

Let the Games begin
And so to the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, Rio, Brazil, 2016. The biggest sporting spectacle there is, the pinnacle of achievement for athletes in many sports, these games will be watched by approximately half of Planet Earth. 11,178 athletes from 205 countries will compete in 306 events across 42 different sports. It is sporting endeavour on a truly global scale. I am in a privileged position. I have had the opportunity and good fortune to be working with seven Team GB memb


Ranieri's masterclass & Leicester City's perfect storm
What a season it’s been. What. A. Season. I couldn’t be more delighted for Leicester City FC. I love not just what they’ve done, but the way they’ve gone about doing it. As far as I’m concerned, their achievement in winning the English Premier League is unsurpassed, certainly in British sport, and possibly in any sport, ever. To beat odds of 5000-1 and win in the circumstances that they have is a truly outstanding achievement, and a triumph that will inspire people for gen


what’s gone wrong at Chelsea?
What’s happening at Chelsea FC just now is absolutely fascinating (unless you are a Chelsea fan, in which case its probably pretty depressing). From the heights of having been last season’s Premier League champions, they have since experienced a dramatic drop in form, with them currently experiencing their worst ever start to a Premier League season. They have already lost five games, which is two more than they did the whole of last season. It is the worst series of results


does Andy Murray try too hard?
I am a massive fan of Andy Murray. He is a phenomenally talented sportsman, and for work ethic, determination and sheer effort he's a role model and inspiration to any athlete in any sport. He also seems like a top bloke, modest, down to earth, and grounded. The notes in this photograph caught my interest this week. Murray had them at his QF match vs Gilles Simon at the Rotterdam Open (he lost). A Dutch journalist found them and tweeted them. I suppose there are a number of t


success & the All Blacks
The New Zealand All Blacks fascinate me. When it comes to team sport, they are the pinnacle. This isn’t just opinion – it's a statistical fact. The All Blacks have a win rate of over 75% within the past 100 years, which makes them more successful at the elite level than any other team in any other sport, anywhere. And this is all from a relatively small nation. There are only 4.5 million people living in New Zealand, with just over 140,000 registered rugby players. To g


what's going on in American golf?
I was at Gleneagles on Thursday and Friday last week, and enjoyed the Ryder Cup immensely over the weekend. It’s great to see the European team having such a stranglehold over this competition, but it does leave you wondering what the story is with the Americans. They have now lost eight of the last 10 contests, and did not look anywhere close to challenging Europe this time round. As Tom Watson said, we “kicked their butts”. The plot thickened later yesterday following Phi

success, home advantage & the Commonwealth Games
My last few working weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. I have been in the privileged position of working closely with a number of athletes and sports from Team Scotland at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, through my work as a psychologist with the sportscotland institute of sport. What an incredible experience it has been. I’m sure anyone reading this with even a passing interest in sport would agree that Glasgow delivered a simply outstanding Games, possibly the be