Browse Sections

• Education
• Special reports

Our man at the Beijing Olympics - 12/8/08

Matthew Davis
15/ 8/2008

THERE is a tank outside. It wasn’t there the day before and I have no idea why it is there, but outside the Main Press Centre a huge white armoured tank is sat – guns (covered up) pointed towards the street.

I am not sure how to react to it. Following terrorist attacks in North West China and the death of a tourist in Beijing city centre security has stepped up, but this is ridiculous.

And there are people inside it. At least 10 men have been spied coming out of it one day – what they are doing in it I will never know, it must be boiling in there.

The tank is less security precaution and more tourist attraction as TV crews are eager to film outside and people take photos of themselves next to it.

They have now put a red rope around it, like it is some exhibit in a museum; it must be some weird PR stunt – it has certainly become a talking point.

Women’s weightlifting is not something I am particularly fond of. It would probably come a near last on my list of sports to watch.

It is a world of clean and jerks and snatch (the names of the heats I promise), of lycra, muscles and grunting – in fact you end up wondering how that couldn’t appeal.

But it doesn’t. Watching an Austrian woman psyche herself up by grunting and grimacing and slapping herself is at best intimidating and at worst down right scary.

Plus the added factor that these women could embarrass you in a gym makes for awkward watching.

I genuinely feared for my life when the British weightlifter I was interviewing answered one of my questions with: “Is that a silly question or what!" I backed away slowly.

Stockport archer Charlotte Burgess’s Olympic dream is over. She lost in the last 32 to fellow team-mate Britain’s Naomi Folkard.

She however did take on the partisan crowd and dispatch home favourite Dan Guo 106-104.

I was rooting for Charlotte but she was drawn against her friend Naomi so it was always going to be tough. And there was no love lost between the pair as Folkard took the match 110-96.

Burgess was gracious in defeat and said she is looking forward to hitting the slopes and relaxing following her first Olympics.

She said: “Beijing has been amazing. It has given me invaluable experience in all my events. The Olympic Village, competing, the transport, the preparation are all things I will take forward to London 2012.

“I will build on it for four years time. But now I will take some time off, go on a holiday and go skiing and hopefully not break my arm."