British Olympic Association chairman Lord Moynihan: 'remarkable decade for UK sport'

“The Olympic Games were an outstanding and historic event for the UK” were the words of Lord Colin Moynihan last night as the University of Kent’s autumn series of open lectures headed to the Medway Campus.

In a poignant tribute to the London 2012 legacy, Lord Moynihan made his final public speech as British Olympic Association chairman, as he gets ready to pass the baton on to Lord Sebastian Coe.

Speaking to students, staff and members of the public, his lecture on ‘The Olympic Legacy from London’ touched on how his seven year stint as BOA chief had transformed the organisation into an “athlete-centred” body, firmly “focused on performance”.

The former politician and Olympic silver-medalist said: “Our objective was to earn more medals for more sports.” The Great Britain team came third in the medal table, with a total of 65 medals including 29 Gold’s, exceeding all targets made by the UK Sport government agency.

But with the Olympics now over, Lord Moynihan turned his attentions to the importance of the Olympic legacy, and how the main “objective is to improve sports in schools and education.”

He said: “Success of the Olympics Games needs to be a catalyst for a wider school sports agenda.”

His ideas echoed recent government policy, unveiled by Sport Minister Hugh Robertson, which will see £135million invested in sport facilities.

Other key policies include a £1billion investment over the next five years in the Youth Sport Strategy, to link sports clubs and schools together with the support of teachers, parents and the local community.

Speaking about the proposals, Lord Moynihan said: “Imagine the talent that is out there that we haven’t discovered.”

Arguing that money should be devolved from sporting quangos to local government and sports clubs, he said the way forward was for the cross-government promotion of sport.

He argued: “There are many departments of state in government who can help promote sport.”

During the lecture, he went on to praise the “girl power” of the Olympics, stating that a key feature of London 2012 was how “women led the way”. He argued that more access for women participation in sport  and more ‘top job’ opportunities for women in sporting organisations were vital.

He also added that the popularity of female presenters such as Clare Balding and Hazel Irvine should lead the way for a change of attitude in the media, stressing the need for more female editors and reporters.

Looking to the future of UK sport, he claimed that this decade would be “a remarkable decade for UK sport.” The UK has already won the rights to host more than 20 events, including the Rugby World Cup 2015, the Commonwealth Games 2014 and the World Athletics 2017.

And, as he hands over to Lord Coe on November 7, Lord Moynihan reflected that it had “been a massive privilege” to work at the BOA for seven years, but that he will "continue to argue strongly in the House of Lords for sporting legacy.”

Pictures from the Athletes Parade

 

Here are just a few of my pictures taken from the London 2012 Athletes Parade. You can find more photos through my twitter account: @kieranwatkins

 

 

Mo Farah, doing the MOBOT of course!

 

Greg Rutherford

 

Jonnie Peacock

 

Nicola Adams and Anthony Joshua

 

Sir Chris Hoy

 

Sarah Storey

 

Tom Daley

 

Lee Pearson and Sophie Wells

 

Katherine Grainger, Anna Watkins and others

 

Peter Wilson

 

Ellie Simmonds

 

Louis Smith

 

Heather Stanning, Helen Glover and others

 

Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee

 

Tom Daley...again ;)

A fantastic finale to an incredible year for London

Yesterday I had the privilege of joining thousands of other London 2012 Games Makers, some fresh from their role at the Paralympics, at a packed-out Mall in London’s West End yesterday for the Athletes Parade. The lucky thousand or so who received special tickets to see the Team GB athletes, who have made the Olympics and Paralympics so special, were lined up right across the Pall Mall along with thousands of members of the public, servicemen and dignitaries.

 

Cheering, signing, clapping and indeed screaming at times, the atmosphere was incredible as everyone waved to the heroes of the Games. London, the nation and indeed the world has been touched at the incredible success of London 2012; from the gallant effort of the athletes to the brilliant organising of LOCOG and the London mayor. I felt very proud to be praised by so many people too for my role as a Games Maker, a role which I will never ever forget.

