Sport at its best

At its best, sport is about people doing something transcendentally brilliant, something that is amazingly skillful, disciplined, verging on the breathtakingly beautiful and in so doing is capable bringing enormous joy to the people watching.

I love the Olympics, the idea of the finest in a set discipline doing it, not for a pay cheque on that day (though it helps big time with endorsements and cash for medal exists), but under the banner of their country and for personal glory for an audience measured in millions.

I’ve watched a decent portion of these Olympics, both on the TV and in person.

Whether it’s been a curler keeping the game alive with a perfect final stone, a speed skater in agony as she finishes her race, or an aerial skier landing a 4 twist jump, it’s been sublime to watch and makes it easy to ignore the inevitable criticism that surrounds an event of this scale.

The excitement in Vancouver was palatable, you could feel there was something special in the air. Last night we sat in a bar with Russians, Finnish, Swedes, Americans, British, Germans and of course Canadians, all concentrating on a hockey game. These have been a great games, Vancouver a fabulous host and I’ve had a blast.