London's Olympics legacy – Mass spectating and participating

Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain in action during the PruHealth ITU World Triathlon Grand Final London at Hyde Park on September 15, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

It’s not often that an opinion piece riles me to the extent that I write a response to it. But this happened on Tuesday. The piece in question is one by Simon Jenkins of the Evening Standard.

He’s quite a distinguished man; he edited The Times in the early nineties, has written a number of historical works, and was knighted in 2004.

Yet, yesterday’s Standard featured a piece by him which was ill informed, disrespectful, and frankly rather bizarre.

The essence of the article was his displeasure at having parts of Hyde Park, and the roads surrounding it, closed over the weekend as a result of what he labels “an obscure event called the ITU World Triathlon”. He says that “few watched the event that I could see despite frantic promotion from the BBC”.

I wondered perhaps whether that was his biggest problem. He couldn’t see. For if he’d taken a mere glance at the crowds gathered in the park both for Saturday morning’s Women’s final, and particularly Sunday afternoon’s Men’s final, he would have seen hordes of people, four rows deep, urging Jonny Brownlee onwards in an exhilarating sprint finish by the Serpentine.

These were not members of the public accidentally stumbling upon the race (although I have no doubt some were), but supporters and spectators from far and wide. Over the week, I spoke to people from Norwich, Leeds, Wales, Canada, Spain, Japan, and a whole host of other countries.

Indeed throughout the week, hundreds of thousands were witness to some extraordinary athletic feats in the park, while millions saw the races on the BBC. The crowds were all the more remarkable given the miserable weather for much of the weekend. The mass spectating which encapsulated the very best of the Olympics was present again here, albeit in a colder, wetter, but no less worthy setting.

Mr. Jenkins bemoans the economic cost to the capital. The diverted buses, the unrelated closing of the Circle line. Of course, for those that had their journeys delayed by this, one must feel an element of sympathy for. Yet a quick glance at the facts suggests economically, London benefited enormously from it.

It meant for a significant number of tourists descending upon the capital, booking expensive hotels, and eating in restaurants. The Expo which accompanied the event gave an opportunity for British brands to push their products. Meanwhile, the sponsors, and contrary to what Mr. Jenkins thinks, these are not such a bad thing, were given a platform to push their brand, and as a result ensure that their valuable funding continues to work its way down into grassroots sport in this country.

Javier Gomez of Spain (2ndR) leads the bike ride during the PruHealth ITU World Triathlon Grand Final London at Hyde Park on September 15, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Yet economics pale into insignificance when the real benefits of the week’s events are reflected upon. Last summer Mr. Jenkins wrote an article on the aftermath of the Olympics suggesting “there is no such thing as an Olympic legacy”. Rot. This type of event is the very essence of that legacy.

Let’s ignore the elites for a moment and focus on the other participants. 8,500 different people, from an age range of 15 to 80, competed in the age group and open races which took place on the course during the week. What better legacy than to give an opportunity for ordinary members of the public to compete on the same course as their heroes?

Anyone who has spent a day running in or spectating at the London Marathon will know the positive environment and sense of achievement it can provoke and inspire. Should that be cancelled on account of a little disruption to the capital’s transport? I think not. There were also a number of paratriathletes, as well as the first Iranian woman to compete in a triathlon. All encompassing is an understatement.

Mr. Jenkins may think it is akin to “watching paint dry” but triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in Britain. It certainly has more profile than cycling had a decade ago, and we all know how things have progressed in that sport recently, as his article testifies with his support for the Tour of Britain finishing on London’s streets. We also happen to be rather good at triathlon.

The “one competitor (who was) obscurely penalised for not folding her wetsuit properly” was in fact a Brit. Non Stanford. Made in Britain. Trained in Britain. And showcased in Britain on Saturday where she stormed to victory with the sort of performance that takes your breath away.

Who stood next to her on the podium? Why, another Brit of course. Jodie Stimpson. She missed out on selection for London last year, and that disappointment, combined with the electric atmosphere in Hyde Park helped fire her to put it right this year. Even if Alistair and Jonathon Brownlee (90,000 Twitter followers and four major newspaper interviews last week hardly suggests a piddly press following or limited public interest) were unable to repeat their heroics on the same course as their Olympic Gold and Bronze medals last year, their race was quite some spectacle. And one of them still ended up with a silver medal.

Big sporting events, be it participation or spectating, are a key part of our fabric as a nation. Picture the London Marathon, The Great North Run, Ride London, the Tour de France next summer (three days of which are in the country), and last week’s triathlon in Hyde Park to name but a few.

Picture the way that inspires people, involves people, enthuses people. It is a sad reflection that the only legacy certain people take from this is resentment at their boring bus journey. It is time for them to look at the bigger picture.