Friday 9 July 2010

Gladiators, Ready!

This weekend sees the Much Wenlock Olympian Games in that beautiful village in deepest Shropshire. The Games were the inspiration for Baron Coubertin's refoundation of the international Olympics, though the village event was dreamed up in 1850 by a local doctor who thought the peasantry was growing porky. The closer to the London Olympics we get, the more attention the Wenlock games attract (hence one of the 2012 mascots being called Wenlock) - it's contesting one of the athletics events on Sunday.

It's a charming mix of fun events (vintage bicycle racing, bean-bag throwing) and serious sport - triathlon, archery and fencing, amongst others, are proper events.

For my sins, I'll be contesting the fencing event, despite not having fenced properly for over a year. They're going to destroy me.

If you're at a loose end, come on down. Fencing's on Sunday. Come and laugh at the fat man.

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