Dave Craven: No time to waste if League is to have hope of Olympics inclusion

Given all the medals galore for Team GB – and unofficial Team Yorkshire – plus the accompanying stories of sheer graft, toil and determination, it is enough to make even the most miserable sod raise a smile.

It has been a resounding success and enlightening in so many ways.

I, for one, will feel a little lost late on Monday night when there’s no Gabby Logan to guide me into the vagaries of canoe slaloming or the latest technical routine of the synchronised swimming.

And that’s the thing. What the Olympics has undoubtedly shown is that people will watch anything. But, not only that, be engrossed by anything.

They may never have shown any interest whatsoever in shooting, bar perhaps loading a spud gun in some long-removed childhood.

But put them in front of the 50m three-position rifle and suddenly they are captivated by this non-descript sport.

Maybe rugby league needs to get in on the act. After all, most people who do find themselves introduced to the game do find it pretty exciting and absorbing.

The problem has always been getting it out to the masses. The Olympics is clearly a way of doing just that.

Unfortunately, the other code, which does not need the bonus of any such global command, has got in there first.

Rugby union will be represented in the form of a sevens tournament in 2016, appearing for the first time since 1924 when only France, Romania and USA participated.

There will be arguments that with rugby union being reintroduced at Rio – along with golf’s return – there is no place for rugby league as well.

But, if there’s room for volleyball and beach volleyball surely there is scope for both codes of rugby to feature at some Games in the future.

Even if it means playing on sand and wearing shorter shorts, I am sure the powers-that-be will acquiesce for the greater good of the sport.

After all, cycling introduced a strange-looking elderly man on an equally bizarre, slow-moving motorized bike to add variation to one of its races, so there could be few arguments if league decided to make a rival bid.

The next time a slot is likely to be up for consideration is 2024, but preparations should start now in order make a decent push for it to be included.

It is difficult for rugby league to gain currency as an international sport given only Australia and New Zealand regularly win anything and England are the only other side to challenge them with any sort of authority.

But, to a lower level, it is played in so many other countries, all of whom would welcome the chance to operate at Olympic level.

Undoubtedly, people would watch it, give it a chance and, so open it up to so many new audiences.

It would be nice to think the Rugby League World Cup, staged here next year, would also ride in on the back of this tidal wave of goodwill whipped up by the Olympics triumph.

The RFL needs to tap into that momentum although, with tickets still not yet up for sale, they need to get a shift on before the moment is lost.

It is not only the official Olympic events which have had me hooked though.

At the athletics on Wednesday night I found myself mesmerised by the peculiar actions of the people who shift the hurdles around before and after races.

Shift is not the right word. They were more like robots in pure synchrony, all moving in perfect time with each other as they lifted and manoeuvred the obstacles into their relevant places.

It looked like they had gone through years of training themselves to reach such levels of performance. I almost missed the long-jump in the meantime.

Like I say, people will watch anything ...