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BY ANGELA KELLY
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Sporting emotion reminds us what it’s all about
WE’VE got very used to our top, often fame-weary sportspeople doing post-event TV interviews being very composed and predictable about their successes.
However, it’s taken the Commonwealth Games and the Euro 2022 women’s football tournament this Summer to remind us all just what top achievement really means after those many years of training.
The individuals in cycling, swimming, athletics and every other fascinating discipline in the Games dedicate their lives to their sport. They give up so much to follow a dream, curtailing family life and social fun for the necessary daily discipline.
Many of our top – let’s face it, pampered - athletes in all sports have very different lives. They are buoyed up by huge prize and appearance money and have supported lifestyles alongside their, no doubt much-deserved, success.
It’s no surprise then that, while they may celebrate with teammates on the football field or in the Formula 1 pits, there are certain given expectations about how well they will always do.
Flick to the other side of the coin and how many muddy playing fields, deserted tracks or half-empty local stadia are experienced by those still striving for top honours?
Amateur, minority or just less well-covered sports can be a lonely place even for the most dedicated and optimistic of individuals. You don’t often see Premier League footballers in tears after a really important match. So to witness a young weightlifter’s emotions after winning gold at the Commonwealth Games or a track athlete almost unable to speak after gaining top honours is a reminder of what sport is really all about.
Who can forget England footballer Chloe Kelly’s wonderful sprint around the pitch,ecstatically waving her national shirt around her head, after scoring the winning goal in the Euros?
This was only partly eclipsed by the immediate post-match telly interview when a super excited Chloe so wanted to celebrate the win with her team-mates and the crowd that she cut short the interview, flinging the microphone to the ground.
No-one could fail to be infected by that fabulously natural and overwhelming emotion. The girl was so excited!
Those sort of moments, especially part-way through an athlete’s journey, make us emotional, too. And they help us to understand just what sacrifices have been made by them as well as their family and partners.
So, as a lover of sport, I’d just like to say “thank you” to all those in this year’s Commonwealth Games and especially to the Lionesses. You’ve renewed an interest in watching and taking part in sport which even age cannot dim.
Always be fit to fly
THE realisation that some airlines rely on medically-trained passengers to help in emergencies is rather worrying.
Most of us tend to assume that a crew member with some form of relevant training would always take over but a poll of medics carried out by the Medical Defence Union revealed that nine out of 10 doctors questioned had been called to help an emergency on a plane.
Small wonder, in these litigious times, that they are increasingly reticent to come forward when help is needed - in spite of internationally recognized “Good Samaritan laws” which should shield anyone from negligence claims if they try to help.
One problem, though, is that the tools they need are often missing and onboard medical equipment appears to vary. While cabin crews are trained in first aid, whose responsibility is it should a poorly person die on board after a medic has intervened?
The worrying news is that medical emergencies in the air are not uncommon with around one in every 600 flights. As, for
example, 1,300 flights take off and land daily at Heathrow Airport alone that’s a lot of medical emergencies.
All British airlines’ crew have are required to stock a medical kit with supplies set out by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
This involves 60 different items including a blood-pressure monitor and IV fluids to treat dehydration along with certain medicines including antibiotics for infections and adrenaline for allergic reactions. Apparently, though, some vital equipment can be missing.
Realistically, passengers need to be pro-active when planning to fly and not ignore health warning signs that could become a medical emergency mid-air.
This includes anyone who has had a stroke or heart attack in the previous two months and women more than 36 weeks pregnant or 32 weeks with multiple pregnancies.
Plainly, commonsense is needed here because we have to accept that getting on a plane and being in the middle of the sky for however many hours is just not the same as being within relatively easy reach of suitable medical help should we need it.
Princess Diana’s real legacy – her sons
TWENTY five years after her death Princess Diana is still influential in the modern monarchy. There are many who say that future king Prince William’s warmth and humanity come directly from her.
It certainly seems the normality of the parenting of his three children and family life with wife Kate owes much to Diana’s attempts to give her own royal family as down-to-earth an upbringing as possible.
According to a new book by former royal bodyguard Ken Wharfe, Diana incurred the wrath of her husband and other royal relatives by her determination to provide a grounded family life.
Not only did she do ordinary things like taking them to school but she wanted her children to speak to the many palace servants and to mix with everyone – much to the dismay of Prince Charles and others.
She also wanted to take her sons to the cinema, for a ride on the Underground and on a bus and wasn’t averse to slipping away from palace duties to freedom. Just going to Marks & Spencer to buy sausages for tea provided a fun experience for the young princes.
Much has been written and revealed about Princess Diana’s life as a royal but, as Diana the mother, her story and influence comfortably continues with the next generation.
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