moral virtues that sport can impart? For me, London 2012 has highlighted one virtue beyond all others: humility. Humility and great sporting prowess are, sad to say, rare bedfellows. In fact, there is often a strong positive correlation between remarkable achievement on the track or field and obnoxious egos and galling hubris off it.
And yet the London 2012 Olympics threw up countless beautiful examples of true greatness and true magnanimity of spirit coupled with true humility. I will long remember Mo Farah being interviewed after his 5000m triumph as an example of letting the actions speak for themselves and remaining utterly grounded, down to earth and peerlessly humble, even when he had just conquered the world.
Many will also remember London 2012 for the almost superhuman athletic pyrotechnics of Usain Bolt, feats which were beyond exceptional. But so too was the humility with which he and his fellow Jamaicans, especially Yohan Blake, celebrated their astonishing record-breaking triumphs of speed. Such humility is deeply humbling and, coming in an event more used to imperious American brashness, braggadocio and swagger, was very welcome.
Bolt too deserves singular praise. With his comic gestures (performing press-ups after winning the 200m gold medal, or doing the Mobot out of deference to Mo Farah’s 5000m victory), Bolt is not just a consummate showman, but an athlete so effortlessly at ease with his own sporting superiority that, like Muhammed Ali, Pele or Michael Jordan before him, he can just relax and show the world what a nice guy he is.
For me, Bolt’s gesture in talking to the young track attendant in charge of carrying his kit before the 200m final, and in so-doing putting her at ease before arguably the biggest race of his life, speaks volumes about the man, his personality and his moral fibre.
Likewise, another stand-out facet of these Olympics for me has been the unstinting devotion of the volunteers, who gave so readily of their time, smiles and goodwill to ensure the logistical aspect of the games passed smoothly. They were all perfect ambassadors of Britishness to the world – dedicated, friendly, cheerful, kind and exceedingly helpful. I was amazed, when attending events at the Olympic Park, at just how courteous and affable they all were - even in the midst of demanding crowds.
Their enthusiasm was beyond infectious. They truly did our city and our nation proud. The old adage “Giving is the rent we pay for living” could not have been more perfectly expressed in their warm demeanours and positive outlooks. Their selflessness deeply moved me, as did that of the Armed Forces personnel who came to the rescue of G4S, many cancelling leave after serving in Afghanistan to man the breach. They were examples to us all of what it means not to let the side, or the country, down in an hour of need.
London Mayor Boris Johnson emerged (rather unsurprisingly) as another Olympian victor, with the usual incredibly effective mixture of self-deprecating charm, self-lacerating humour and self-effacing posturing of which he is master captivating the hearts of both Londoners and those further afield. It remains to be seen what Johnson will do with his increased popularity, but Cameron probably has every reason to rue his heir-apparent’s Olympic success.
London too deserves applause. Despite the fact that London airports are today expecting the busiest period in their history, I am sure that, on the evidence of the last two weeks, the city will cope just fine. When so much had been said prior to the games of the transport calamities we faced, everything went far better than expected. The city and the tube stood up to the task and proved themselves more than capable.
Wonderful: The Olympics enthralled many for 16 days and threw up countless beautiful examples of true greatness
One can only hope that, beyond inspiring us to even greater sporting achievements, or getting more of us up off our couches and into healthier lifestyles, the Olympic legacy for Britain is one of increased unity, belonging and pride in our country for all who live here and for all who call it home.
However foolishly naive and utopian that may sound, a shared, wholly integrated culture where all colours, ethnicities and backgrounds are proud to contribute to the fabric and well-being of our country must be the aim.
For all its many faults and imperfections, Britain is still a great country and remains a great place to live. Although my nationality is an accident of birth over which I had no control, these Olympics made me inordinately proud to be British.
As someone who was rapidly falling out of love with London prior to the last two weeks, these games have also served as a timely reminder, both to me and to the world, of the city’s ineffable greatness. London caput mundi is a phrase which we have not heard for decades, if not centuries, but still nonetheless has a very pleasing ring to it. May it be a harbinger of renewed intellectual, cultural and creative vigour and further civic pride in the capital.
However short-lived the incredible feeling of Olympic-engendered happiness proves to be, however swiftly we return to impending fiscal doom and economic woe, the London Olympics have done more good for the happiness quotient of this nation than a year’s worth of prozac and political sound-bites put together could ever do.
They have shown us what we as a nation are capable of. I think it is fair to say that many of us, myself included, had forgotten what that was. Long may this remind us what we can achieve as a nation when push comes to shove. Long may that inspirational legacy flourish, and bring every inhabitant of this island closer.
