Pic: Olympic Swimmers by Sum of Marc, Flickr
The opening Olympic ceremony attracted a global audience of one billion, and a staggering 27 million UK viewers.
So with the city being so immersed in sport, which Olympic sports are people watching? Are Londoners enjoying the games? And how much time are people spending watching the Olympics?
EastLondonLines went to find out what local people thought of the Games so far.
Helen Cooms
Helen Cooms, 48, a student advisor from Thornton Heath, is not enjoying the games.
“I’m not really a fan. I haven’t taken much interest in it because I’m not a sport watcher. I didn’t watch the opening ceremony but I heard it was really good. I might watch it eventually. I’m more of a participator that a watcher – my husband has been watching a lot of the sports but I haven’t. If there were more tickets available to people I might be more interested.”
Adam Clifford
Adam Clifford, 25, a musician from New Cross, is excited about watching the games.
“I’m going to watch the tennis which should be really good, my friend got us tickets. I think the way the tickets were sold was ridiculous because of all the empty seats, but I have been watching a bit of the sport. I think sport really enriches people’s lives. The highlight for the Olympics for me would probably be to see whether Usain Bolt can hold onto his title.”
Yasemin Yildiz
Yasemin Yildiz, 24, an administrator from Hackney, is really enjoying watching the games locally.
“I’m really looking forward to most of the events. I haven’t watched a lot of sport yet because the ones I’m interested in haven’t started yet. I really want to see the athletics and swimming. I really enjoy Olympic sport, it’s great that it’s happening in my local area. The highlight of the Olympics so far would be the opening ceremony, I thought it was great! I think the Olympics helps people get away from the problems and allows them to just enjoy sport.”
Matt Fitzgerald
Matt Fitzgerald, 25, a PhD student from Northampton, is not enjoying the Olympics.
“I’m not really a big Olympic fan. I don’t think London should be hosting the Olympics in its current situation, so I haven’t been watching the sports. Also with the amount of empty seats that keep going to waste, I think considering that the Olympics Committee are paying themselves seven figure sums, they should be doing a better job.”
Kyra Harrington
Kyra Harrington, 25, from Whitechapel, who works in communications, thinks that the Games are providing community spirit.
“I’m really interested in swimming, basketball and beach volleyball. I’m from Amsterdam so I’m supporting all of the Dutch teams. I haven’t been to any of the big screens yet but I’m looking forward to going to the beach volleyball games to watch. I think the Olympics is great fun because its bringing communities together and gets everyone involved and it’s really fun.”
Interviews by Ufuoma Essi; pictures by Stephanie Taitte
