Sport is GREAT - Part 2

Messing about in boats is a British obsession. Richard visits Portland and Weymouth's Olympic harbour and finds out if he's got what it takes to win a medal on the water.

Transcript

I’ve come to Weymouth and Portland Bay where you’ll find some of the best natural sailing waters in the UK. During the Olympics this incredible coastline will host 10 exciting sailing events from dinghy racing to windsurfing. The area is a natural open-air venue, which means there are plenty of places to watch the sailing from – like here.

This is the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and, thanks to the Olympics, it’s become a state-of-the-art facility for professional training, competitions and the local community… so everyone will benefit from the Olympics – even when it’s gone.

…..

Peter Allam works for LOCOG, the Olympic Organisers.

Richard: Peter, why has this stretch of coastline been chosen for Olympic sailing?

Peter: One thing we can always rely on at Weymouth and Portland is the wind... and you can probably just hear it whistling in the background so we get good wind. We also have fantastic waters here to which we can set the race courses, the good sea conditions are favourable, and the shape of the bay and the harbour here, within Portland Harbour, gives us plenty of opportunity to sail whatever the conditions.

Richard: And you're an Olympian yourself.

Peter: I've been lucky. Twice, I've been to the Olympics. The first time was in 1984, the second time was in '92, and I was very fortunate in '84 to win a bronze medal, although we were favourites for the gold, I'm very happy to have come away with a medal.

Richard: So what makes this facility so state of the art?

Peter: The great thing about this academy is that it caters for all ability levels, from the elite athletes to the first-time sailor. It also has plenty of space. You need space for lots of boats and lots of people.

Richard: All this sea air and talk of sailing has given me an idea!

…..

Snug! This is the Official Test Centre, next to the sailing academy. It offers something for everyone from professionals to beginners – like me. So, let’s see what this coastline has to offer.

Windsurfing instructor Tris Best is taking me out on the water.

Tris: That's it. Lovely job. And then hand over hand nice and gently when you're ready. No rush. Lovely job. And then just grab in the mast below the boom. Perfect! Well done.

Richard: Got it.

Tris. OK. Keep your knees nice and bent, back straight. That's how, nice and upright. Perfect. That's it. Perfect. Here we go. Too easy!

 

Oh, this is it! I'm getting there. Yes! A carve gybe! Oh, and a flare gybe! I'm all over it! Just flip a 180! Yes, that's a beautiful gust. Yeah, alright, OK, I admit it. I've got a little way to go when it comes to windsurfing... but Great Britain is so passionate about sport I think I'm going to try a few more of them. Now, where did I put my cricket bat?

Task 1

Which is the best title for this video?

Exercise

Task 2

Which answers are true? There may be more than one.

Exercise

Task 3

Drag the right words into the gaps.

Exercise

Task 4

Correct the correct word to complete each sentence.

Exercise

Discussion

Average: 5 (1 vote)
Profile picture for user Rafaela1

Submitted by Rafaela1 on Fri, 30/07/2021 - 16:30

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The other day, I saw a couple in a festive mood in front of the Olympic Rings, appealing "solidarity" as if they represented what IOC chairman said. Behind the back of the rings, there are essential workers and patients being in a fight with COVID-19 at the moment. Vanity.... the "solidarity" actually results in the dismemberment of the globe.

Submitted by Evgeny N on Fri, 24/05/2019 - 13:22

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Dear British Council! Thank you a lot not only for the opportunity to improve level of my English but also for very interesting and useful videos! Due to the fact that you exist I have found a lot of very interesting details about Great Britain: about English people and their culture.
Profile picture for user FrancktheDodger

Submitted by FrancktheDodger on Mon, 12/03/2018 - 18:26

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Are water sports popular in your country?  Italy is a peninsula and our country has a continuous relationship with seaside. We have a long tradition about sailing and shipbuilding. Lately, Giovanni Soldini and his crew sailed from HongKong to London, the Tea Route, and his Maserati team broke the early record of nearly a week less. Italian people are interested in water sports, specially in the Olympics, and many athletes attend for games as divers, swimmers, subs. Though I do not consider very common for people here regularly to swim and practise water sports. Even if the synonym between summer holidays and going to seaside stays a “must” for the majority of our population. How would you feel if you represented your country in the Olympics or Paralympics?  Well, if I were an outstanding athlete, I would be proud to represent my country and I would do my best to contend medals and break records. I would feel even sense of responsibility towards my coaches and sporting mates, to do my best respecting rules. Actually, I still believe that sports spirits have a lot to do with fair-play, hard work and healthy cure of the body. In any case, it will stay an far-away hypothesis, fortunately for my country, because I am a sport-loving watcher but am not a sporting person at all! Is there an unusual sport you would like to try? Well, I would like to train myself to compete in free diving. I love the sea and I am good at yoga, working well with deep and long breathing. I won’t compete with great Olympics swimmers, but maybe there would be a chance going into deep.