Party over...

With the Closing Ceremony finally over – and without sounding too churlish, can anyone explain why George Michael wasn’t quietly told that one song was quite enough, thanks – the rugby world can look forward to cheering our own Olympians next time round. Rio will have a sevens tournament, as well as a golf championship.

I feel torn on this, and must confess to a feeling of some relief when Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge missed his penalty, having feared that the national obsession with football would overshadow the genuine Olympian feats that we have witnessed during the past fortnight. The sight of those ridiculously wealthy young men alongside people who have struggled to get any funding at all would have made me gag. I have sympathy for Sturridge in having to live with his miss – but only up to a point. He gets more money in a month than our entire swim team would get in a year. The highly paid pros going out against either completely amateur, or lowly paid part time professionals can be distinctly unedifying. The US “Dream Team” may be great for the sponsors back in the States, but it’s a bit like Tiger Woods sweeping the monthly medals at your local golf club.

Similarly, I was delighted to see Andy Murray produce the goods. (It would have been brilliant to hear a piper knock out “Flower of Scotland” there too. How long before we ditch that dreadful dirge of a “National Anthem” ?) But does the highly professional, highly televised world of tennis need Olympic status ? Do we NEED another golfing tournament ?  

Sevens rugby will, as ever, be great fun, but let’s produce a GB team of our existing sevens players, rather than trying to put together our own “Dream Team”.  And even as a Welshman – can we not sing “Jerusalem” at the medal ceremony ???????