Under The Spotlight: An Olympics of The Unknown

What a magnificent seventeen days of Olympic competition. A celebration of all sports undefined and for Britain, an unexpected triumph against the odds. Nineteen gold medals came our way, kicked off by Welsh superstar cyclist Nicole Cooke and supported by dominations seen by Rebecca Adlington in the pool and Britain’s collective cycling and rowing teams.

The Olympics certainly was a triumph for sports where exposure is regularly limited to the extreme. We all love a bit of football, tennis, F1 and Rugby, but what the Olympics gave us was an insight into the enticing worlds of other sports that rarely have a representation on the world arena.

Odd then that football and tennis within the Olympics were two sports whose feature within the games was next to ignored when compared with events on the athletics track, in the velodrome, in the pool or in the open water. No-one really cared much about who won tennis gold – essentially it was a case of, many world class players don’t see an Olympic title as an incredible accolade within their sport so why should we? Given the choice I would most certainly banish both sports from future Olympics as compared to world cups or national opens they pale in comparison.

Instead the Olympics as has been shown over the past two and a half weeks should be a celebration of all sports unseen or unheard of. Everyone, bar those who can’t, loves a good swim every now and then. The fact that swimmers in the peak of their training have to scoff down some 5,000 plus calories per day just so they don’t become anorexic with lack of body weight tells you that the sport is one of the most physically demanding yet rewarding around. It is a pastime many partake in on a regular basis as a means of staying fit and healthy yet on a sport scale it takes its spotlight just one every four years.

Michael Phelps and Rebecca Adlington proved to be the stars within the pool and will definitely go some way to creating a positive and credible image for the sport. Maybe now with their triumphs a barrage of new fans will take notice of the sport itself and follow the previously mentioned athletes on a more regular basis. If not then 2012 London Olympics will most certainly put it back under a tremendous spotlight.

The same goes for cycling. Another sport of which many partake in, but most don’t really think of as having the potential to be classified as a sport. Chris Hoy, built more like a rugby player than a cyclist dominated events in the velodrome, and by doing so lead Team GB’s confident and stylish display of control over the medals proceedings.

Then there are the sports further down the level of follower’s spectrum. Rowing often a neglected sport produced a vast array of closely thought and thoroughly entertaining battles. Taekwondo produced a vast amount of competitive action accompanied with absolutely shocking decisions and reactions from both judges and competitors.

The gymnastics and diving showed the world the beauty of an artistic sport where individual and team creativity amounts to a high percentage of points, whilst also giving the spectator a memorable and unforgettable array of images destined to be forged into memory for many years to come.

So yes, the Beijing Olympics was, as it should be a determined and dogged display of all sports unseen or unheard. The world took notice of the bizarre, the competitive and the absolutely riveting spectacle of events undervalued. And the best thing of it all, these sports, all be it possibly only for a mere week or two, were valued with the highest amount of recognition available to the sporting world at any one time by the competitors respective countries.