I met a couple from Gerrards Cross a couple of Days ago in the middle of Beijing who had been saving up for years to come to the Olympic Games. They had packed so much into the five days they had been there. Great Wall, Forbidden City, The Silk Market and of course the Olympic Stadium which had taken their breath away!

Beijing is truly an amazing city with a confusion of cultures. From the seriously ancient to the ultra modern.

It is still difficult to infiltrate the real China. Much of it I am sure has been hidden away from the tourist who has come here to sample a little of the culture and a lot of the Olympic Games.

Western influence is everywhere of course - Macdonalds, Subway, Coca Cola etc, etc. Such is the power of the Dollar (or not as the case might be!) and such is the power of the Games. But I wonder how much of a lasting impact the games will have on such a vast country which although is emerging as an economic super power, still has a mystique as to what it really stands for and where it wants to be within the global community in the 21st century.

Team GB is doing well. We have just had 'Super Satuday' where we won 9 medals with the promise of more to come. We have of course won 7 golds - the same as the USA's Michael Phelps! Simon Burnett, Wycombe's swimmer out here in Beijing was quoted as saying that 'it was unfair for one man to have so much talent!' Fair comment.

As to my 'Junket' this is my first morning off for 15 days and I am watching the women's marathon. It was feared that the polluted air may put paid to the athlete's efforts here. So far so good but poor Paula Radcliffe is suffering from her pre-games injury and a lack of training coming into the games.

But there is still so much more to look forward to in the games and of course the Paralympics. I am certainly looking forward to seeing Clare Strange and her wheelchair basketball team in action soon.

I hope these games stimulate more interest in sport by our young people in view of 2012 and beyond. Especially in High Wycombe.