Digital Stats

Crossing the line between the Olympics and my day job here, but there are some really interesting facts and figures about how people used the internet and social media during the Olympics.

London 2012.com olympic games digital round up 13 august 2012 from Alex Balfour

Getting ready for the Paralympics

Inspiring stuff. Well worth a couple of minutes of your time to watch this.

The Evolution of Man: 100m times from 1896 to 2012

Technically this should be titled 'the evolution of very fast men', as it's about the progression of timings for the men's 100m from 1896 to last week. It makes for fascinating viewing, if you have 2 1/2 minutes to spare.

Intermission: Games Makers at play

7am on the final day, with only a few people in the Olympic Park...nice mobility scooter race action!

Intermission: it's not every day...

...you are photobombed by Charlie Chaplin. Whilst performing lunges with members of the Humberside Constabulary for the delight of the general public on the Olympic Park.

All part of the Games Maker job...!

Day 14: meeting some athletes

Aside from many photos of handballists, my path crossed those of a few athletes. Some to say hi, some to get autographs, some just to snatch a photo...

The bronze medal winning Australian Women's Water Polo team (yes, that is an Aussie fan wearing a water polo hat and parka?).

Team GB's David Florence and Richard Hounslow, who won those silvers in the C2 canoeing.

Some admiring Danish fans posing with Jonas Hogh Christensen, silver medal winner in the Finn class sailing. Probably more famous in the UK for being the man who made Ben Ainslie angry. And for that we should thank him, as Ben Ainslie is fit when he's angry ;-)

Team GB's Anna Watkins and Katherine Grainger, winners of GOLD in the women's double sculls,

Apparently this lad is Jordan Burroughs, US weightlifting gold medalist. Yeah, I know gold medals are awesome, but me either...!

Lastly, I've got this lad's (indecipherable!) autograph on the back of my staff pass, but I still can't work out who he is. All I know is he's American, based on the tracksuit and the fact that this was outside the NBC Daily Show studio.

Feel free to add a comment if you recognise him!

Day 12: ...and on to the Athletics

I got lucky in a late-night online ticket resale, and managed to buy an Athletics ticket (not for stupid money, either). So I found myself finally in the Olympic Stadium once more, but this time with a sell-out crowd as opposed to a test event.

As expected, the Olympic Flame was pretty spectacular close up.

The men's javelin heats (and look to the right of the white line for the ultra-cool remote control Minis that return the javelins).

He's here!

Men's 200m semi finals starting. Possibly the greatest living athlete right out there in front of me.

Strolling across the line a few seconds later, easily winning his heat (and, I suspect, stopping to update his Twitter at about the 142 metre mark...)

Man with javelin going in to tell the photographers to keep their distance from Allyson Felix and Carmelina Jeter, shortly after they won the gold (Felix) and bronze (Jeter) in the women's 200 metres.

Day 12: a sunny afternoon watching the BMX...

My next day off involved a triple-header of ticketed events (no, I'm not suffering from a huge dose of Olympic fever. Of course not!) started with the BMX qualifying heats at the specially-built track behind the Velodrome on the Olympic Park.

Here's the British hope Shanaze Reade flying in front of the Basketball Arena.

 After the women's preliminary qualifying, the freestyle boys turned up to pull some tricks. Winner ;-)

High bar jumps. But would you be disappointed if I told you this was a camera effect and not a 4-man bike jumping very close behind their mates?

Back to the medal chasing, and Team GB's Liam Phillips on his first run.

Phillips making the mid-course jump.

 No-one likes a show-off!

Epic skills. I'm utterly in awe.

Intermission: gizza job!

Handball goalkeeper position required. Clearly crazy enough to field 70mph shots, and have already broken my nose..

Taken earlier in our end-of-term training session on the pitch at the Copper Box (aka. the 'Box That Rocks').

Intermission: Olympic Twister

A little game emerged earlier today on the multicoloured floor on the north side of the Olympic Stadium.

Fun was had by many, young and old (although those of us with Paul McGrath's knees did find it a little hard to get up again...!)

Day 8: flowers in the Olympic Park

Stepping aside from the sport today, to share a few pictures of the Olympic Park. They've really made an effort to plant out mature trees and scatter wild flowers, rather than overtly landscape and manicure it. I think it looks like an English Country Garden, and is therefore very apt.

From this point in, you will note that I am useless with the identification of flowers! Apologies.

The Olympic Stadium, from the Greenway Gate.

A couple of views of the Orbit, from south and north.