 

As the float procession came through the Mall, I was busy taken hundreds of photos of the athletes, who were all smiling and waving, proudly displaying their medals and soaking up the atmosphere.

Mo Farah, Sir Chris Hoy, Jonnie Peacock, Tom Daley, Ellie Simmonds, Sarah Storey, Katherine Grainger, Louis Smith…just some of the famous faces I saw, every single one of them a hero in their own discipline, and whom the nation will remember forever.

(Eddie Izzard)

With music, entertainment and even an appearance from Ezzie Izzard, who dressed in the bright purple and red uniform I had grown accustomed to, the afternoon was fantastic, a proper send-off to London 2012. Now the legacy lives on, and as the red arrows flashed through the sky rounding off the celebrations, it’s time for the UK to take advantage of sport and all benefit from the legacy.

 

Thank you Games Makers, thank you athletes, thank you Britain! The Games have changed my life and it has been a real honour to be a part of it. The Olympics and Paralympics have given us so much hope, so much joy and so much to look forward to. I just hope it comes back in my life time…

 

You can see my photos from the parade, including photos of our athletes, here.

P.s/ Any suggestions as to which sport I should take up? Fencing appeals to me! What do you think I should take up, thoughts and suggestions would be grateful.

Post-Olympic blues

Alas, it’s one week now since the Olympics graced our screens for the last time (or at least, in London for the foreseeable future.) It was a day that saw Britain win a few more medals to round off a fantastic haul in London, and culminated in a fantastic party featuring the likes of George Michael and Kate Moss.

And I, like many other people it seems, just can’t get one act out of my head. Yes, this last week I’ve been reliving my inner-Baby Spice (I was always the Baby one) and singing ‘Spice up your life’ at any given opportunity.

It doesn’t help that the girls have been teasing the media, with suggestions from Mel C that she’d “do it all again” and “never say never”. Oh Spice Girls, won’t you reform once more?

Thank the lord for the new Spice Girls musical, Viva forever!, which looks set to hit the West End later this year.

In the meantime, you can dig out the leopard print and that oh-so-short union jack dress and reminsce over last Sunday night’s fantastic performance from arguably the world’s best ever girl band here.

And don’t forget, the Paralympics are just around the corner. Tickets are selling quickly, so keep on checking the website for availability. No doubt Britain will lay down the foundations for another great games. You can find out more about the Paralympics here.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

A perfect end to a perfect Games

It seemed fitting that to mark the end of what has been 16 fantastic days of sporting achievement, patriotism and happiness in London and across Great Britain, the Olympics would go out with a bang. And what an almighty bang it was!

Over 24 million people in Great Britain watched the closing finale to what has been a fantastic games in London, with all the athletes, thousands of fans, Royals from across the world, hundreds of performers and even a handful of volunteers all descending on the Olympic Stadium to celebrate the end of London 2012.

The plans for the ceremony were kept under wraps from most of the media beforehand, but with the theme focusing on the British music industry, it was safe to say we were going to be treated to some of Britain’s most famous artists.

From Ray Davies of the Kinks to Jessie J, the crowd were in for a real treat as stars from across the decades joined together for arguably the biggest party London has and will ever see. Madness, Pet Shop Boys, Taio Cruz, Tinie Tempah and a miming One Direction also performed at the ceremony, which mixed spectacular dance and light elements with fantastic music to create a cheesy, disco atmosphere.

Stand out performances came from a reformed, one-night-only Spice Girls who arrived in style on top of their own black cabs. I admit that I am struggling to get the lyrics to Spice up your Life out of my head!

George Michael, who has just recovered from a near-fatal health scare, performed two songs at the ceremony, later followed by The Who and Take That. My heart went out to Gary Barlow, who performed at the Olympics despite his recent personal problems.

Besides dancing, the spectators were treated to a fabulous display of Britain’s best fashion designers, modelled by stars such as Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. There were sing-along’s from Eric Idle, surprise appearances from Del Boy and Rodney and Timothy Spall (playing a rather convincing Winston Churchill) and a fantastic ballet display from new Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell.

