91 replies to this topic

[ckn]

In my opinion, worth every penny.

I can't remember the last time Britain felt so good about itself.

[steef]

Agreed and I'll admit to being a bit of a sceptic before they began, not that it was a waste of money but that it would just be a bit of a shambles. I've been hooked from the superb opening ceremony to tonights closing ceremony. If it hasn't inspired a generation then I'm not sure what can. A massive well done to all involved, especially the Great British team who got the publics imagination by performing so well.

[DiH68]

Loved it, loved it, loved it. I'm coming over to the UK on Saturday for a holiday and I'm actually gutted I didn't come eaalier so I could be there for the Olympics.
I planend it that way because I thought everything would be too expensive and chaotic, but now I feel I've really missed out on something special.
Will try and catch some of the Paralympics though

[GeordieSaint]

A thoroughly enjoyable two and a bt weeks. I missed a fair whack of the second week as I was involved in the security operation but the atmosphere was immense and some of the memories will live on for a long time. Thank you London and all the athletes. Literally, the greatest show on Earth!

[Severus]

Brilliant. Hopefully in the future we will look back on London 2012 as a moment in history that changed GB for the better. Sporting excellence aside, we can now feel a sense of national pride and fly the union flag without negative connotations.

[hindle xiii]

I thought it was pretty good, but that's just from watching from afar, and seeing only what I was presented.

[Wolford6]

I think everyone got caught up in the spectacle. It's easy to euphorically say that spending that money was worth it, but, for me, it wasn't.

The Government and organisers can say it cost £X billion but, if its anything like most government spending, the money wasn't spent as a capital sum. It will have been borrowed from banks and, allowing for, say 30 years of interest payments, the true cost will be something like £3X Billion.

The Olympic Village ... it will revert to a crime-ridden problem area in 10 years.

We'd have been much better off by genuinely investing in the country and knocking the money off student fees at universities.

[Old Frightful]

Absolutely terrific.

My pal took over two weeks off work, spent a small fortune on tickets and camped in Sussex with his family for the duration. Must admit to thinking he was off his rocker before he went but when I phoned him on Saturday night he was in the Olympic Stadium watching Mo Farah and the 4 x 100m Jamaican relay team win golds and I have to confess to feeling extremely envious. Actually found myself getting very emotional during some of the performances but that's what the Olympics does to you. Of course, it helped having a gold medal winner from Hull as well.

Hope they bring a highlights DVD out, will be a sure fire winner.

[Bleep1673]

I knew the whole thing was going to be wonderful, and I was right.
Right from the get go of the Opening Ceremony I knew I was witnessing something special. I enjoyed every minute of it, and managed to catch at least ten minutes of every sport (I was a bit dubious about team dancing Rythmic Gymnastics but that was pretty spectacular too).
We won loads of Golds, more than any other Olympics since 1908 where we won 56, and we won medals where we hadn't won them for years.

Highlights for me, Bradley Wiggins' Time-Trial Gold, and Nicola Adams first womens Boxing Gold

Lowlights: Womens Athletics Field events, GB Team Games

When Wiggins won Gold I said "If he doesn't win Sports Personality of the Year, then it's fixed." Not so sure now.

Edited by Bleep1673, 13 August 2012 - 07:32 AM.

[hindle xiii]

Hope they bring a highlights DVD out, will be a sure fire winner.

Lil bro said they're showing highlights on the red button of every GB athlete - I'm not sure if it's just the medal winners - from now until January.

[markleeds]

Danny Boyle must have been given a brief along the lines of, 'you need to get all of the cynics on board and make them believe this is going to be the best show on earth.' He managed it and did a great job. The whole thing has been brilliant, let's just hope Seb Coe goes and does what he would excel at, sell second hand cars.

[Kenilworth Tiger]

Completely and utterly overwhelmed by the whole spectacle.

Managed to get to watch women's hockey (GB) and loved every minute of it - went to the womens marathon and loved every minute of it. Spent some time in London itself during the olympics and loved every minute of it.Even arriving at Waterloo station you felt something special was happening

i genuinely can't think of one reason why a foreign visitor to London would not return home and recommend it to everybody they know.

