With the festive atmosphere of long ago country faires London 2012 hosted the Olympic summer games with the most international field of athletes ever to compete. 10,000 athletes participated in 26 sports representing 204 countries and territories in fourteen days of competition. Pageantry is something the British do better than almost any other nation. For the games they showcased their historic sites while creating modern venues. The opening and closing ceremonies seemed to capture the British spirit of being brilliant but slightly bonkers.

London 2012 had winners and losers not necessarily identified by medals. There were world records set, Olympics records broken and personal bests achieved by athletes who gave it their all. Mo Farah astounded with his double victories in long distance running while Ashton Eaton did what was expected with grace and style by winning decathlon gold. Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian ever by winning four more golds and two silvers.

As days progressed even the host nation got caught up in the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat". Team GB succeeded their own expectations with the best performance by their national team in the modern era garnering 29 gold metals with a total of 64 putting them in fourth place overall. Their volunteers called "game makers" were outstanding ambassadors for their country. London’s mass transit system worked smoothly and got people where they needed to go. Many called this the first social media Olympics as people used their cell phones and tweets to keep up on the activities, outcomes and messages. Whatever it was called it was a success by any measure and a grand time had by all who participated.