When I 'chatted' online with a friend at the eve of the Olympics, he asked if we were awaiting the games as eagerly as his family was. I replied that we were, but we had no T.V. at home - to which I received four exclamation marks and an open invitation to their house. Indeed, I have received several such invitations and yesterday, at a bar, the waiter (who knows us quite well) handed us the remote control of one of the corner television sets so we could watch whatever we wanted from the Olympic channels.
So, far from being deprived, we seem to be surrounded in a rosy cocoon of Olympic watchers who are happy to share T.V. time and information with us. This morning we discovered the wonders of watching the games online. The official youtube downloads are incredible - both for live action and replays (I watch mostly replays owing to time constraints). The photography is outstanding (far superior to all the football matches we have earlier seen), the resolution very high and somehow the networks are ticking along so one can watch uninterruptedly. We have had to reset our computer so it doesn't hibernate after a while, but that's the only adjustment to be made (apart from my mental clock, which needs to be firmly set so I don't spend all day watching the events)!
The youtube videos are arranged by event (one can also search by country etc.) and are extremely well edited so it's really a pleasure to watch from the computer. Obviously, many people are putting in a lot of thought and work to enable this to happen so seamlessly. To be able to watch uninterrupted, advertisement-free hours of games (which are also free of the irritating additional commentaries of the Indian channels) is a treat in itself. And one doesn't need to subscribe or pay anything to the website for all this.
I hope the next few days are enveloped in this bright beam from London, which is spreading to different parts of the world. Sports are so uplifting to see, perhaps because there are no points for wasting and frittering away resources! It is always wonderful to be reminded of the amazing way in which the mind, body (and at truly special times, the spirit as well) can function in harmony to create unforgettable moments. My personal favourites are gymnastics, diving and running as I like to see different ways in which the body can move. It is also interesting to see so many new faces from all over the world who have bravely ventured forth (especially from the lesser known countries) and how gifted and well trained some of these individuals are. It more than makes up for all the international bickering and competition that arises from political reasons and spills over into sports and the hosting of events.
So, I think I will largely stay at home and watch the games on my computer but I will also accept all those invitations to watch a few snippets on other people's televisions, just so we can sit together and cheer and complain and ask ourselves again why a country as large and populated as ours produces so few athletes? There's a lot to be said for armchair games as long as they don't dominate the actual ones!
So, far from being deprived, we seem to be surrounded in a rosy cocoon of Olympic watchers who are happy to share T.V. time and information with us. This morning we discovered the wonders of watching the games online. The official youtube downloads are incredible - both for live action and replays (I watch mostly replays owing to time constraints). The photography is outstanding (far superior to all the football matches we have earlier seen), the resolution very high and somehow the networks are ticking along so one can watch uninterruptedly. We have had to reset our computer so it doesn't hibernate after a while, but that's the only adjustment to be made (apart from my mental clock, which needs to be firmly set so I don't spend all day watching the events)!
The youtube videos are arranged by event (one can also search by country etc.) and are extremely well edited so it's really a pleasure to watch from the computer. Obviously, many people are putting in a lot of thought and work to enable this to happen so seamlessly. To be able to watch uninterrupted, advertisement-free hours of games (which are also free of the irritating additional commentaries of the Indian channels) is a treat in itself. And one doesn't need to subscribe or pay anything to the website for all this.
I hope the next few days are enveloped in this bright beam from London, which is spreading to different parts of the world. Sports are so uplifting to see, perhaps because there are no points for wasting and frittering away resources! It is always wonderful to be reminded of the amazing way in which the mind, body (and at truly special times, the spirit as well) can function in harmony to create unforgettable moments. My personal favourites are gymnastics, diving and running as I like to see different ways in which the body can move. It is also interesting to see so many new faces from all over the world who have bravely ventured forth (especially from the lesser known countries) and how gifted and well trained some of these individuals are. It more than makes up for all the international bickering and competition that arises from political reasons and spills over into sports and the hosting of events.
So, I think I will largely stay at home and watch the games on my computer but I will also accept all those invitations to watch a few snippets on other people's televisions, just so we can sit together and cheer and complain and ask ourselves again why a country as large and populated as ours produces so few athletes? There's a lot to be said for armchair games as long as they don't dominate the actual ones!
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