A Day at the Games

We're off to see some athletics at the paralympics tomorrow, so I thought I'd post this short piece which I wrote last month about our last Olympic trip back in August - better late than never!

 It was day eight of the 2012 Olympics, a sunny Saturday, and I was lucky to be in London to watch some world class sport – well, table tennis to be exact.

  Sue and I, had spent the day sightseeing in the capital, and after a picnic lunch in Hyde Park we made our way by bus, train and trainers to the ExCel Arena in London Docklands.

 As we arrived, we were greeted by some cheery Olympic volunteers who directed us to security entrances, where smiling staff gave us an airport style check, before letting us in to catch some sporting action.

 Our event was the quarter finals of the women’s team table tennis; we were a couple of hours early so we took the time to wander around ExCel and sample the Olympic ‘cuisine’ on offer. This was a choice of feeble fish and chips, slimy noodles or a soggy pie  - all for the princely sum of about £8.50 each (!).

  Soon it was time to watch the table tennis, but just before, we watched the end of the women’s 3km team cycling pursuit on the big screen, where a roof-raising cheer was made as Team GB’s ‘Three Sisters’ stormed home to gold.

  Table tennis may not be the most nail-biting of Olympic sports, but the ladies from Hong Kong, Singapore, North and South Korea battled it out and treated the crowd to some first class play.

 

 

There were some lively supporters from Singapore, who gave their team some noisy but much needed support, while the North Korean fans (all three of them) made up in enthusiasm for what they lacked in numbers.

 The girls from Hong Kong and North Korea fought a hard battle, but the other teams had the edge. Singapore and South Korea went through to the semi-finals, where they would meet the table tennis aces of China and Japan.

  It was late as we left the stadium, and caught the train back from Docklands to the city centre. Next to us, a group of cheery young students, dressed in Team GB kit and wearing brightly coloured wigs, were happily chatting about which bars and restaurants they would visit to celebrate the nations’ sporting success. I wished I had their young energy; after an Olympic day out, I was simply looking forward to getting home to indulge in some championship sleeping.