Olympics Preview: On your marks!
The Olympics. Arguably the world's most political non-political event. In just two weeks the flags will be waving at the opening ceremony, and for the next fortnight the gaze of sports lovers across the globe will be turned to Beijing - via television sets, of course.
Sadly for British publicans hoping to screen some live action, it will be happening during the day or in the early hours of the morning.
There are a few weekend windows of opportunity, though, when you might be able to draw a crowd, and don't forget that the local pub is a great forum for sporting debate - especially when a local hero is taking part.
To strike gold, though, you'll need to be pretty athletic yourself, primed to seize your chances in a continually changing situation.
Team GB will be taking scores of athletes from all over the country. Wherever you are it's probable that one of them will live, or will have been born, locally, and as the final selections are made for the squad it's up to you to keep an eye on the news to find out who they are. Your local star will have friends and relatives who will want to celebrate their selection, give them a send-off, cheer on their efforts, go mad at their successes and welcome them home - with or without a medal.
Could your pub host all those occasions? And become a fan club headquarters?
Having chosen your local hero get your staff and regulars on board and publicise your support. Team up with a local paper, if you can, and dress up the pub with an Olympian theme to get your regulars in the mood.
Find out when your hero is competing. Events are being screened live on BBC TV and on British Eurosport. If it's one of the more obscure sports
it might take some nimble channel-hopping, but there's a chance to get supporters into your pub. And if it's outside your normal trading hours, remember you'll need a temporary events notice to serve alcohol.
And if you're not going to follow the games themselves, why not stage your own pub olympics, substituting darts, pool and cribbage for athletics, swimming and taekwando.
- One enthusiast for the coming Olympics is Perry Maher, who runs London pub search portal CityPubLife.com.
"The interest in certain events could be bigger than football," he says. "With UK involvement, interest is bound to peak in events such as the 4x100m relay, the sprints and events such as diving, where there are strong British contenders.
"The events which attract the most media interest will generate the most interest for pubs. Publicans should keep a keen eye on the sports pages!"
CityPubLife is preparing posters so that pubs can publicise their Olympic events. These are available to subscribers to CityPubLife (who pay £15 per month) at no extra cost.Ones to watch
Why not adopt a British competitor your regulars can cheer on? Keep an eye on the local media for news of British team members who live locally - it could even be that one of your customers has a friend or relative going out to Beijing.
Or you could pick a big national name like tennis star Andrew Murray, picked last weekend to play alongside brother Jamie in the doubles.
If you're lucky you might find someone who stands a chance of winning a medal. The Team GB website has the latest squad list and highlights more 'Brits to Watch Out For'. Meanwhile, here's our top 10:
Andy Murray
Born: Dunblane, Scotland
Lives: Wandsworth, London
Andy reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, going out to the eventual champion Rafa Nadal. As well as the singles he competes with brother Jamie in the doubles.Ben Ainslie
Born: Macclesfield, Cheshire
Lives: Lymington, Hampshire
Ben is Britain's most successful Olympic yachtsman and is bidding for his third consecutive gold medal.Frankie Gavin
Born: Birmingham
Lives: Birmingham
Lightweight Frankie won gold in the 2007 World Boxing Championships and is reigning Commonwealth Games champ.Jo Pavey
Born: Honiton, Devon
Lives: Teddington, Middlesex
Jo will compete in the 5,000m and 10,000m after narrowly missing the medals in the 2007 World Championships.Helen Tucker
Born: Elgin, Scotland
Lives: Bridgend, Wales
Helen has just won the world triathalon title - the sport that combines swimming, cycling and running.Phillips Idowu
Born: Hackney, London
Lives: Bush Hill Park, London
Phillips won triple jump gold in the World Indoor Championships this year and is number one in the world this year.Bradley Wiggins
Born: Ghent, Belgium
Lives: Chorley, Lancashire
Bradley heads a strong British cycling squad after scoring gold in the individual pursuit in 2004.Tom Daley
Born: Plymouth
Lives: Plymouth
Fourteen-year-old Tom won diving gold from the 10m platform in the 2008 European Chamipionships and is Britain's youngest Olympian since 1960.Victoria Pendleton
Born: Hitchin, Herts
Lives: Hitchin, Herts
Sprint cyclist Victoria scored double gold in this year's World Track Championships adding to her treble in 2007.Campbell Walsh
Born: Glasgow
Lives: Nottingham
Kayak silver medallist in Athens, Campbell struck gold in the 2008 European Championships.
