So much for the drama of the Games

CONGRATULATIONS on your excellent Editorial on the Olympics (Yorkshire Post, August 6).

Only 80,000 lucky ticket holders. The rest of us had rely on the BBC to take us into the Olympic Stadium to see Jessica Ennis being introduced to the crowd before the 800 metres, her final event.

The BBC, however, decided that we should not share in this magic moment and cut to a montage of her career. Can they please explain why?

The next night, we had about five minutes of advertising for their drama programmes – in the middle of the Olympics. Worse than ITV.

Why can’t we stay in the stadium and absorb the atmosphere? Your Editorial was super.

From: Keith Jowett, Woodland Rise, Silkstone Common, Barnsley.

YORKSHIRE folk are proudly revelling in the news that the tally of Olympic medals won by its citizens is greater than the total for major sporting countries.

However, your article (Yorkshire Post, August 7) suggests that the medal won by Kat Copeland should not count because she lives near Middlesbrough, which you claim has not been part of Yorkshire for 40 years.

Like others, you confuse modern administrative boundaries with the ancient boundaries of our county.

The River Tees has long been accepted as a part of our northern boundary and my copy of Saxton’s map of Yorkshire of 1577 shows Middlesbrough very definitely to the south of the boundary line.

From: Geoff Atkinson, Newholm.

I’M a patriot and have enjoyed the Olympics especially the many Yorkshire successes. But in between the tears of joy, I was missing something until the great cyclist Chris Boardman filled my void. I was fulfilled when he opined that sprint cyclist winner Jason Kenny was “literally on fire”, but relieved to realise that he only meant it metaphorically.

From: John Gordon, Whitcliffe Lane, Ripon.

OUR Olympic athletes give a huge boost to sport in Britain and what happens? Education Secretary Michael Gove sells the school playing fields.

From: Geoff Bayley, Stoneswood Road, Delph, Saddleworth.

BRIAN Ainley (Yorkshire Post, August 6) claims that an athlete had ‘draped’ a union flag upside down over his shoulders. Is this so?

If a flag is flown from a flagstaff, the half of the flag nearest the flagpole, should have the wider white diagonal stripe above the red diagonal stripe. When used for other purposes the rules can seem complicated. For further information I recommend visiting the web site of the flag institute www.flaginstitute.org

From: Karl Sheridan, Selby Road, Holme on Spalding Moor.

I AM staggered at the small mindedness of people who 
use the “anonymity” of 
Facebook, tweet and Twitter, 
to criticise others, and 
especially our marvellous athletes who are doing brilliantly in the Olympics.

The comments on the failed efforts of Ripon diver Jack Laugher is appalling – as if the guy hadn’t got enough to contend no doubt with his own self imposed criticism!

Lets be fair, it’s a supreme accolade to even be a 
contender in the Olympics, 
but none of the athletes are infallible and I defy anyone to deny he or she has never had a bad day, and unfortunately Jack was having a bad day – so what, at least he was there to represent Team GB!

A large majority seem eager to dismiss the dedication and sacrifice our athletes put into their sports, proclaiming that anything less than a gold is worthless, yet to obtain any medal – be it silver or bronze – is a massive achievement and well worthy of praise.

Nevertheless, isn’t it brilliant that our Yorkshire lads and lasses are at the forefront in the medals game – a good smack in the eye for all those southerners who think we are all flat caps and funny accents?

From: Isobel Bowler, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure, Member for Mosborough Ward, Sheffield City Council.

I WAS delighted to hear the Chancellor George Osborne promise more support for school sport.

Let’s hope the Government restore the funding for the school sports partnerships they axed in 2010.

But this will not be enough. Local authorities are responsible for a network of sport and 
leisure facilities which are an essential part of active participation.

Here in Sheffield we are hugely proud of the success of Jessica Ennis: a product of a Sheffield comprehensive school who trained at council-funded facilities.

But these twin pillars of legacy – local authority facilities and school sport – are being dismantled under the Government’s austerity plan. Please: no token repackaging of existing funding.

Mr Osborne needs to 
recognise that local authorities like Sheffield need to be properly resourced to continue to fund the facilities for the Jessicas of 
the future.

From: Dai Woosnam, Woodrow Park, Scartho, Grimsby.

NOW both male and female members of the Team GB football teams have exited this Olympics, I have been musing on the curiously lukewarm home support at their games.

It amused me that the commentators kept saying “what can the fans chant exactly?”

Eh? Were they being serious? It may not be politically correct but they needed to “chant” nothing: just sing the stirring chorus of Rule Britannia!