Their say online

I WAS provisionally selected to officiate as an athletics field judge back in April 2011, so I have watched with interest as the Olympics took shape. The costs of hosting such an event are huge and no one could have anticipated the global financial situation which became the backdrop, but I am a great fan of anything with the potential to bring people together on a global stage.

I have a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a primary 7 project which sparked my interest in and approval of the Olympic movement. I have watched and read about every Olympics since but never envisaged being involved, but a huge number of people are involved – construction workers, those working in and around the venues, volunteers and the many schoolchildren working on their own projects. As with so much of value in art and education, it is hard to put a price on sport, but it can be life enhancing.

The Torch Relay and arts events have proved successful and the crowds have shown an appetite for involvement. Like most people I am very keen to see home advantage paying dividends.