The 2008 Beijing Olympics
and Paralympics
on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio team Olympic impressions
Mark Pougatch
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Mark Pougatch presents ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 5 Live's
flagship programme 5 Live Sport every Friday
(7-10pm) and Saturday (12-6pm).
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Born in London in 1968, Mark went to the
University of Durham, where he studied
politics.
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He went on to complete a radio
diploma and to work for six months at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ
GLR, the former ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ station for London.
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He
then worked at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Essex in 1992 and
became a regular football reporter.
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He took up his first 5 Live presenting role
in 1998 when he became the anchor of
5 Live Sport on Sundays.
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In August 2000 he
moved to present the Saturday edition of the
show and took on the Friday night slot in
August 2005.
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He has worked on many of
5 Live's main events, including the World
Cup, the Olympics, the Commonwealth
Games and Wimbledon.
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He has worked on all the major
Championships in golf and has experience as
a cricket reporter, having covered the
England tour of New Zealand in 1997 and
the last Ashes tour in Australia.
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Mark has presented ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Television's Match
Of The Day and Football Focus. His
television work has also included the world
darts championships.
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"For me the Olympics represents the
greatest sporting fiesta of all, where apart
from watching the blue riband events – the
athletics, the swimming – you get the chance
to watch sports you'd never normally come
across, like volleyball and handball.
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"My own favourite moments from past
Olympics have to be watching Coe against
Ovett in Moscow on the TV when I was 12,
because in those days they were as famous
as any sportsmen in the country, like Ian
Botham and Kevin Keegan.
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"And in the flesh:
Cathy Freeman winning the 400 meters in
Sydney in 2000; the pressure to deliver in
front of her home crowd was immense and
to see her withstand that was amazing.
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"Then four years ago seeing Kelly Holmes
complete the middle distance double was
one of THE British sporting achievements of
my lifetime.
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"I've never been to China before so I am just
looking forward to the entire experience –
the people, the food, the culture, the sport,
the politics.
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"As far as the significance of the Games being
held in Beijing goes, I think sport can
precipitate the biggest changes in society.
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"Just
look at the way sporting isolation hurt the
apartheid regime in South Africa – so it will
be fascinating to see if having the world's
eyes on Beijing in any way heralds even the
smallest change in the way China is run.
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"Once there, the events that I'm most
looking forward to seeing are the swimming
– at last Britain has realistic medal chances.
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"Then the cycling, with Victoria Pendleton,
Chrissy Hoy, Bradley Wiggins and the team.
Also the men's 100 metres final. The fastest
man on earth – what else needs to be said?
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"I'm also looking forward to seeing some
volleyball. I watched quite a bit of it in
Athens and it's unbelievably fast, skilful and
almost entrancing.
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"Finally, the marathon. Paula Radcliffe, the
Athens disappointment, the smog – it's got
all the ingredients...
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"For British glory, I'm predicting medals in
the swimming, cycling and equestrianism.
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"Looking ahead to 2012, the Olympics being
in London will mean the chance for my
children and their generation to see close up
the best athletes in the best sporting festival in
the world, and the chance for this country to
show just how much sport means to people.
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"For Team GB, to win a medal in front of
your home crowd – what else could you
wish for?
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"For London, I think it's a chance to
sort out traffic problems and for
regeneration and, for tourists' purposes, the
opportunity to showcase one of the greatest
capitals in the world."
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