London Olympics have redefined how Britain sees itself

British fans react ecstatically to Greg Rutherford's long jump gold. The home crowd has been vocal in its support for Team GB.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• London's Games have been an unexpected triumph, says Alastair Campbell
• He says challenge will be to build on the Games' success to create a lasting legacy
• Campbell: Event has changed the way British people think about their country
• He says onus is on media, politicians to continue new mood of positivity

Editor's note: Alastair Campbell is a writer, communicator and strategist best known for his role as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy. He recently published his diaries covering 9/11 to the Iraq War (and the decision to go for London 2012): The Burden of Power: Countdown to Iraq, Hutchinson.

London (CNN) -- I always thought London 2012 would be a success, but never imagined it would be quite the triumph it has turned out to be.

From the brilliant opening ceremony to the festival of music and fun closing it, via mainly lovely weather, some epoch-making athletic events, and a home team performance that exceeded even the most optimistic expectations, the Games have given London two of the most remarkable weeks in a great city's rich history.

Alistair Campbell, formerly spokesman for Tony Blair, says Britain faces a challenge to build on the legacy of its Olympics.

The question now is where it all goes from here. Do we look back, as the Australians and the Greeks have done after Sydney and Athens, and say: "Well that was wonderful, but it kind of went downhill from there?"

Australia's relatively poor performance on the field of play suggests they didn't get the legacy right from Sydney -- one of the key challenges for London now -- whilst the Greeks, at the epicenter of the eurozone crises, remind us the attention of the world will quickly revert to the state of the global economy.

I remember, on leaving Athens eight years ago, hearing both the public and politicians say this was the starting point for a new and better Greece. A lot has gone wrong since.

Even as the Brits were celebrating more gold, Bank of England Governor Sir Mervyn King was giving one of the gloomiest gubernatorial assessments of the future I have ever heard.

And we all know that after a party as fantastic as the one we have had, there is bound to be a hangover to come during the lull before the Paralympics open.

 

Great Britain feeling good about Olympics

For the politicians, who have to lead the country through difficult times, capturing the Olympic mood and turning it into something of positive and lasting significance has now been added to their list of challenges.

Politics, banking, the media and the church are among many parts of national life that have seen their reputations lowered in recent years. It has felt at times in the past fortnight that sport is filling some of the gaps.

Read more: Olympics give London a golden glow

If politicians try too hard to associate themselves with the gold rush, it could easily backfire. They will find it hard to resist demands for more investment in school sport, or tax breaks for sporting clubs and activities, and any number of campaigns backed by a small army of new heroes.

London 2012 organizers hope that the legacy of the city's Summer Games will be to encourage children across the country to be inspired by the sporting event.

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I hope they take up an idea I proposed some months ago to raise sport to the Cabinet table, not least for the economic and social opportunities it brings.

Yet equally, once life settles back down to something closer to normality, they will find the same pressures from other walks of life too, and the same frighteningly difficult economic sums to add up.

But they do have to make decisions and they do now, finally, have to seize the opportunity for a proper sports strategy to build on the success of the Games and the joy and fulfillment sport has shown it can bring.

 

Team Britain the stars of London Games

I had a call today from an athletics club organizer saying he had been inundated by kids and parents wanting to join, but worried he didn't have the capacity to give them what they thought they would be getting.

But nor should the anti-politics brigade underestimate the role that politics played both in the getting and running of the Games, and in the success of Team GB. Success has many fathers, and President Truman was so right when he said how much more could be achieved if nobody cared who got the credit.

While huge credit has rightly gone to LOCOG chairman Seb Coe and his team, John Major's government does deserve credit for setting up the National Lottery which enabled proper investment in elite sport.