The big day has arrived

TOM DALEY’S big moment arrived this morning. Hopefully, he will have done himself justice in his first Olympic Games.

Yet whatever happened in today’s synchro 10m final, Daley knows he also has the individual event to look forward to later in the Games.

I saw Tom yesterday at the diving pool. There was a training session going on for all platform divers.

Tom did not dive while I was there, but he carefully studied some of his rivals practising their routines.

I did, however, see fellow city diver Tonia Couch practise.

She dives tomorrow in the women’s synchro with Bristol-born partner Stacie Powell.

Tomorrow morning also sees Ivybridge teacher Michaela Breeze in action. She is competing in the 63kg women’s weightlifting event.

The Games are really in full swing and the whole of Beijing appears to have caught the Olympic bug.

All the locals seem to be wearing clothing with either the Olympic logo or China written on it, and they all seem proud to be hosting the Games.

They appear to really like their sport in China, especially basketball, which was one of the first events to be sold out.

I popped into a McDonald’s on Saturday afternoon on my way back to my hotel (I know I shouldn’t have done, but I was hungry and thirsty and it is so easy when you can just point to what you want rather than spending ages trying to explain to the staff what you are after).

I couldn’t understand at first why there were no seats available upstairs when there were no queues at the tills downstairs.

It wasn’t until I eventually found a seat that I realised everyone was there to watch a big screen television showing women’s basketball. China were taking on Spain and it was an incredible experience.

I caught the final quarter and everyone was cheering when China scored and making painful noises when Spain netted.

Hardly anyone was eating, they were just focussed on this women’s basketball match.
Spain gave China a real fright by closing to within three points with a minute to go, but much to everyone’s relief in the restaurant, many of whom were standing, the home side held on, which was greeted with a cheer and around of applause.

It was something like you would expect at a pub in England when there is an international football match on, albeit minus the swearing and people jumping up and down off their chairs all the time.

But it was still very passionate in its own way and even I ended up supporting China (what could I do? I was the only non-Chinese person there!).

When I walked down the steps afterwards I noticed another customer, who had been watching the game, checking out a massive advert.

It turns out it was advertising all the Olympic events that would be shown on the big screen in that particular restaurant (who needs pubs!).

My other bizarre experience of seeing Chinese television coverage of the Olympics came on a packed tube train. On all the tubes they have little screens. However, on this particular tube, no-one was really paying attention to them as it was so crowded, until suddenly women’s beach volleyball came on.

That suddenly got the attention of three young men in front of me, especially when they kept zooming in on the cheerleaders at the side.

I wonder if London will fit their tube trains with televisions in 2012?

Riding the tube in Beijing is 100 times better than braving a bus. You have to be really desperate to get on a bus around the Olympic complexes.

They don’t seem to have any limits about the number of people they allow onto them. People really cram onto the buses (and I mean cram. Health and safety officers in the UK would have a heart attack). And if that was not bad enough, consider how hot it is in Beijing and how sweaty people are. It is enough to give you nightmares – if not anything else!

Saturday was unbelievably hot. I decided to visit the Forbidden City, before all the Plymouth athletes started competing, and when it was open this time. But the enjoyment of visiting was spoilt by the heat.

You know it is hot when you see locals fainting.

On Saturday I was in contact with a colleague who was telling me about how horrible the weather had been in Plymouth that day.

He said the rain was lashing down and I replied saying I wish we had a bit of that.

Well, they always say you should be careful what you wish for, because, boy, did we have rain in Beijing yesterday, along with thunder and lightening.

The rain was so heavy the roads became flooded. I had to stand waiting for a taxi in half a foot of water.

I was taking a taxi to meet Tom Daley’s family. It was a bit embarrassing walking into their hotel and hearing my trainers squelch as I crossed the lobby.

However, it was nice to catch up with them.

Tom’s grandma made me laugh with her first comment to me, which was ‘how’s the hairdryer?’.

It turns out they had all been reading my diary pieces and were in agreement with me about the over-enthusiastic shop assistants and the dangers of crossing roads here.