i Deputy Editor's Letter: Passing the torch to Tokyo
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It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating a glorious summer of sporting achievements, basking in the afterglow of a spectacular Olympics and Paralympics on home soil. This weekend, we learned that following the Rio de Janeiro Games of 2016, the baton will pass to Tokyo.
I will admit that I was among the naysayers when it was announced back in July 2007 that London was to host the 2012 Olympics. But as the opening ceremony neared and one by one the venues were completed on time (even if slightly over budget) it was impossible for me to remain a party pooper.
This summer has followed on nicely, with the men’s and women’s Ashes, the British and Irish Lions, Chris Froome in the Tour de France and Andy Murray’s Wimbledon title thrusting the athletic talents of this “small nation” to the fore.
And with the Rugby League World Cup next month, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year and the Rugby Union World Cup in 2015 to look forward to, it is another opportunity for the whole of Britain to experience some of the world’s best athletes first hand.
*****
In other Olympic related news, wrestling was yesterday chosen to return to the Tokyo Games, at the expense of squash and softball/baseball. Thankfully, it’s not the WWE or WWF type, but an original event from the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. I’m not a huge fan of it, but at least it fits into the Olympic motto of: “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” I don’t agree with Mark Twain, who said it is “a good walk spoiled”, but I’m not convinced how golf, which will feature in 2016, is Citius, Altius, or Fortius.
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