Ginger AND Villa-coloured flowers on the bank up to the Stadium from the Aquatic Centre... obviously planted for me!

A possible sighting of a multicoloured shrubbery (Roger The Shrubber just out of sight) in front of the Basketball Arena.

The riverside nature walk.

One of the knowledge panels, facing the Riverbank Arena.

Another Olympic Stadium shot, from the river bank on the north side.

A different angle from the riverside nature walk.

Well done to all concerned with getting the Olympic Park to this shape (I saw it two weeks before, and I know there was a huge amount of work put in very late to get it looking so good).

Day 7: Hockey and Park Life

The day began with an earlier-than-usual start, to be at the Riverbank Arena by 08.15 for men's Hockey.

The first game was Australia v Argentina, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

In between the two matches of the morning session, the pitch was watered with rainbows (unicorns just out of shot...).

Netherlands v New Zealand was game 2, which was fast and open. And very well supported (particularly from the Dutch, who turned the Riverbank into a sea of orange).

The final score of 5-1 to the Netherlands was flattering, and a little cruel on New Zealand. Great game, though.

After some meandering around the park photographing the funny hats and fancy dress (starting with 65% of the Dutch leaving the Hockey game!), it was time to adjourn to Park Live with a beer and watch some sport on the big screen.

Including Jess Ennis in the opening rounds of the Heptathlon...

...and Ben Ainslie racing side-by-side down in the Solent.

Oh, and there were the little matters of GOLD medals for the men's team pursuit (Burke, Clancy, Kennaugh and Thomas) AND for Victoria Pendleton in the Women's Keirin behind us in the Velodrome to cheer. Not a bad day in Olympic land.

Day 6: I could be dreaming...

Hello. Today I am going to level with you...

I have to very clearly say that I am completely and unbelievably lucky to be able to be on the Olympic Park for thirteen out of the sixteen sporting days in the 2012 Olympics. I should also very clearly say that I totally appreciate this, and am doing my utmost to make the most of every second of this amazing opportunity.

Being involved in the Olympic Games in any way is incredibly special. I am really enjoying being a Games Maker

I blogged on Saturday about the amazing atmosphere, my feelings at the end of the first day and the friendliness of strangers.

That has, in short, completely and utterly continued.

I've had more conversations with strangers, and on public transport, in six days than I have in almost thirteen years of living in London.

I've already watched some fantastic sport, from the headline-grabbing to the heroic individual effort.

I am having "pinch me, I'm really doing this" moments several times a day. But I don't have to wake up... there's ten whole days of this left to go. Amazing!

|As for today? Enter the gold rush!
- GOLD for Pete Wilson in the double trap shooting
- Men's cycling team sprint GOLD in the Velodrome
- Canoeing GOLD and also silver in the doubles slalom
- plus a well-deserved Silver in the lightweight fours rowing

This afternoon I've seen yet another improvement in the GB men's Handball team, despite them losing 21-32 Vs Argentina.
But I will save my growing fascination with Handball for another day. There's still some highlights of today's Olympic action to watch before I go off and do a sleep...

Intermission: that Victoria Pendleton...

...has let herself go a bit. And I don't think much to her new bike, either!

(Spotted outside the Velodrome earlier today. I always thought Police had to undergo medicals and fitness tests, but clearly not).

Day 5: B-ball

Today I was up early to cycle to the Olympic Park. It's a lot quieter early in the morning, but I still found myself grinning like a loon about the simple fact they I was on the Olympic Park yet again (prediction: this will continue!). It's also nice to be played into "work" by the band of the Royal Marines.

As this was my first morning shift, I should tell you that the Copper Box, newly-christened the 'Box That Rocks' (not by me, I assume by one of the fiendishly over-enthusiastic TV presenter/comperes) is as lively first thing as at any other time of day.

After my shift it was over to Park Live to watch the gymnastics (GB men doing unfeasibly well for the first time in very many years). And Team GB have been winning again!

My evening's entertainment was provided by a ticket to the basketball, but first the obligatory Olympic rings shot on the way into the Basketball Arena for two women's games.

Into the Basketball Arena for the first game, a thriller which ended Croatia 70 - Czech Republic 89.

In between games, the "WTF" dancers were on, breakdancing through skipping ropes. I blame the Americans.... ;-)

Game 2 was my chance to see the women's 'Dream Team', where USA beat Turkey 89 - 58.

The Basketball Arena looks really good lit up at night too, even from the inside.

Fifteen hours on the Olympic Park. Nice! And I'm back at 07.30 to do it all over again.