Jonathan Edwards, Olympic Gold Medallist eagerly takes a seat amongst the bustle of press and ex-athletes. The room falls silent to an unforgettable speech by Lord David Puttnam. Producer of the elegantly fitting film Chariots of Fire. Puttnam played his audience his favourite clip from the film. Expressing true emotion, passion and dedication. The quote “They shall fly like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Seemed to touch a large number of onlookers. Smiles graced their faces as deep down, they felt a distinct feeling of pride and an uprising seemed ready to burst from the room.
Lord David went on to promise London’s games to be the first “Global digital event.” To unite the world through the Olympics, giving the globe the opportunity to watch the events from many forms of media, wherever they are.
He sparked his idea to show athletes from all over the world telling their stories of how they came to participate in the event and to explain the hurdles they had to overcome, this again helps bring every nation and athlete that little bit closer than the previous Olympics. Unlike the Chariots of Fire I doubt these hurdles will have a glass of champagne resting on them.
A touching aspect of Lord David’s speech was him including an extract from our earlier conversation. We spoke about how me and my mum both really enjoyed his film and how the Olympics have united people leaving topics to speak about no matter the age or sex of a person. This relates to Puttnam’s speech and how the sport and culture involved with the Games can draw people into one another.
Lord David expressed his feelings to try and make every spectator of the Games, from all over the world, feel involved. He referred to the Live sites, screens placed around the globe for people to watch the ceremony and get involved with the Games.
He then went on to talk about the ability sport has to “contribute to human development.” Turning play into sport, and bring communities, countries and the whole world together. The panel then became open to questions in which the promise of an Olympic “legacy” dominated talks.
Every member of the panel promised that the Games will achieve will last for many years after, leaving a path for an even tighter fitting games in Brazil 2016. It seems LOCOG are not only concentrating on making their own games individually brilliant but they are also opening a doorway for a better Olympic movement in days to come.
Watch our Pierre de Coubertin's Olympic Values video created by my team from the lecture on www.radiowaves.co.uk/s2r
