Catherine Scott: Why we are mourning the Olympics in our house

There were so many highs on a regular, in fact at one point, nightly basis that we have all got withdrawal symptoms. I have to admit with a 13 year old in the house it is sometimes difficult to find things that unite us. She would rather hide out in her bedroom on social media with her friends or YouTube, spending her time in a world I only pretend to vaguely understand.

But the Olympics got my sport loving teenager out of her bedroom, sitting with the family watching something we all enjoyed.

The diving was the start - even though neither of my two are particularly amazing swimmers Jack Laugher being a local lad just helped fuel their interest. They even got into fencing, table tennis and beach volleyball. But it was the athletics, gymnastics and hockey that they were most enthralled by. They are both pretty sporty but to see success on this level just fuelled them to want to achieve even more.

While some may have criticised the amount of money UK Sport has pumped into the Olympics,the proof of success of that investment is clear to see.

It isn’t just about the individual successes, of which there were many, or even the team achievements, or the fact Team GB came second to the super power that is China in the medal table giving the country a much-needed boost of national ]ride following Brexit, it is that often over used word legacy that is what is really important to me. We may have missed a chance after London 2012 to really galvanise a generation that spends much of its downtime playing XBox rather than football, but I really believe we have been given a second chance. Rio 2016 has proved that London wasn’t a fluke and that, for once, someone actually had a plan. Whoever he or she is should be applauded not just for the great success at Rio but for having the foresight to look ahead. And the plan doesn’t end in Rio. Athletes are being identified not only for Tokyo in 2020 but beyond.

There is only one fly in the ointment and that is the debacle surrounding the Paralympics due to start in a couple of weeks. Those athletes have trained no less hard over the last four years to get to the peak of their performance on the biggest of world stages than there able bodied colleague, and nothing must be allowed to take the edge of the Para Games. London 2012 changed the way Para sports are viewed and that must not be allowed to be diminished.