The 2008 Beijing Olympics
and Paralympics
on the 91Èȱ¬
91Èȱ¬ Radio team Olympic impressions
John Inverdale
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John Inverdale began his career as a reporter
on the Lincolnshire Echo before moving to
91Èȱ¬ Radio Lincolnshire in 1982.
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His first job
with network radio was in 1986 as a sports
reporter for 91Èȱ¬ Radio 2 and a news
reporter for Radio 4 on the Today
programme.
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In 1988 he became presenter of
Sport On 2, which he hosted for six years
until the advent of Radio 5 Live, when he
moved to a daily news programme.
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During his radio career, he has presented five
Olympic Games, several rugby and football
world cups, 19 Wimbledon championships,
12 Open golf championships, and numerous
other major sporting events.
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In 1997, he was
named Broadcaster of the Year at the Sony
Awards, and in 1998, Radio Personality of the
Year by the Variety Club.
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He hosted his own 91Èȱ¬ One sports chat
show, Onside, for seven series, and is a
regular presenter on other sports
programmes including the daily highlights
show from Wimbledon.
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"For me, the Olympics is a celebration of
being healthy.
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"My most memorable moment from past
Olympics is watching Adrian Moorhouse
winning his swimming gold in Seoul. I
watched it in a bar in the Korean capital
surrounded by 200 locals who'd turned the
TV over from the taekwando just for me.
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"I have been to China, but not for 25 years,
when everyone was on bikes!
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"I'm looking
forward to seeing how accommodating the
Chinese people can be when the world
is watching.
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"I think the main significance of it being
held in Beijing is the expansion of the
Olympic movement.
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"As for the action in the Games themselves
this time around, there's one hope I have
above all others. Although I want the rowers
to win loads of medals, I really want Paula
Radcliffe to win the marathon and crown a
glittering career in style.
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"I'll tentatively predict that, if she's fit, along
with the rowers – and how about the men's
hockey team for an unlikely gold, 20 years
after Seoul?
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"It will be great to have the Olympics in
London in 2012 because it means I can get to
them by tube! And it will be a real chance to
show the world that London is one of the, if
not the greatest city of them all."
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