We could not help noticing the good number of empty seats there were at the first day of the Olympics at the Aquatic Centre, especially in the lower level.
Conversely, the massive number of spectators who lined the streets and course in the men’s cycling race was very impressive and estimated to be at least one million cheering people. It also helped that the cost of spectating the cycling race was free.
Most definitely the participation of the popular British cyclist Mark Cavendish and his fast teammates including Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins helped the boost the number of spectators in the road race.
This bodes very well for the Olympic marathon swimming 10km race on August 9th when there will be a magical combination of free spectating and one of Britain’s most popular athletes, a highly favored gold medal contender Keri-Anne Payne.
We suspect the excitement and crowds that gather on the shores of Serpentine will be a seminal event not only in the open water swimming world, but also in the global aquatic community. There will most definitely not be any empty spots as people 4-5 deep will be cheering wildly on the shores of the Serpentine.
Administrators, key decision-makers and pool coaches from around the world will be on the shores of the Serpentine at the Olympic marathon swimming 10km on the 9th (women) and 10th (men). Many of these key people in the aquatics world have not never seen an international open water event. It will not only be an eye-opening extravaganza for those inside the sport, but also more importantly for administrators and decision-makers who decide swimming budgets and priorities.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was a spectator of the 2008 Olympic marathon swim in Beijing. He will be only one of hundreds of VIPs and tens of thousands of people pulling for Payne against her aggressive 24 competitors.
Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source