The traditional handover to Brazil also gave us a taste of what’s to come in four years time, as dancers and performers from Rio demonstrated the party atmosphere that Brazil is known for in a colourful, samba-enthused sketch.

But even Brazil looked in awe at the fantastic spectacle of London’s closing ceremony. With the cauldron burning for a final time, the fireworks lit up over London in a spectacular display that symbolised everything these Games have been; exciting, spectacular and full of surprises. With a tearful tribute going out to all the athletes, volunteers and the public, Lord Coe was not the only one who was wishing the whole two weeks of sporting legacy could happen again.

London will miss the Olympics, but the legacy has been laid and in true British fashion, the closing ceremony certainly showed the world that we Brits know how to throw a good send off party!

Compare the closing ceremony with my review of the opening ceremony.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

My Games Maker experience

For the past few weeks, the jourknow has been contributing to what can only be described as the greatest Sporting event in the world. The Olympic Games in London have thrilled the nation since they began, with Team GB arguably putting in the best performance we’re unlikely to see at an Olympic Games again. We’ve embraced the drama, the excitement and at times, the frustration of all the Olympics brings to the host nation, and what a ride it has been since the Opening Ceremony marked the beginning of the sporting action.

But for all the fans and spectators playing their part in the Olympics, there was one group of people who went the extra mile to ensuring the Games ran smoothly, efficiently and more importantly, memorably. The thousands of Games Makers, made up of volunteers of all ages, have in some cases been more talked about then the athletes themselves. Their determination, skill and smiley faces have welcomed millions of spectators into all the sporting venues, and have been the foundations for the success of London 2012.

I was one of the many Games Makers who helped shape these Games, and what a memorable experience it was. Up at the crack of dawn for eight shifts in total, I hopped on the train to Earls Court to assist the security team at the venue, which was home to the Volleyball. My role was simple but important; ensure spectators are ready for security by following strict security controls put in place by LOCOG, thus enabling the security procedures to run coherently.

It might sound simple, but it’s a daunting task when you’re serving 300 spectators per security lane per hour. With spectators arriving from all four corners of the globe, the language barrier was often a problem, but despite a few grumpy spectators, (the American’s and Korean’s were the grumpiest), it went off without a hitch. I was delighted at how fantastic the atmosphere was. The crowds were really cheerful, despite the odd shower or queue. I was overcome with emotion when thanked by many of the home crowd, and it was certainly refreshing to see so many people come together and get on. In fact, you could have almost forgotten about the animosity between countries, because here, everyone was happy.

And it wasn’t just the crowd that I enjoyed working with, the security team were great too. The other volunteers I worked with were fantastic, all really friendly and kind. I made so many friends from my time at Earls Court and felt sad to be leaving my team after my last shift. It was great to work with people that shared the same passion as you - to make the Games memorable for everyone - but who had all come from different paths of life.

The army were fantastic to work with too. Saving the day at the last minute from the dreadful G4S drama, the army ensured that security was tight from start to finish. I respect these guys so much, living in squalid conditions, waking up at the crack of dawn with many working through what was their holiday time, yet still managing to smile and guard the venues. They were funny, and the laughs kept on coming. The nicest guys I’ve ever worked with and I really hope the reputation of the Armed Forces in this country improves because of their role in the Olympics.

My Games Maker experience ended before it had barely begun. Every session I worked at was special. The smiley spectators, the friendly staff, the warm (but generally bland) meals, the volleyball games we managed to sneak in to, the great gifts we were given as a token of thanks; all of it contributed to a fantastic few weeks of magic and excitement. For me, it’s an experience I won’t forget, and I can’t wait to relive it with my grandchildren some day.

Men's Fashion: Gold, the new black?!

It seems that the success of our Olympians has spurned a surge in popularity with the colour gold here in Britain. From gold medals to gold post boxes, gold stamps to ‘Gold’ by Spandau Ballet re-entering the charts, our love of gold doesn’t just stop at the pawnbrokers. Yes, it’s time to step out with colour as we toast to Team GB’s success, and here are a few wardrobe essentials that will guarantee you a gold medal in the fashion stakes.




