OPINION - Recovering from being an Olympic Games couch potato

By Bernard Mendelman, August 15th, 2012

 For the past two weeks my sofa has been my home. After slouching all that time in front of a TV, I am now slowly recovering from being an Olympic Games couch potato. My eyes are not bloodshot anymore from waking up to watch at four every morning; my pale face is regaining some colour, and my legs are no longer wobbly. The only exercise I've had was moving the remote between five different channels to make sure I didn't miss anything.
And after noshing at all hours of the day and night, I'm now back to my three squares a day.
The swimming events were foremost on my agenda, with Mike Phelps the focus of my attention. The 2008 Beijing Olympics belonged to him. He won eight gold medals but I wondered how he would shape up four years later. I was mesmerized by this amazing athlete as he went on to become the most medal-receiving Olympian of all-time.
Long before Phelps came along I remember being glued to the TV 40 years ago following Mark Spitz's swimming accomplishments, as he won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics. While Spitz's victories were unfolding, I was also fixated on what was turning out to be the darkest day in Olympic Games history when 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian militants. Prior to London 2012's opening ceremonies, two of the Israeli widows wanted to honour those Olympians with a moment of silence to reflect upon the horror that transpired. International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge denied their plea even though the widows had presented the IOC with a petition with more than 100,000 signatures and support from many of the participating countries, including Canada.
Too bad that politics has overtaken the original Olympic credo of fair play and respect.
At the Opening Ceremony, Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle created a stunning series of visuals and musical memories highlighted by James Bond (Daniel Craig) parachuting into the stadium with Queen Elizabeth. Although it included Mary Poppins, Mr. Bean, J.K. Rowling, David Beckham and Paul McCartney, the extravaganza left me thinking that what was once the greatest nation in the world was living on its past glory. In comparison to other Opening Ceremonies, I only gave it a bronze.
As for the Games themselves, London excelled and the 2012 Olympics were top hat, with British athletes rising to the occasion. From the very beginning I got sucked into the excitement of the moment, captivated by the achievements of Usain Bolt, bolting out of the blue to become the first man to successfully defend titles at both 100 and 200 metres. I was also blown away by Ye Shiwen, a 16-year-old Chinese swimmer who won gold and set the world record in the women's 400-meter race, topping her personal best by five seconds and swimming the last 50 meters faster than the male winner in a similar race.
Rosie MacLennan reached golden heights on the trampoline winning Canada's only gold medal, but we won five silvers and 12 bronzes. Our Emilie Heymans became the first female diver to win medals at four consecutive Games. Our wonderful women's soccer team won a bronze, beating France in an exciting finish, after losing to the U.S. in overtime when a win would have given them a shot at the gold.
Team captain Christine Sinclair was Canada's flag bearer at the Closing Ceremony. Not my cup of tea but the Brits put on a lavish closing show featuring their rock stars from past to present.
There was tight security. Only a minor incident took place when during the Parade of Nations when a mystery woman dressed in plain clothes gate-crashed and walked in front with competitors from India. It would have drawn more attention if she was streaking, which some may also believe should be an Olympic sport.
The Winter Olympics start February 7, 2014 in Russia. Plenty of time to reinforce my sagging sofa, plus plenty of time for Canada to figure out how to win more than one gold in 2016 at Brazil.
riben@videotron