Well done to everyone involved my whole family have been lifted by this event - and with an 8 yr old son I actually feel that these games will inspire a generation

[Stevo]

There's an Olympic-shaped hole in my life today

It's been an incomparable 2 weeks of achievement, celebration and openness: Britain and London as it could be - was Jerusalem builded here, afterall?

Kenny T has used the word "overwhelming" and I'll go with that.


"And then in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open, and show riches
Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked
I cried to dream again."

[Futtocks]

Very few downers

• No, Seb, the '2012' logo didn't grow on us. It just carried on looking rubbish.
• The ever-spiralling budget and the patently dishonest claims that it was all under control.
• G4S. 'nuff said.
• Morrissey talking out of his bum yet again.
• My video recorder not working on several occasions, which meant I saw far less than I wanted to.
• Boris Johnson not dropping the flag or setting it on fire last night.
• It being the last time we'll see Vicky Pendleton in action.
• Inverdale and Lineker.
• Our 4x100 team, messing it up yet again.

Set against that

• Fantastic action and atmosphere, and not just in a jingoistic sense.
• Denise's bum.
• Usain Bolt being incredible time and time again.
• The medal table.
• The Mobot.
• People discovering new sports and loving 'em.
• ...and too many other exhilarating moments to list!

Edited by Futtocks, 13 August 2012 - 09:45 AM.

[JohnM]

1, Great
- opening ceremony
- game/sports themselves
- the look of joy on the athlete's faces as they enjoyed the closing ceremony
- closing ceremony with Jessie J and The Spice Girls looking oh so fit.
- BBC TV coverage on sat.TV - Channel 450 for 24 channels
- BBC Radio Five Live coverage
- and most of all , Team GB's superb performance

2. Not so great
- BBC TV Freeview coverage

3. Absolutely awful
- John Inverdale and Sue Barker
- the Rogger/Coe Axis of Evil
- the ticketing system
- all the empty seats clearly visible in the background when Coe was being interviewed on TV stating that the stadium as jam packed.
- the fact that Coe insisted on breathing in the same number of times he breathed out.
- the totalitarian IOC/London 2012/Logoc corporate regime
- the accounts which I believe will never see the light of day

[Futtocks]

In the 'plus' column, I should've mentioned Clare Balding, who did an excellent job, and has been widely praised by just about everybody.

[l'angelo mysterioso]

In my opinion, worth every penny.

I can't remember the last time Britain felt so good about itself.

it's shown that top level sport can be intense but still have a smile on its face
it seems to have been well organised
although people are delighted with the performance of team GB, there's been little or no discernable jimgoism
as far as the UK is concerned(and no doubt for other countrys) it's been a celebration of multiculturalism-showing that being British covers a wide spectrum
the quality of the sport has been something to wonder at

not sure about it being worth every penny though.

Edited by l'angelo mysterioso, 13 August 2012 - 10:13 AM.

[terrywebbisgod]

Absolutely superb.We enjoyed the events we attended and the atmosphere was superb.

[ckn]

Sydney Morning Herald review:

The only conclusion heading out of the stadium for the final time was that the most beautiful opening ceremony launched the best Olympics which were brought to a close by a smash hit epitaph.

[dhw]

I think everyone got caught up in the spectacle. It's easy to euphorically say that spending that money was worth it, but, for me, it wasn't.

The Government and organisers can say it cost £X billion but, if its anything like most government spending, the money wasn't spent as a capital sum. It will have been borrowed from banks and, allowing for, say 30 years of interest payments, the true cost will be something like £3X Billion.

The Olympic Village ... it will revert to a crime-ridden problem area in 10 years.

We'd have been much better off by genuinely investing in the country and knocking the money off student fees at universities.

I would have said investing in one of the most neglected (by the public sector) areas in the country over the last 40 years is investing in the country. A new decent multi purpose stadium wuith excellent transport links, the aquatics centre before the olympics there was no olympic sized swimming pool in the most densely populated region of the European Union. Public infrastructure has improved as has reported violent crime in public areas. The area has already been transformed given the amount of private investment that has gone into the area I cannot see it reverting to a high crime area. Further privately funded developments are on going because of the improvements in infrastructure and facilities. Similar arguments were made about Canary Wharf but despite issues in the beginning it has gone from being an iconic building in a dump of a place to being transformed beyond recognition. That process has already begun in the east end of London.