Plymouth selected as World Cup host

It's very rare for me to touch sport on this blog but this is an item I think I should mention. Strangely, like my last story, it involves the year 2018. Should this country get to host the 2018 soccer World Cup then Plymouth Argyle's Home Park will be a venue in the competition! This is a huge accolade for the city and will help put the south west on the sporting map for once. It should be remembered too that Plymouth could be 'up in lights' prior to then if young diver Tom Daley does well at the 2012 Olympics. Although I'm not into sport myself I think it all bodes well for the major city in my two counties in this coming decade, there could be a real buzz about the place.

Tom Daley wins in Diving Championships

If you have read this blog regularly before (has anybody been that mad?) then you will know that I don't normally 'do' sport but that if some person or team from my two counties does well then I'm only too happy to flag up the fact. So step forward 15 year old Tom Daley from Plymouth who has won a gold medal in the 10 metre platform title in the Diving World Championships in Rome. This of course is a truly massive achievement for one so young. Prime Minister Gordon Brown was quick to congratulate him. He, the PM, has had the unfortunate apellation "Jonah Brown" applied to him by at least one blogger because on numerous occasions he has either sent the sportsman or team a good luck message or attended the event himself only for failure to occur. Presumably then he hadn't sent Tom any such message prior to the young lad's triumph!

That spat between Daley and Aldridge

Well there we have it: fourteen year old Tom Daley from Plymouth and 26 year old Blake Aldridge from Southampton came 8th in the synchronised diving yesterday (for eighth read last but that sounds worse). What is sadly making greater news though in the popular press and in blogs is the apparent row between the two of them before the last dive of the six.

Now I'm trying not to be partisan here but it appears that the mother of Aldridge waved at her son and he spoke on the phone to her before the pair's final dive. Daley sparked at this asking what Aldridge was doing prior to the end of their event. Afterwards Aldridge attacked Daley saying that the latter was too nervous and shouldn't have been concerning himself with what he, Aldridge, was doing. I'm going to be absolutely blunt here, there was a complete and utter breakdown of personal discipline on the part of Aldridge - firstly you do not mess around with phone calls while waiting your turn in such an event and secondly it was poor to so quickly blame Daley for the end result bearing in mind that Daley has a further event in which to participate in this Olympics.

There does seem to have been an element of jealousy too on the part of Aldridge because inevitably Daley has been getting incredible media attention in the build up to the event. Hindsight is the most wonderful thing of course but one has to question the wisdom of those making the decision to pair the two together. It seems to me that a 12 year difference in age in such a sport would inevitably cause problems.

Tom Daley and the 2008 Olympic Games

It was back in February that I noted Plymouth diving sensation Tom Daley being selected for the 2008 Olympic Games in China. What made this item so newsworthy is the fact that Tom will be only 14 when he takes to the diving board at the Games. At the time of my original blog I assumed I was right in agreeing with the media in general that he would be the youngest person ever to compete from the UK. Not so apparently, I think a girl swimmer from the distant past has that honour.

A few days ago Tom added to his haul of medals with a gold in the European Championships at Eindhoven. Tom is doing his best to dampen expectations for this year's Olympics but wouldn't it be great if he was in the medals! He has intimated that the event will be used as good experience for London 2012.

This might be a good moment to express one or two thoughts from this non sporting blogger on the China Olympics:

• One positive from the Olympic Games jamboree is that various sports not really in the mainstream, such as diving, get showcased.
• It's in a few minority interest sports that this country tends to shine rather than the better known ones such as football or cricket.
• The upcoming Olympics is focusing extra attention on China particularly its poor human rights record. Of course it's the unrest in annexed Tibet which is making headlines now.
• The air pollution problems in the area where the Games are to be held are a headache for the authorities and expect further stories about this to be broadcast.

Tom Daley in Olympic Team

Readers of this blog will realise that I don't have much interest in sport and this applies to this year's Olympic Games in China as well. And don't get me started on London 2012, expect a few rants over the months and years to come on that particular subject. But on the other side of the coin I'm always pleased to record local sporting achievement, more so when it is what is normally a minority interest sport that is being discussed.

So step forward 13 year old Tom Daley, a Devon diver, who has qualified for the British Olympic team. When the Games begin he will be a little over 14 and will be the youngest British competitor ever. I've seen him interviewed on TV and he comes across as being very likeable and self assured. All the best of luck to him.

It can sound as if I'm very negative about sport but that's not really true. Those who are keen and talented should be encouraged; it's just that I've never been personally that keen and certainly not talented! Ball games have always been a no-no for me but I used to enjoy PE at school and much later in life I have run in a few marathons and shorter road races, just to prove I could(!).

I think that some of my antipathy towards professional sport today derives from the (watch my language here) obscene amounts of money and celebrity culture associated with it. So don't expect too much commentary on sport from this blog!