The 2008 Beijing Olympics
and Paralympics
on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ TV team Olympic impressions
Adrian Chiles
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Adrian is one of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's most versatile and
admired presenters, and is famously football-mad – in particular about West Brom.
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Adrian joined the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ originally for three
weeks' work experience and by 1993 was
presenting Radio 4's Financial World Tonight.
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In 1994 he started presenting Wake Up To
Money on the relaunched Radio 5 Live.
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His 5
Live show Chiles On Saturday won the Sports
Category Gold in the Sony Radio Awards in
2002.
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He is a presenter on Working Lunch on
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Two on weekdays and presents Match Of
The Day 2 on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Two on Sunday evenings.
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A football dream came true for Birmingham-born
Adrian in 2006 when he worked on the
World Cup for the first time, presenting the
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's nightly highlights programme.
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Adrian has also written and presented a
number of other programmes for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ.
These include So What Do You Do All Day? –
a look at the lives of some of Britain's highest
profile
figures – and, most recently, the daily
magazine programme The One Show.
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"For me, I think the Olympics represents the
apotheosis of all the usual stuff about sport:
the dedication, the glory, the disappointment,
the tension, the joy, the despair …
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"But it's
also the chance to learn about different
sports and become passionate about them in
a very short space of time.
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"Also, brilliant
though they are, the competitors often are
purely athletes, not celebrities. And that
makes it so much more special.
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"My favourite Olympic memories are the stuff
I saw as a kid: Ovett, Coe, Thompson, Foster
etc. It was so magical.
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"Also the moments of
sheer drama; I remember Olga Korbut falling
off the beam and crying. I was absolutely
captivated. I remember my Dad saying she'd
be sent to Siberia as a punishment and I didn' t
know whether he was joking.
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"I really can't wait for Beijing. I just have no
preconceptions, which is fascinating. I've
been to Hong Kong and Macau but doubt
that's much preparation for Beijing.
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"Once there, I'm really looking forward to
seeing the cycling, table tennis, badminton,
athletics and weightlifting.
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"As far as British
hopes go, Tom Daley seems to have some
pretty unstoppable momentum.
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"Looking ahead to 2012, assuming it's a
massive success, which I think it will be,
London, and the UK as a whole, will have a
new-found sense of itself.
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"I sense all athletes work as hard as they
possibly can, but the added incentive of
competing on home soil will surely give them
a little extra."
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