In the midst of all the impressive medal wins that Team GB continue to accumulate during the 2012 Olympic Games, there is also something we shouldn’t be that proud of. In such a competitive environment, pressure, drama and rivalry are always going to be rife; however it seems to be happening more outside of the stadium this time.
Whether it’s Piers Morgan getting on his Twitter high horse about Tour De France winner and Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins not singing the National Anthem while on the podium, or poor old Jessica Ennis’ mindlessly vandalised gold post-box in her hometown of Sheffield. Now there are claims on Facebook that naughty old Radio 1 have referred to Team GB as Team England one too many times – not cool guys – cue thousands of comments including many from affronted Scots. Most were hell bent on bragging and getting their tuppence worth in claiming to be Scottish as opposed to British , bad news guys, you’re both, and that we’re the ones winning all the medals – not strictly true my slightly misinformed fellow Scots. Some even felt the need to dredge up The Battle of Bannockburn, a battle which took place quite a while ago, (could be time to put down your beloved Braveheart DVDs).
What’s with all this aggro and why are some people losing sight of what the Games are about: great sports personalities from around the world and their even greater sporting accomplishments. Is it really so difficult for everyone to cheer in unison for every Team GB competitor, Welsh, Irish, Scottish or English as opposed to focusing on petty squabbles resulting in this vile desire for one-upmanship?
Like it or not, if the British Isles were all separate then we would all be a hell of a lot further down the medals table wouldn’t we? When it comes to Britain and Northern Ireland, as far as sport goes it is fair to say we are often seen as the underdogs. Now we can proudly state that we are currently third in the medals table out of 205 other countries, so it’s clear to see how much better we all are working together than apart. Shouldn’t this be one of the positive focuses of all our Olympic based chats? A massive pat on the back to Team GB, you have really done us proud.
