12/8/12 – a day to remember

“Inspire a Generation” is the tag line for the London 2012 and I must say after my day at the Olympic Park I was inspired.  But of course the sight of 52 men in tiny speedo trunks can inspire most young (or middle aged) ladies.

Italian stretching pre match

In the last post I mentioned I was off to see Handball so where did speedos make their entrance?  Well, I arrived at the Olympic Park on Sunday morning to find a great number of people seeking the ticket in my possession.  With no affiliation to a team or any knowledge of Handball it was an easy decision to swap my ticket for one to the afternoon’s Men’s Water Polo medal matches.  Luckily this allowed me lots of time to wander the park taking pictures of the venues

Stadium



Basketball Arena



Roof of Velodrome

before  plonking myself in front of a big screen in the midday sun to watch the Marathon and eat an ice cream. 



Park Live!



The appointed time arrived and off I went to the Water Polo Arena – perhaps the world’s only sports venue made from recycled PVC cushions with its distinctive sloping roof. First up was the bronze medal match between Serbia and Montenegro with interesting rivalry displayed given the political history of these two nations who were once part of Yugoslavia.  This was my first ever water polo match and what a corker it was.  The lead swapped throughout the match with Serbia scoring 4 goals in the last quarter to win 12-11 despite both the coach and assistant coach being red carded.

The Gold and Silver medal match between Italy and Croatia had less goals but the action was no less tense as I watched in horror at times as players disappeared under the water – all part of this fast moving and energetic sport which has a new fan.  The winners were Croatia who celebrated in fine style.  Here are some images to enjoy.



Water Polo Arena





Croatians celebrate their Gold Medal

No reason for this just great memory

So a great final day of the London 2012 Olympics which have been heralded a great success by all.  And for my part I must admit I was fair chuffed to have been a miniscule part of the whole event. 

Indeed, a day to be remembered.