CAM'S GOLDEN HANDSHAKE
The Coalition Has Guaranteed Olympic Funding To 2016 - But What About In Schools?
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
What do we learn from the Olympics? The badminton players got booed for poor sportsmanship but were also expelled from the Games. One lesson simply is that regulations can work.
IC1s may look like naughty little boys... and well, yes they kind of are. They're the embodiment of good old fashioned rock n' roll, but we know their hearts are always in the right place.
Making the Emerging Icons corner of the Olympic Park into a blissful oasis of calm amid the madness was solo songstress Mary Leay. This lady doesn't half make this whole performing lark look easy. Not only can she relax a large crowd quicker than a triple disc edition of 'Calming Sounds of the Ocean', she can also make every individual feel like they're getting a personal performance.
The last night of sport at the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games coincided with the BBC's Last Night of the Proms on 8th September and it was a night full of Olympic tributes.
Today was a particularly special day for the us at the Olympic Park, because we had silver medal-winning gymnast Louis Smith down to pay the Emerging Icons stage a visit.
It's only a week since the Opening Ceremony burned into our consciousness and yet as individuals, as a nation, we have travelled such a distance.
Today the Olympic Park gasped as Larissa Eddie took a gamble and pitched herself to battle the epitome of killer heels... luckily gravity was on her side and there were no Naomi Campbell moments, just widespread shoe envy from her female audience.
I have spent the whole of these Paralympic games marvelling at these extra-ordinary, brave, inspirational human beings. There are blind guys playing football, a British female relay-team with cerebral palsy and David Weir who was described as the "greatest Paralympian of all time".
The Paralympics opening ceremony seemed to re-enforce the message of inclusiveness, ending with a rip-roaring rendition of that very gay anthem 'I am what I am' by Beverley Knight. But let's not get over excited. Those 25 out gay Olympians and Paralympians begin to look less than included when you consider the thousands who have taken part so far. What is it about modern sport that closes the door on sexual identity?
It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, and in many more cities than just two. First the Olympics, now the Paralympics; riots in Belfast, ...
Opening our stage for the day was the stunning presence of Jazz Morley and her piano.
In the wake of London's Olympic Games, debate was raging in the media and through online social network channels about figures published by the Sutton Trust, which revealed that over half of Team GB's winning rowers went to fee-paying schools and our athletes were five times more likely to win medals if they were educated in an independent school.
Raphaella made a welcome return to the Olympic Park for the Paralympics today- in between her busy schedule of writing, recording and charity work. Yes, this lady really is something else.
I'm intrigued by the athletes we so quickly forget. The ones who spent the last four years sacrificing with one goal in mind... and missed.
I've certainly been inspired by the Olympic games to improve my own fitness and to get more involved in sport again. I hope that millions across the world feel the same way and get the chance to enjoy sport - even if it just means taking a run around the block more often.
It's already proving to be a hugely enjoyable event. But it's an important one too. Because these Paralympics - more than any before them - have a real chance of weaving disabled life more closely into the fabric of our nation.
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