I have bad news and good news. I think I start with the former.
Just like what one of the London 2012 bid team said about the London blasts which happened yesterday, it was a 'terrible coincidence'. I mean, when the blasts happened, it was less than 24 hours (I remembered I was watching something on CNA and the breaking news thing came on the TV screen like before or slightly after 4pm) that the world knows that London is being awarded as the host for the 2012 Games, beating out its arch-rival and big favourites Paris. And to make it all, well I don't know...it was announced from here in Singapore at the Raffles City Convention Centre by the IOC President. British here in Singapore and far away at Trafalgar Square were celebrating London's win then. How ironic, you think?
And the British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair was all smiles when facing the media on his reactions when London won the hosting rights for 2012 Games just the day before. Now he is all different now. Like what I read at The Straits Times today, he was' visibly shaken'. I could not even dare to imagine and compare the feeling he had from the time he was here in Singapore lobbying to help bring the Games to London in 2012 few days ago till his reactions on London's win till what I saw on the TV news yesterday night and today on TV as well. And even from The Straits Times too. His facial expression just changed, overnight. He's even the host for the current G8 summit too in Gleneagles, Scotland. Dad had the feeling that it was purposely to coincide with the important summit with the world's powerful nations. I thought so too. Well, since reports here stated that this has nothing to do with the fact that London is the 2012 Games host (since this happened the day after), as according to the IOC spokesperson who gave an impromptu press conference yesterday evening. Now that is why.
The IOC members are still here to decide on the outcome of the current 28 sports for the 2012 Games in London, investigating a corruption case which happened to one of the members and reports about the Athens Games last year and the upcoming one in Beijing 2008 (as in how Beijing has fared so far in terms of preparations) and even the Winter Games in Torino in 2006, you see. By tomorrow, all that and more would had already settled and it's then the end of the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. Wait, those reports from what I know - not yet. The others, done already. Speaking of the 28 sports, in the news today, baseball and softball were dropped come 2012. So now, two of the five sports that the IOC had raised will be considered to be added (should it happened after all) and be known tomorrow. It's between rugby, golf, squash, karate and inline-skating. I just had this feeling that rugby will be in because of its strong presence in the United Kingdom (hello, London is the capital) other than football. I don't know. Dad said that none will get in.
On with some nicer things now. Well, at least stuff about the London's win. I was reading TODAY paper on the bus ride home today from school and it was about the London 2012 bid leader and former Olympic champion Lord Sebastian Coe. One article about that. Why he was crucial to London's win. Many of the IOC members that the TODAY paper spoke to said that he was the one who made a difference at the London's team presentation the day before in the afternoon, other than Mr Tony Blair's (the British Prime Minister) lobbying when he was here. I can vouch for that. I had the chance to watch it (the London team's presentation to the IOC members was in 2.30pm then) on CNA live. I missed out on (in order) Paris, New York and Moscow. Like what I said in my previous entry here. The moment I stepped into the house the day before, Moscow had just finished theirs and was giving a press conference to the media. So I can only wait and see what the candidate city I rooted for since Day One is up to their sleeves. Yes, I was excited to see the stuff from them but I was worried too. I am having high expectations on the candidate city I like? Maybe.
Among the London team who spoke like Princess Anne (who happened to be an IOC member too), London's mayor Ken Livingstone and the Olympic minister Tessa Jowell...the leader Lord Sebastian Coe's speeches just stood out for me. Very inspirational too. I was almost moved to tears, you know? I can be one emotional person. Like as if I need to remind you all again. Ha! But then imagine if I am neutral on who my pick is, I dare say it will still be the same reaction from me. Lord Coe was just sincere in making the kids of this generation (er, people like me) to be inspired. After all, in his speech, he even spoke of his own example. He himself was 12 when the 1968 Mexico City Games happened. He said that his class was being brought to the school hall and they watched the Games from a TV set where the images was just blurry. It was about two people who were competing from his home country. He knew what he wanted to do after that. And it happened after all in the 1980 Moscow Games where I told Dad about the black and white photo of him being used in the interview The Straits Times did with Lord Coe before he and his team arrived here to prepare for the 2012 Games bid. Dad told me that back then, the Africans and the blacks were the ones who dominated the 1500m-run and Lord Coe changed history in the Moscow Games in 1980 and winning the gold medal.
I have to admit - I had to agree on what Lord Sebastian Coe said about the younger generation of today. He said that his kids were the lucky ones (he's a married man but divorced, from what I read in The Straits Times' Life! the day before where they are saluting some of the people who came here for the bid) because they have him to look up to but not for many. Yes, it's the era where IT is all the rage and stuff and TV-watching and eating those junk food. I found myself nodding to those and more when Lord Coe was talking about the generation of today's kids and teens. But what really almost drove me to tears as I was watching the London's presentation is about the 30 teens who came from London to join the London bid team. Lord Coe asked the IOC members why it's those teens who were there and not politicans and businessmen and he answered that he and his team are serious about leaving a legacy for the younger generation in terms of sport. He said something like that. For that, that really sealed the deal for me and helps to remind me why I rooted for London from the time Dad asked me on my choice.
Though way back then it was based on my intuition. Ha. I guess what people said about always trusting a woman's intuition is true after all. And to make it all the more odder (kind of), the entire day I was in school and on the way home the day before, something inside me was telling me that London is going to win after all. I was right! In fact, I was just amused at my own self when I thought about it.
To think I was the one who almost could not bear to hear what the IOC President Mr Jacques Rogge wanted to say when he was about to announce the 2012 Games host the day before. I told myself on one hand that I hoped it will be London and on the other hand - 'Get ready to cry inside now. Paris is going to get it.' The former came true.
