A record gold medal haul, under blue Italian skies, has made for compelling viewing. The Games can be a catalyst for new grassroots investment in the UK
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or most of January and February, Britons have endured relentless, record-breaking rain, often accompanied by a biting wind. But in recent days many will have taken solace from contemplating a very different winter landscape, as skiers, skaters and snowboarders compete beneath the purest of blue skies. As a visual spectacle, the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have been a feast for the eyes and balm for the soul.
Given the glory of the Dolomites, that much might have been anticipated. More unexpected was a weekend of unprecedented sporting triumph for Team GB. For a nation that has not traditionally been – to put it kindly – a winter sports heavyweight, two gold medals in the space of five hours on Sunday was a moment to savour. Competing in the mixed snowboard cross, Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale became the first ever British athletes to win on snow. In Milan, Tabitha Stoecker and Matt Weston hurtled down the ice track to edge out German competition in the first mixed team skeleton event.
Norway, sitting once again at the top of the medals table, will not feel that its remarkable historic dominance is under threat just yet. But the bravura performance of Bankes – who grew up in the French Alps and began her career competing for France – was a highlight of the tournament so far. Elsewhere, targeted investment is paying off.