                                         Navy & Gold combo - River Island
Golden Brown Chinos - Topman                                            Gold hoody with Aztec print - New Look

 

                                            

                                           Golden-yellow jumper - Urban Outfitters
Golden-inspired jumper - H&M                                                           Gold medal tee - New Look


                  

                                             Gold notebook - Urban Outfitters
Gold watch - Topman                                                             Gold wristbands - River Island

Read more fashion posts by the jourknow below:

- the sales are here!

- the Man Bag

- the Polka Dots are in town!

- Men's Fashion Summer 2012

First Gold for Great Britain!

Good news for Team GB and the country today as we finally claimed our first Gold medal of the Olympics.

With the home support feeling a little “down” from our lack of medals so far, it couldn’t have come at a better time for Team GB to win their first Gold.

And what a superb victory it was for rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning in the women’s pair, who become the first female rowers in Britain to win an Olympic title.

With the crowds cheering and the whole country celebrating the first Gold of the London 2012 games for Team GB, it now brings our medal total to six. Our first medal went to Lizzie in the Women’s road race, with another silver going to the Equestrian eventing team. Bronze medals have also been awarded to the Men’s eight rowing  team, Rebecca Adlington in the 400M and the fantastic Men’s artistic gymnastics team, who were controversially downgraded from silver in a thrilling, history-making day of gymnastics.

Catch all the latest on the BBC Olympics page and the London 2012 website.

Keep going Team GB!!!
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

And the first Team GB medal goes to...

Congratulations to Lizzie Armitstead of the Team GB’s cycling team, who won SILVER in the road race this afternoon.

Lizzie, despite the horrendous weather and conditions, used her skill to take a few risks during the race and pushed for first place. She was eventually pipped by a whisker by Dutch cyclist Marianne Vos in the final kilometre, in what has been described as a thrilling sprint across the finish line.

Congratulations to Lizzie, who gives Team GB their first medal.

Meanwhile, Team GB are looking strong in the sailing, football, gymnastics and equestrian events, with more medals available tonight in swimming and weightlifting, amongst others.

GO TEAM GB!!

(And to those who are panicking over Team GB’s medal woes so far, remember that in Beijing it took us a few days to claim our first medal by Armitstead’s teammate Nicole Cooke in the road race. We have plenty of chances in many other events. So get behind Team GB and stop tutting!)

Get this party started...

The Olympic Games has finally arrived in London! After seven long years of organising, anxieties and dreams, the games have finally arrived for the third time in the capital of Great Britain. Marking the opening, the opening ceremony on Friday, July 27 celebrated the flame being lit at the Olympic Park, along with the arrival of athletes and the IOC president, Jacques Rogge.

But that wasn’t the main reason for Friday’s ceremony and why a predicted one billion people across the globe watched the ceremony. You see, the real reason many of us tuned into watch the ceremony was to see the work of director Danny Boyle, famous for directing such hits as Trainspotting and the Academy Award winning Slumdog Millionaire, organise one of the most spectacular and humble opening ceremonies the world has ever seen.

The man behind the ceremony kept quiet throughout the planning and rehearsals, only giving away a few details about what the crowds could expect. The ceremony was based around the ‘Islands of Wonder’, using Shakespeare’s The Tempest as the main theme. There were rumours of Europe’s biggest bell, farm animals and thousands of NHS staff and patients all playing a role too throughout the ceremony (all which did play a role in the ceremony.)

It was a difficult task to undertake, especially when the media continued to undermine the ceremony by comparing in to the Beijing Ceremony. Beijing 2008 may well have had the budget and power for special effects, lights and fireworks, but what did they not have? A heritage, a sense of humour and, most of all, the pride of an entire nation.

You see, what Danny Boyle managed to produce was a humorous, heartfelt homage to Britain. He showed how Britain dominated the world through the industrial revolution, through literature and music, through film and the birth of the internet and of course, through its wonderful health care service. The story and history behind the scenes were emotional and struck a chord with those watching.

