A success I think.. Well done Seb Coe and his team.

Makes you proud to be British

An exceptional Olympic Games. London should be very proud.

I am quite overwhelmed with national pride at the moment. From the opening to the brilliant closing it went smoothly and was incredibly well organised. Wonderful!

London transport survived and no one got blown up.
Good enough for me.

As I posted on a related thread, I think London and Great Britain did an absolutely marvellous job with these games. Perhaps there were lots of minor irritations or even major problems behind the scenes, but none of it was apparent. The way many of the events showcased the city was truly delightful, although as a cricket fanatic, I'm still coming to terms with archery being permitted on the hallowed turf of Lords! I also loved the opening and closing ceremonies - a really diverse and interesting showcase, all done with style, and at times that quirky and self-deprecating sense of humour.

Well done to everyone concerned - the organizers, volunteers and spectators!!

I don't understand the Olympics. You work hard training and practicing for years at great expense--your sport becomes your whole life. Preparing for the Olympics involves several coaches who can be harshly critical and downright cruel--all for a 2 or 3 minute performance. To not get a medal must be an emotionally shattering experience. What is the goal an Olympian hopes to achieve? Money? Some Olmpians for the more popular endeavors sign lucrative contracts to sell products. Many are never heard from again. Is it to be the best in the world? Chances are you will have that prestige for a few years only.

I'm not minimizing the unbelievable accomplishments of all of the talented men and
women who give up so much to attain, in the grand scheme of things, so little.

I'm always proud to be British, but this event was done with style and a good sense of Humour

As the song says "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" and you can't go far wrong

Rich, I think it is the taking part more than the medal wins for many athletes. Many are just so proud to be considered good enough to represent their country. I used to know someone who was in the 1972 Olympics, he was very proud to have taken part even though he didn't get a medal.

The Channel Islands had a number of people in the Team GB and although one won a gold medal in the team dressage others really had no hope of winning any medal but were over the moon to be taking part. One of them, Lee Merrien, who was in the marathon yesterday initially wasn't selected for the team as his time in the qualifying races wasn't fast enough but after a petition started by strangers the selection committee permitted him to partake. Lee finished in the first 30 which for him was most satisfactory, it is an experience which will live with him for the rest of his life.

It was really quite well done. The support of the spectators (for *all* the athletes), lining the distance events, was wonderful to see

I am not sure what non-Brits made of Delboy and Rodney dressed as Batman and Robin and their exploding car, I am not sure that they will all be familiar with Only Fools and Horses.

And I dare say there will be bits of Rio's show that foreigners won't get, and lots of Beijing's was a puzzle. I loved the uniqueness of 2012, we seem to always be so wonderfully different. I think we gave other nationalities enough that was entertaining and familiar, like Mr Bean and James Bond, Queen (X2!} and John Lennon, and we owed it to ourselves to have little in-jokes like Only Fools.

I am not sure that some people got the connection in the opening ceremony between children's literature and the NHS. For those who didn't, JM Barry wrote Peter Pan and signed over all the royalties to Great Ormond Street Hospital which is world famous as a centre of excellence for very sick children, it is an NHS hospital and some patients and staff from the hospital took part in the ceremony. Article here

Thanks for that explanation Sue. I for one didn't pick this up.

For all the complaining about NBC's coverage in the U.S., the fact that we saw both the Opening and Closing ceremonies taped, meant that our comentators could explain much of what we saw. I have always appreciated the varied cultures to which the world is exposed every two (including the Winter Olympics) years. Lovely!

Postie did they explain Batman and Robin and the little yellow car to you?

Postcards, I'm glad to hear that, I wondered what others would think of it. I think it was quite edited though. You didn't get the second song from George Michael, I hear. (You missed nothing there!) and did you get The Kinks and Waterloo Sunset? The whole thing live and without ads was over 3 hours long.

I enjoyed it. It was a bit batty but that's half the fun, I guess.

True.

& I ended up feeling proud to be a Londoner last night.
(I'm not a Londoner but that's neither here nor there.)

They did not. I went back and found the taped bits. Here is what they said:

The face and voice of Michael Caine, from the 1969 film, "The Italian Job", and then the British T.V. characters, Delboy and Rodney, for whatever reason, arrived on the scene

It's quite likely they didn't want to explain further, because a rival network is planning to do a U.S. version of Only Fools and Horses.



