In a multi-cultural Britain where celebrity and consumerism is king, it is nice to know that British-ness is still celebrated and kept alive. Running in its third year to great acclaim, The Chaps & Hendrick’s Olympics being held in Bedford Square Gardens on the 14th July once again promises to showcase some of the traits that have helped create the quintessential English gentleman. Tickets for the ‘tongue in cheek’ event of the summer are free and can be obtained from Ticketweb.
For fanatics who take their sport seriously, play to win and never take off their football shirts and sports wear, this is not the event for them; instead The Chap Olympics offers a different sort of competitiveness and celebration. Voted by the Sunday Times as one of the top events of the summer and with 750 people expected, this years Olympics promises the usual mix of hilarious sporting events (if they can be called sports), gentlemanly decorum, eccentric traditional dress and of course plenty of free Gin & Tonic.
The event runs between 1-6 pm and starts with the lighting of the Olympic Pipe which is passed around the competitors to the rousing tune of the national anthem played by a brass band. After the opening lap of honour the pipe is placed on the Olympic Pipe Rack and the games begin.
This year’s Olympics promises the usual array of comical events along with the addition of a few new events to test the most dedicated of Chapist Olympians. Favourite events remain such as Bounders, where gentlemen have to behave outrageously in front of ladies with the winner forcing the loudest slap and Hop, Skip, and G&T where contestants must leap into the abyss while holding a G&T.
New events taking place this year include the Pipe Smokers Relay where a pipe is passed along a team of 3 in a grueling 400 yard dash and Neck-tie Kwon Do where competitors attempt to garrote each other using only the finest silk neck wear. Other events include the Martini Knockout relay, Umbrella Hockey, the Three-trousered Limbo, Curling, The Hendrick’s Steeplechase and the Freestyle Dash.
The idea for the Chap Olympics was the brainchild of Editor of the Chap Magazine Gustav Temple. Gustav set up the quarterly magazine in 1999 after reaching middle age (35) and not feeling comfortable in contempory attire. He switched to traditional tweeds, a Trilby hat, ditched his cigarettes for a pipe and set about celebrating the gentlemanly lifestyle in the modern world - the philosophy of ‘chapism’ was born.
Gustav explains, “I set up the Chap Magazine after becoming disillusioned with the fashions and styles of the times. With the media professing the importance of being young and beautiful and with sportswear being worn for all occasions, the Chap is for the minority out there who don’t fit in with these modern fads. The Chap is not about being rich and a toff but it is about being stylish and dignified and that can be achieved without spending thousands of pounds.
“The Chap Olympics are essentially for the people who feel slightly sidelined by sport. They were the types who spent most of their youths smoking behind the bike sheds and chatting up girls. With sport being so important in today’s world, those who don’t partake are looked on as slightly odd. The day is a sporting event for those who dislike sport and the vulgar sportswear that accompanies it.”
Disciples to chapism shun contemporary items such as sporting attire, hoodies, caps, ipods, alco-pops, hip hop and barbecues; instead keeping levels of decorum with suitable head wear, neck ties, tweed, jazz music, G&T’s and wicker basket picnics. Respect for ladies is essential and the magazine also runs an annual march against vulgarity.
Competitors for the Olympic events can be of all ages, abilities, and persuasions with athleticism not a requirement, as the prizes – gold, silver and bronze cravats – are awarded purely for panache, savoir-faire, and of course amusing headwear. Winners of events will be awarded with cucumber medals and bowler hats and the games close with the victory sashay around the park.
You will never see anything quite as ridiculously British as The Chap & Hendrick's Olympics. With the leafy surroundings of Bedford Square gardens, this year’s games promises once again to be a highlight of the summer. So whether you would like to compete, enjoy the out-of time rituals, soak in the atmosphere, dance to the 1930’s jazz band or simply just celebrate the intricacies of the British gentleman, don your traditional attire and celebrate what the British do best – dressing inappropriately, making complete buffoons of themselves and guzzling down G&T’s.
The Chap & Hendrick’s Olympiad 2007 – Saturday 14th July 2007 – 1.00pm till 6.00pm – Bedford Square Gardens, London WC1
Tickets are available for free in advance (via Ticketweb) with a maximum of 4 tickets per person.
