Karen Pickering MBE looks back on the XVIII Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, her first as a commentator since retiring from swimming.

I wasn’t sure what it would feel like to watch the Commonwealth Games - instead of competing - as they have been such a big part of my life for so many years as a swimmer.

This time around I was poolside but working for Radio 5 Live as a commentator on the swimming. I still felt like the swimmers are my team-mates and I felt so proud of their amazing results. The hardest part was not being able to give them a hug like the rest of the team after each race.

It was quite a tiring schedule working for the BBC but nothing like as tough as competing, particularly in terms of pressure and nerves. I didn’t ever wish I was racing while I was watching but there were times I had flashbacks to special moments I’ve had at past Games. For example I was at a press conference where some of the Aussie swimmers were talking about how exciting it was to be moving into the village. That really brought back memories of Manchester.

The swimming team – both England and Scotland – performed extremely well. This augurs well for the future and I hope that we are able to build on that success. There have been improvements in the facilities in England, and this will have an impact in the longer term. For example, many of the team have trained at Sport England Lottery funded facilities at Loughborough and Bath Universities, part of the high performance network now in place. When you are out in Australia, it does hit home that there is still a way to go, but the planned additional investment in a network of 50 metre pools around the country will certainly help.

One of the great things about my time in Melbourne was that I was able to get out and see some of the other sports.  With injuries to several leading athletes, others must have felt an even greater weight of expectation upon them. Dean Macey and Kelly Sotherton duly delivered in the decathlon and heptathlon respectively.

There was likewise great pressure on some of the youngsters to step up a level. Several did so admirably. Just look at heptathlete Jessica Ennis. Competing in her first major competition, she took bronze and her high jump PB in the heptathlon equalled the winning height in the high jump competition itself.  Likewise, Christine Ohururugu who only switched from netball to full-time athletics about three years ago, was extremely impressive to win gold in the 400m.  

In other sports too, Team England responded to the pressure on them. In their first major international event, both basketball teams took bronze. In the last hours of the games, the netball team got the result against Jamaica that had eluded them in Manchester and the last world championships. Pete Nicol in squash took a double gold; Nathan and Gail delivered in the badminton mixed doubles; Tracey Hallam in the singles.

Likewise the day before, the women’s hockey team, who had been criticised when they didn’t qualify for the Athens Olympics, beat New Zealand for the bronze in a thrilling match.  Jo Ellis was a key member of the England set up. She is also a member of the Team Ipswich Elite Squad, made up of senior international athletes in the town, that I have helped set up as part of my role as Ambassador for sport for Ipswich.  We have been working with local businesses to enhance the support available to elite athletes in the area and we are all really proud of her achievement.

Overall much work has already been done to put in place the right infrastructure at the community and elite level to support this success, as well as greater participation. World class funding through Sport England and UK Sport supported many of those in Melbourne, and more besides has come through TASS and TASS 2012.  Other positives include the additional investment for sport recently announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. This is all good news as we look ahead to London 2012.  

From this year onwards, local authorities will be assessed on their provision of sport to the community.  Already some local authorities – such as Ipswich who I work for – are making strides to give sport a much greater emphasis. Replicating this across the country could have a major impact.

It might not form as big a part of everyone’s lives as it has in mine but I firmly believe that sport is not a nice-to-have. It’s a must have, not least in light of the crisis of obesity and health facing the nation. We need to get more people actively involved in sport at all levels if we are going to maximise the legacy of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

On this I think it’s worth reflecting on the huge success of Australia in sporting terms - in the pool and on the court, track and field.  One of the key factors is the culture of sport. It’s everywhere.

Here in England, we are a passionate sporting nation, but all too often we are a nation of armchair fans. We have a huge resource of untapped talent. Hosting the Games in 2012 is an opportunity we must seize, both to put sport at the heart of our society and to reach out and develop that talent.  If we can do so, it will help our sporting success and will bring enjoyment, improved health and wider benefits to millions of people and the nation as a whole.