Despite centuries of practice the French remain pretty poor losers.
This week’s news that the architect’s plans for the London 2012 aquatic centre had been rejected by the government because they would have cost twice the budgeted amount, was apparently greeted by an outpouring of the francophone version of schadenfreude.
The decision, which should be seen as putting a pragmatic governmental foot down early doors to reinforce a determination not to let Olympic costs get out of hand, appears to have sparked an outbreak of told-you-so-ing in Paris where they haven’t yet got used to the idea that the 2012 Games will take place across La Manche.
According to The Times this morning, the councillor in charge of sport in Aubervilliers, where the French aquatic centre was to have been built, stressed that his project had been modest and realistic and appeared to suggest that the IOC should have seen through London‘s plans.
“When theory meets reality the result is always the same. It has always been like that because the International Olympic Committee is not a democratic organisation,” he said.
While it's not entirely clear what he means, he appears to suggest that the ‘undemocratic’ IOC (which is an elected body) is less transparent and responsible than, say, the government of democratic France which you may recall was responsible and transparent enough to have its hoods blow up a Greenpeace ship in Auckland because it didn’t like what the environmental group was saying and doing.
Paris is still sore that London’s super slick communications and lobbying programme won the day; that Tony Blair put himself out in a way that the French President didn’t and that Seb Coe presented with passion and conviction a vision of the Olympic Games which went way beyond the travelogue-style promo typical of other bids.
So come on mes amis. I’m sure you’ll have a few more belly laughs between now and 2012. After all, every Olympic programme runs into difficulties of one sort or another. But for now just Get Over It.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This weekend hundreds of hopefuls head to Hull to take part in the qualifying for the 16 places available in the Professional Darts Corporation’s World Championships which take place at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet over Christmas.
Barry Hearn, chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation whose Matchroom company delivers darts along with snooker, poker and bowling to broadcasters worldwide, reckons the sport is on a roll.
According to Hearn there’s a new breed of fitter and more focused youngsters coming into the game because they can see that there’s a reasonable living to be made.
Sponsors like Ladbrookes are ensuring that prize money is rising and on Sky, darts delivers better sports ratings than everything other than Premier League football.
Tickets for leading darts tournaments are changing hands on e-Bay for many times the face value and at a recent tournament in Torquay the organisers even allocated the front row of seats for the corporate market at four times the standard price…they sold out in the blink of an eye.
The sport is also becoming truly international. Darts is growing in China and Japan but Hearn wants to crack the US market. In an upcoming forthcoming tournament in Connecticut there’s a $1million first prize…if it's won by an American. A foreign winner will trouser only $100,000. That’s got the TV companies excited and big things are expected.
But Hearn, who’s away from the UK this weekend, will probably not be thinking about proceedings in Hull on Saturday afternoon. He’s missing watching his football team, Leyton Orient, in action at Rushden & Diamonds in the second round of the FA Cup.
Success will put them into the draw for the third round and the chance of a money-spinning game against one of the Premier League giants.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Among his many talents, Barry Hearn is also an accomplished and successful poker player.
But in this year’s Poker Million he was beaten by celebrity soccer TV presenter Helen Chamberlain, a relative poker novice. And Chamberlain won’t let him forget it.
“Every time she texts me she starts "Hi Loser", laments Hearn.
