Thank You London

The Olympics are over for another year and a half until we convene in Russia for the Winter Games. Sochi should be quite amazing. The next summer games will be in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Some of you will be relieved that your normal television shows are once again in play, others will miss the daily athletic events that had taken over the airwaves for two weeks. They were memorable in many ways, not just in the gold medals won, but in the athletes who competed.

Every one of the 204 participating nations had at least a single woman on their team and almost half of all medals were won by women. Girl Power! I was really proud of all of the athletes. To just get to participate in the Olympic games will be a memory they will never forget. I loved the pure determination that each athlete showed, even though they knew they were not at medal speed. But they went out there and gave it everything they had. Bravo to each of you.

The faces of the Olympics for me were Oscar Pictorius running on his cheetah legs, coming in last in the 4x400 relay, but as an individual athlete, gaining the respect and love of his fellow competitors. The hugs that the equestrian riders gave to their horses as they handed them over to the grooms - there was devotion and thanks transmitted through those hugs. An acknowledgement of partnership that gave extraordinary performances. The cycling made my heart soar. I'm not fond of velodrome competition, but they made it fun to watch, and the mountain bike competition on the final day was amazing! The water sports - all of them. The swimming, the diving - what fun! Basically, I loved all of it.

And the Royals. The younger Royals were present throughout the events. William and Katherine were at many events, often with Harry, and when William was called back to duty, Kate and Henry often appeared. They didn't miss a single day and cheered for everyone, not just Great Britain athletes. It was a wonderful gesture and so human as they celebrated along with everyone else in the stands.

Yes, I love the Olympics. I have loved them for as long as I can remember, remaining glued to the television for as long as possible, watching every event I could. I send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who made the London Games possible.