Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
My hat is off to Tokyo and the beautiful people of Japan. The way they managed to stage and run the Olympics in the midsts of a pandemic the scale of Covid-19 is testament to their determination, passion and spirit. Yes, without crowds, it was one of the most bizarre Olympics ever, but the athletes and the events outshone everything.
I accidentally bought a Sky subscription for the European Cup and that lasted five weeks so we got to be across every moment from every Kiwi athlete and Olympian. Of course, watching our Olympic surfers take on the best in the world was incredible and to see Billy Stairmand go toe-to-toe with eventual gold medal winner Italo Ferreira, was a heat I will never forget.
But what I loved most about the Kiwi athletes was the way they handled themselves in Tokyo. Like Billy Stairmand congratulating Italo on his gold, like the Oly Whites leaving their dressing rooms spotless, Laurel Hubbard's post event interview, sevens star Tui Ruby's perpetual charm, the superb character of Lisa Carrington, the bows to TV audiences around the world – the little things that show respect for a host nation and elevate our athletes to a new realm.
Yes, it was a record medal haul for New Zealand, but more than that every single one of our Olympians stood up as an incredible human being in a trying time. There is a massive team behind all of them and every single one of those people helped create that environment. Thank you, I'll bow to that.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS We ran one of the most important stories we have ever run in New Zealand Surf Journal last week – the story of the tragedy that unfolded at Taieri Mouth in April this year, written by one of the four surfers who staged the rescue, Dr Will Allen. Will, determined to make something positive of the tragedy, is now on a mission to save more lives by empowering surfers to understand the dynamics of that rescue and cold water drownings. Every surfer and loved one of a surfer should read this: The Physiology of Life and Death, The Taieri Mouth Capsize Story.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: