Games on (From Durham Times)

Games on

6:00am Friday 3rd August 2012 in Leader

AFTER all the hype, all the agonising, all the scares, the Olympic Games have got underway and after almost a week, it is good to report that they seem to be going very nicely, thank you.

The opening ceremony has been almost universally well received, and give-or-take some mysteriously empty seats, the organisation of all the events has been exemplary. London Transport has kept people moving.

Perhaps the gold rush has been a bit slow in flowing for the GB team, but the medals have been picked up across the board.

The women’s eight, with Durham’s Jess Eddie on board, may not have been among the medals, but what has most impressed is that GB is now a force to reckoned with in almost every sport.

We no longer look on in the pool, or the cycle track, at the exploits of others. The Lottery has to take a great deal of credit for that.

There will be more medals to come, we hope, as the track and field events get underway. However, the nation needs to temper expectations.

Although there has been much talk of exceeding the record medals haul in the 2008 Beijing Games, that may not happen.

We should just enjoy the satisfaction of staging what might be the most successful Olympic Games in the modern era.