Friday, February 17, 2006

Tea tray tobogganing

The UK doesn't have a winter really, just a colder part of the annual 12-month rainy season. So we don't take "winter sports" too seriously (by which I mean things involving snow and ice - football and rugby in the pouring rain is quite wintry enough for my tastes).

The one thing we do enjoy, when a snowy day comes along, is sliding down hills on tea trays. So it is only fitting that our first medal in this year's Winter Olympics is a silver in the women's tea tray event. (OK, they don't really call it that - but they might as well.) She has to go abroad to do any proper training, so it's really quite a feat.

The Japanese are rather miffed as they have a serious winter sports industry and have yet to get a medal :-) I'm sure they will overtake us soon enough though. The only other thing we do moderately competently is curling, and there are two more medal chances there, but I don't think there is anything else to hope for. In fact Britain has won an average of one medal per Games since the Winter Olympics began in Chamonix in 1924.

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