On Saturday 6th August the Olympic Games begins in Rio. As the World gears up to watch their countries’ best athletes compete, I’m sure I’m not alone in enjoying some 2012 Olympics nostalgia.
As the Olympics approached, we had the torch relay which toured the UK over 70 days. 8,000 people carried the torch a total distance of around 8,000 miles starting from Land’s End in Cornwall. I have memories of carrying my then 8-month old daughter as we watched the torch pass through our town – she had no idea what was happening but it was a fantastic atmosphere and something we had to see.
Prior to London 2012 there was apprehension about whether Britain could stage an Opening Ceremony to reach the standard set at the Beijing games 4 years previous. We didn’t need to worry – London’s effort was a huge success and became the most-viewed Olympic opening ceremony in both the UK and the US. The content showcased Britain’s technological and cultural contributions to the world, including the Industrial Revolution, literary heritage, popular music and significant inventions (many of which are included in our new Inventions stream to add to your timeline).
The event acknowledged how the digital revolution, arguably sparked by World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners Lee, has changed everyday lives potentially as much as the Industrial revolution before it. In 2012, Twile was an idea, it was only just beginning and the invention of the Web made our product possible.
We joined the chaos, visiting London during the games. Everyone was in a good mood, everyone happy to be a part of something so special that would potentially only happen once in their lifetime. We saw part of the marathon and returned home satisfied that we had ‘taken part’, taking our very tiny slice of history home with us.
Our experiences of the day are recorded on our Twile timeline so that our daughter can see the photos. She will know she was in London during the Olympics, she will view our comments. She will see that we got wet in the rain, that Daddy forgot his waterproof jacket, that the Team GB duck she plays with in the bath now, was purchased from the shops outside the Olympic village by Grandma, who joined us for the day trip. One day she may be lucky enough to get tickets for the Olympics somewhere else in the world and she can record her own experiences on the same Twile timeline.
We look forward to watching the games in Rio this month. Records and memories will be made. Good luck to Team GB!
- Nicola Adams Olympic Rewind. Boxing for Gold
- Michael Phelps’ Final London 2012 Race
- Rio 2016: Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s Olympic team
- Rio 2016: Jo Pavey prepares to represent Team GB at fifth Olympics