He was also incredibly clever too, and used the British humour to the best of his ability. The bit with Mr Bean (played by Rowan Atkinson) and the fantastic sketch between the Queen and James Bond (portrayed by Daniel Craig) were fantastically funny. On the other hand, the one minute silence to those who lost their lives in the war, and in the July 7/7 bombings, was a poignant tribute to a world which continues to be besieged by war.

With cameo appearances from singers Emeli Sande, Sir Paul McCartney and Dizzee Rascal, Kenneth Branagh, JK Rowling, David Beckham and a handful of others, not to mention the thousands of volunteers and audience members who all got involved, the ceremony will go down in history as one which put humans and history before money and jazzy pyrotechnics.

If you didn’t see the ceremony, you can watch snippets on YouTube, or relive the whole ceremony on BBC iPlayer.

The jourknow was lucky to win a ticket to see the rehearsal for the opening ceremony, and the above photos were taken whilst at the venue, or from wikipedia.

Risky game for British Airways

I love a good commercial, and with viewers flocking to their screens for events such as the Euros and the Olympics this summer, it's gonna be a bumper year for advertising agencies. Companies are putting big amounts of money on the table to get a slice of the precious minutes of screen time available for advertisers.

Which is why I was a little confused at the new British Airways advert released this week, which urges the British public to stay at home this summer and enjoy what's on in their local area and in London.

The one minute long ad sees a British Airways plane 'drive' around London, passing all the iconic sites, before reaching a halt outside the Olympic stadium.

Ultimately, the motive behind the campaign must lie behind the sponsorship deal British Airways has for the Olympics. It's an Official Partner for the London 2012 Games, and will heavily benefit from the games, one presumes.

Maybe then, one could presume that British Airways are benefiting from new advertising campaign, maybe from the government? They would have paid millions of pounds into the London 2012 Olympic Games, so why would they risk losing more money by promoting families to stay at home and not use their planes? I'm not suggesting what they're doing is wrong, in fact I think it's right of them to promote the UK during this special year. But British Airways is a business, and business doesn't play nice - which makes me think they're getting something in return for this deal.

Who knows, all I know is that the advert and the intense advertising campaign surrounding it (British Airways is using both Facebook and Twitter to promote their new campaign) must have cost them a lot of money to pull off. Time will tell when they release their end-of-year revenue figures early next year.

You can watch the advertising campaign here. You can also check out their Facebook page and Twitter too.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

Has anyone seen the jourknow?

My dear loyal followers/ readers/ bloggers etc, I owe you an apology. I can only apologise for the lack of content on the jourknow and my absence these past few weeks. Unfortunately, I have been extremely busy with my first year exams, and a few other things as my photos suggest. Thankfully, the exams are all over now so I can resume the jourknow page (yay!)

 Attending the magazine launch of Moda de la Mode at the Piccadilly Institute, London

The jourknow will once again be bringing you the latest articles on topical affairs over the next few weeks. I plan to finish the New Zealand diaries, as well as bring you some new feature pieces and of course, the popular reviews and fashion posts.

Supporting my friend as she triumphs at the annual Medway Universities Boat Race in Rochester

I will then be departing the UK for 16 days whilst I take a much-needed break in the sunny Costa Del Sol. I will, of course, be writing a 'Spain' diary, similar to my New Zealand one.

Looking dapper on the red carpet at the Kent Summer Ball 2012

The summer plans to be a busy one for me. Not only will I be working and going on holiday, but I am also volunteering at the Olympics. I can't wait to update you with all the exciting going's on from London!

Celebrating the Diamond Jubilee with a traditional Sunday roast (cooked by yours truly!)

I hope you stay with me throughout the summer, and can't thank you enough for your continued support. I love you all! :)

Completely 'off my face as I celebrate my belated birthday/ end of exams

In the meantime, remember you can catch up on EVERYTHING I do (I pretty much report everything I do) through Twitter: @kieranwatkins

Have a lovely summer!

Kieran Watkins (the jourknow)