London 2012 Olympics - Part I

We are now halfway through the London 2012 Olympic games and despite heavy cynicism and last-minute problems, it looks like it will be remembered as a triumph, a great exhibition of sportsmanship (if we ignore the badminton) and organisation. There have been some great moments, particularly in the athletics yesterday, that it is difficult to know what to mention, but here are a few of my favourites so far:

• Opening ceremony - a humorous celebration of all things British, a fantastic parade of athletes and a touching torch lighting ceremony. Danny Boyle and his team did a great job. 
• Jessica Ennis winning the heptathlon, Mo Farah taking gold in the 10,000m and Greg Rutherford winning the long jump to give us the most amazing evening of sporting success in a very long time. 
• Andy Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed, Andy Gregory and Tom James led from the start of the men's four to add another gold in the rowing. 
• Sophie Hosking and Katherine Copeland winning the women's lightweight double sculls and being quite astonished by their own success - the expressions on their faces when they realised they'd won were priceless. 
• Laura Trott, Dani King and Jo Rowsell taking gold in cycling's team pursuit and destroying the United States in the process. Setting a sixth successive world record at the same time was just the icing on the cake. 
• Andy Murray reaching the finals of the men's singles and, with Laura Robson, the final of the mixed doubles. 

All our medal winners have put in a tremendous amount of effort and it's great to see so much success. Even when they aren't winning gold (and silver or bronze, at this level of international competition, must surely represent significant achievements) they're giving it everything they've got (and here I'm thinking of the heroic efforts of Rebecca Adlington and the men's lightweight double sculls duo of Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter).

Today, day 9, holds much promise and anticipation. Whatever the outcomes (and it could be another great day), Team GB is providing a spectacle the likes of which we have never seen before and the crowds are clearly appreciative of their efforts, as they should be. The roars of approval that fill the venues whenever a British competitor enters the field show a level of engagement in the experience that few would have predicted in the run-up to the games.

And what about the park and the venues? The Olympic park looks stunning and I can't wait to visit (Monday for the synchronised swimming). The permanent structures, especially the velodrome and the main stadium, look fantastic. Even the temporary venues, like the archery range at Lord's, look great (although it's a pity the Paralympic Archery won't be held there).

Overall, a great first week and I'm a lot more impressed with both the sporting achievements and the organisation of the games than I thought I would be. Congratulations to everyone involved - you've done a fantastic job and made the whole country proud.