Olympic Games Maker Diary; Victory Parade

 

 

 

 

 

The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics reached a crescendo on Monday 10 September 2012. The sun shone on the Victory Parade as it made its way through the streets of London. This was the culmination of a wonderful summer of sport, starting with the Olympic Games back in July followed by the Paralympics. In some respects the Paralympics were more successful than the Olympics but it is my belief that the number of medals won in the Olympics Games inspired people to go to the Paralympics just to witness the magnificence of the Olympic Park.  However the feats exhibited in the Paralympics were twice that of the Olympic Games, since not only were they the best in the world they had to overcome their personal handicaps in the first place. The delight and joy on the faces of the contestants was there for all to see. Not only did they have the ambition and skills to compete in their chosen sport they exuded pride in representing their country …and they knew the words to their respective national anthems.

The previous night had been the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games; something that was different to the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. It was an amalgam of the light show, the colourful flags, the fiery pyrotechnics, the lasting images, the remarkable scenery, the incredible props, the aerial gymnastics and the inclusion of all the disabled athletes as well. However, the night will be membered for the final words of Lord (Sebastian) Coe; “Made in Britain”. Something we can all be proud of. The final tally of medals was 29 Olympic gold medals, 17 Olympic silver medals and 19 Olympic bronze medals; 33 Paralympics gold medals, 42 Paralympic silver medals and 43 Paralympic bronze medals.

London has generated many unforgettable images during the past weeks and the Victory Parade was no exception.  The route of the parade started at Mansion House in the City of London, passed St Pauls Cathedral, along Fleet Street and The Strand, skirting the bottom of Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch, along The Mall to finish at the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace.

The public came out in their thousands to line the route and praise the courage, talent and achievements of the competitors. The crowds were made up from the complete spectrum of society. They ranged from the very young to the very old; which included office workers out for a long lunch, children who had bunked off early from school, bemused tourists and groups of reunited Olympic Games Makers.  The parade was preceded by a cluster of police outriders clearing the way for the floats. The parade itself was headed by two giant lions with red and blue ribbons; a bit like the dragons that precede a Chinese pageant. The ribbons appeared to sway with the breeze and progressed at a walking pace. They set the tempo for the twenty-one (21) floats transporting over 800 athletes who took part the Olympic and Paralympic Games including; athletics, cycling, diving, equestrian gymnastics, rowing, sailing swimming …and beach volleyball.

I was not successful in winning seat for the Olympic Games Makers in The Mall. However, I managed to bag myself a vantage point at The Aldwych to watch the floats go by. The Victory Parade was supposed to start at 13:30 from Mansion House, take 13 minutes to pass any point on route and finish at 16:00 outside Buckingham Palace. However in reality it took longer.

Because the floats had two (2) sides it was the luck of the draw whether you saw the appropriate athlete.  I was lucky enough to see the following Olympic and Paralympic celebrities; Mo Farah. Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Rebecca Adlington and the diminutive Ellie Simmonds. However, I did not see Jessica Ennis, Laura Trott, Jason Kenny, David Weir, Tom Daley, Greg Rutherford , Zara Philips …and many, many more. As the cavalcade went by the competitors acknowledged the crowds, gave interviews to the media, took photographs on thier smart phones, crossed from side-to-side and even found time from an impromtu Mexican wave. As the saying goes; after “the Lord Mayor’s Show” comes the horses”. This time was not exception; they were five (5) police horses.

I tried to make my way to Trafalgar Square but there were too many people with the same idea. I went through the back streets to try a pincher movement on the procession. However, when I got there all people were making their way from Trafalgar Square. At this point I gave up my attempt to get anywhere near the Big Screen. The rest of the report came from the television or newspaper reports. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, lead the official delegation on the memorial to reflect on ‘a golden summer’. He was followed by the Princess Royal representing the Internal Olympic Committee and president of the British Olympic Association. Finally, came the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to be greeted with a chorus of “Boris, Boris”. The biggest cheer was reserved for the part of his speech when he exclaimed; “You routed the doubters, you scattered the gloomsters and for the first time in living memory you caused Tube train passengers to break into spontaneous conversation with their neighbours…”

The climax of the Victory Parade was a flypast by the British Airways Airbus with the words “Thank You” on it’s under belly and of course …the Red Arrows; discharging a cascade of red, white and blue smoke.

What a spectale! What a summer! What a finale! This was the last chance I would have to wear my Olympic Games Maker uniform.