Olympic athletes are lesson to us
A number of members of the public have shared with me their concerns about the aftermath of the EU referendum and their disappointment at the state of politics as a result.
These sentiments are then followed by a comment something like“But at least we have the Olympics to cheer us up!”I can heartily endorse that view.
The Olympics, and particularly the sporting performance of Team GB, has been a great watch over these last couple of weeks. The performance of the competitors and the energy and commitment to get ready to take on such a sporting challenge is a tribute to the determination of all of these individuals and their support teams.
Close to home, the success of former Perth Academy pupil and Perthshire swimmer, Stephen Milne, has been a source of great local inspiration. I know I speak for everyone locally when I say how proud and delighted we all are at the team of which Stephen was a part in the 4x200m freestyle relay. It is fantastic to see a young man from our county make such an achievement.
Monday was a long day for many who has stayed up to see Andy Murray triumph in the Singles Tennis. I saw one journalist suggest to the First Minister on social media that Monday should be defined as “Start the day late day”. It was an absolutely tremendous match between two great sportsmen of exceptional skill and strength demonstrating immense personal courtesy towards each other. The game was a gripping watch and a display of sensational tennis.
There is now a tendency to assume that Andy Murray is going to perform well in all of these matches. But that tendency ignores just the scale of achievement that Murray has made. Having now secured two Wimbledon titles and two Olympic gold medals, his achievements are really quite extraordinary.
The fact that Murray achieves all of this in a modest, gracious, understated fashion makes the scale of what he has done all the more significant.
We should cherish all of what he has done and recognise that he is a figure of astonishing inspiration to young people in our society.
One of the sentiments I saw expressed about the Olympics is that you should never be surprised at what can be achieved. That sentiment must sum up the attitude of all of the athletes.
At the outset of becoming involved in sport, it cannot be assumed what individuals might or might not be able to achieve. I suppose the sense of aspiration that it might be possible to achieve anything is what drives athletes to participate and to deliver the amazing commitment they have to give.
When we all sit back and enjoy the sporting success - and see it contribute so much to enriching our national life - we should be grateful for people like Andy Murray and Stephen Milne for giving so much to ensure their success and our pride.