Ian McLean Spokesperson for the Green Party

The highlight of the Olympics for me was not the competitive success of our athletes, extraordinary as that was.

It was the events immediately following the 10,000m final. Men's distance running is dominated by North Africans, regularly the small wiry people of Ethiopia.

Gold was taken by a British runner (Mohammed Farah), silver by an American, and bronze by an Ethiopian. The commentators were excited that Ethiopian dominance had finally ended. Hardly! Places 3 to 10 were all North Africans, three were Ethiopian.

The American was tall and blond, but Mo Farah is clearly also North African by origin.

Somehow, a little girl broke through security and ran to Mo in the midst of his euphoria. He scooped her up. Then his wife showed up as well. Enormously pregnant, she was clearly of traditional British stock.

That family symbolised the real point of the Olympics, which is to break down barriers and bring people together.