Perhaps it was the novelty aspect of the event being held in China, but there seemed to be more interest in the Olympics this year than there has been for some considerable time. There was certainly much to discuss, from the spectacular open and closing ceremonies to the sporting action itself, which saw American swimmer Michael Phelps take home a record haul of gold medals, Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt break the record for the 100m and 200m, and Ireland enjoy mixed fortunes, from success in boxing to disappointment in show-jumping. Hot Press thought we’d elicit the opinions of leading musicians and sports commentators on what was a fascinating two weeks.

“I was on tour while the Olympics were on, but I kept bumping into them,” comments ex-Revs frontman and solo artist Rory Gallagher. “It totally fascinates me, watching those people striving to give their all in every event. There were two highlights for me: the British guy Davies in the 10K swimming event who was in the lead and then steered a bit off course, and was beaten by the Dutch guy who used to suffer from leukemia. That was extraordinary, in terms of the emotions involved.
“The other highlight was the 100m winner, Usain Bolt. He reminded me of Muhammad Ali with his natural exuberance every time he runs, as if he’s enjoying every second of it. I think our boxers have done us proud, but it’s a pity our show-jumping team have yet again disgraced us. There’s really no excuse for them. They know the rules.”
Similarly to Rory, Alphastates’ Catherine Dowling was really taken with Usain Bolt, as well as the incredible achievement of Michael Phelps.
“Phelps is pretty sensational,” she enthuses, “and Bolt seems to be a complete freak of nature. He runs as if he’s making no effort and doesn’t even seem to train! He reminds me of Flo Jo in 1988, the way his whole character stands out from all the others. I love the sense of peak fitness and athleticism you get watching the sprint runners in particular. I’d watch it for that alone. I’ve heard people complaining about the Irish performances, and that really annoys me.
“How do they expect us to compete with massive countries, who can spend huge sums on sports? You can see what it’s done for Britain, especially in cycling, to have all that money. But the Irish horse doping stuff is really silly. It brings shame on the nation and you’d think they’d have wised up by now. Being in Beijing, with the time difference, dampened the excitement a bit and it took me a while to get into them, although I watched the Olympics when they’ve been on in the past.”
Meanwhile, the prospect that’s been mooted of a Great Britain football team competing in the 2012 Olympics in London has singularly failed to impress Liam Gallagher.
“I’m not having any of that fucking Team GB nonsense,” he remarks, with characteristic bluntness. “It’s England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. No cunt I know says they’re from ‘GB’. I watched a bit of the ping-pong, and like every ‘GB’ man, I’ve become a bit of an expert on the old cycling. I’ve taken up running myself - six o’clock every night, man, I’m out that door for 90 minutes or half a fucking marathon. You’ve got to get a bit of discipline in your life, haven’t you? I’m not one of them fast-talking, slow-y jobs, I go at a decent pace.”
Elsewhere, HP columnist Tony Cascarino was underwhelmed by the Olympics’ football tournament.
“To be honest, if you’d have said to me, ‘Do you want to go and represent Ireland in football at the Olympics’, I’d have said, ‘not particularly’,” he admits. “I don’t think players of today or from my era see it as a particularly prestigious event. In football terms, it’s not one of the highlights on the calendar. If anything, I’d say play amateurs in the Olympics.”
What is Cascarino’s opinion on the idea of Great Britain fielding a team four years hence?
“I think they’ll do it,” he responds, “because they’ll want to make the 2012 Olympics bigger and better. They won’t want to send out a team that’ll be eliminated in the first round, that’s for sure. I think they’ll do their utmost to send out the best team they can, but can you imagine it going beyond 2012, to the next Olympics and the one after that? I can’t imagine the players would want to do it. And anyway, first and foremost, they won’t get paid – so they ain’t gonna do it!”
Ah, the Olympic spirit – it’s still alive...