I didn't see all of it. NBC, in its 'wisdom', decided that they would let us take an hour break (at 11 p.m.), so they could preview a new program, and let us have our local news (available on other stations). I just couldn't stay awake until 1 a.m. But that's an NBC fault, not a Brit fault!

I did find the ceremonies and the pageantry very original, without being too obscure. I've seen some, where I couldn't understand a thing.

I went to the Games on Friday and it was just as it looked on the television - huge, happy crowds and an almost overwhelming air of celebration. The venues looked superb, and the park was landscaped beautifully - coots on the water, reed beds laid down for natural river maintenance and wildlife habitats, the riotous colours of wild flowers... it all looked wonderful. The volunteers were tremendous, and the whole process from getting on the tube to going through security and later into our event was very smooth despite there being an awful lot of people there. Our only problem was that Friday was a very hot day but I can't really blame Seb Coe for that, lol. I'm putting a few pics into the August thread in the Photography forum (one pic per day) so if you want to see something of what I saw look there.

Postie, it was a reminder of one of the funniest episodes of the show, if you ever get a chance to see it then be prepared to need a tissue, the tears run down my face - every time it is repeated!

Flopsy, I'll take a look! Anything to prolong my Olympic 'experience'

Sue, I'll look out for it. We do get many of your shows over here.

Delboy and Rodney may be better known than we think.

Only Fools and Horses worldwide

A recurring theme was the happy atmosphere, and the friendliness of the crowds. Competitors went out in the evenings, with their medals, and felt safe, and welcomed.

The commentators on the marathon thought it attracted record crowds. The spectators seem to have been cheering anyone and everyone who deserved cheering, regardless of country of origin. Some commentators have dubbed these the Friendly Games. I think we can live with that!

I would like to ask , though, where was Zara Philips in the celebrations? She did win a silver medal, but (apologies if she was visible in the photo calls, the video of "Don't Stop Me Now" and all the other fun and games to support Team GB, ) I didn't see her once.

Flopsy, I saw the same thing during our Olympics in 1988....everyone was walking on air, whether they were involved in the Olympics or not. There was so much excitement everywhere you went - a great thing for our little city. I can only imagine how that must have been magnified a hundred fold in London.

I enjoyed it all very much, thankfully was able to download some of the British shows like Olympics Tonight which gives a completely different take on things. The Canadian coverage left a lot to be desired and the American coverage, well, you'd think the Yanks were the only participants!

Well done London - and all who sailed with her!

Living in London, working in London and having to past Stratford every day during the games was an experience. I think for the first time ever, people were actually friendly on the tube and rail network. People were talking and not staring into infinity. Yes, the tube network was heaving at times and it was very crowded when trying to get home but once you got past Stratford, plenty of seats and breathing space.

I loved the opening but I thought the closing was a bit poor as they could have picked some better acts instead of using ones that had their music used in the opening..ie. Pet Shop Boys. Why George Michael was the only artist allowed to sing a brand new song, I have no idea considering the director of the show stated before it started that everyone would know all the songs and was hoping to have one big sing-a-long....(Always look on the bright side of life..comes to mind)

Queen were fantastic especially Brian May but why did they have to have Jessie J sing We will Rock You. C'mon, that should have been sung by a bloke....Robbie Williams would have been a good choice. Take That - Excellent!!

Overall, I was skeptical about the games before they started but I think this has had to have been one of the most exciting and best coverage of the games ever. It made me feel very proud to be British and a Londoner and even the British Weather held up with the exception of a few days. I just wished the games lasted a bit longer and there was something else to look forward too as London has been spoilt in the last few months...Jubilee and the Olympics....Oh well, Football season starts this weekend !!

I just wished the games lasted a bit longer and there was something else to look forward too as London has been spoilt in the last few months...Jubilee and the Olympics....

Aren't the paralympics starting in London very shortly? Surely they would be great to look forward to. Paralympians have had to overcome such adversity. I really hope they have a great time at their games, and I bet they are all just so proud to be representing their country

Yep..you are right, there are the Paralympics...BUT after that....nothing!! (except Christmas and my birthday !!)

Have a great Christmas and a great birthday, and a really, really terrific football season

Best two weeks of telly me and Mum have seen for a long, long time! Well done to all involved!