Can London Go The Extra Mile in 2012?

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Many Londoners were initially sceptical about their city’s bid for the 2012 Olympics, with many wondering if their taxes might be better spent bringing peace to the battlefields of South London, renovating the decaying underground system, or possibly restoring the once-great NHS to something like the standards currently found in, for example, Somalia.

However, the city has warmed to the project, with the environmental benefits of the project, and the job opportunities that are coming at a time of economic difficulty being appreciated. The London Games should prove to be truly awe-inspiring and memorable, this being the first time they have been held in Britain - the birthplace of most modern competitive sports - for 64 years.

The suggestion has already been mooted that Dr. Roger Bannister (the first man to break the four minutes barrier for the One Mile) or one of his younger relatives should light the Olympic flame. This would be a marvellous gesture, but a campaign is growing in London, calling for the organisers to initiate special One Mile athletic events for men and women, and for paralympic athletes as well.

“The One Mile race has always been the most iconic of track distances, and has a special place in the hearts of all British athletic fans. To include this event at London 2012 will create a “unique selling point” for the London Games, which is bound to make them even more memorable” stated sports fan Alan Harvey. He is also Chairman of the Swinton Circle, a conservative grouping that espouses traditional British values.

Harvey is quick to defend his position, "The argument against the inclusion of such an event is that all modern sporting codes recognise metric measurements only, but this is not true. In boxing, cricket, horse-racing, and archery, imperial measurements are still the standard - and never forget that one of the most popular of Olympic events, the Marathon, is still measured in imperial units: 26 miles 385 yards."

It is also the case that in percentage terms, the biggest difference between track races is between the 1500 metres and the 5000 metres. One Mile falls somewhere between these two distances, so will therefore provide middle-distance runners from around the globe with an extra Gold to aim for - and a very special Gold indeed!