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I don't know about you, but I haven't had much sleep lately. Contemplating the Sydney Olympics in advance, I assumed that it would all be happening in the middle of the night as far as we were concerned, and I'd just pick up the results on the news.

But no, just as you're thinking about going to bed, it starts. So you look at the schedule of events and think, "Well, I'll just stay up to see that one …" and the next thing you know, it's 2am. The mornings aren't much better. Usually, if I wake up at 5am, my first thought is, "Thank God, another hour's sleep." Just lately it's been, "If I just put on the television I can see how the relay team/boxers/rowers are doing."

Part of the attraction is, of course, that we're winning a decent number of medals. It's amazing how interesting tae-kwon-do gets when a British girl is fighting for the silver.

I think it's the competitive element that makes it so compelling, combined, of course, with the latent nationalism that it brings out in all of us. Did you notice that Sonia O'Sullivan, the Irish runner, suddenly became "British", according to the BBC, when she got into the final of the 5000 m?

Competition is always exciting, which is why I enjoy the awards ceremonies in the construction industry, even though the accepted wisdom is that there are far too many of them. In this instance, I think the accepted wisdom is wrong. Awards have an important role to play in an industry such as construction, and as long as they are well organised and fairly judged I think we could do with a few more.

This is an industry that's extremely good at beating itself up, and while there is plenty to criticise, there is also plenty to celebrate. We (or, to be more accurate, you) create some beautiful structures, often in difficult and inhospitable conditions, and more often than not safely, on time and within budget. Good construction enhances people's lives, and we need to remind them of that at every opportunity.

The Major Contractors Group's Celebrating Construction Achievement awards for lottery-funded projects were all about reminding the public of the contribution those structures will make to their communities, and I am convinced that more outward-facing awards schemes could do much to improve our public image.

If I ruled the world, I would have more awards for the people who actually work on site, because without them there wouldn’t be an industry to celebrate

Awards also help to build teams. If you've ever been to one of the ceremonies, you'll know that the organisers effortlessly fill the largest banqueting suites in London, and that the atmosphere is always buzzing. And it's not the official guests like me who create that atmosphere. It's the project teams, all geared up to cheer on a particular scheme – which they invariably do with increasing vigour as the evening wears on, often to the consternation of the presenter.

Of course, some awards are for individuals rather than companies, but you still get an insight into the company culture when the results are announced. I recently attended the ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉúTV Manager of the Year Awards for the first time, and it was very striking that the companies who cheered their nominee the loudest, who had brought the largest contingent and leaped to their feet when the results were announced, usually employed the winner.

Speaking of winners, imagine what a fantastic experience it must be for the individuals concerned. Being presented with a medal in front of 700 people in the London Hilton is not something they will forget in a hurry, and next time they have to work a 70-hour week to meet a deadline, that might just be what keeps them going.

In fact, if I ruled the world, I would have more awards for the people who actually work on site, because without them there wouldn't be a construction industry for us to celebrate.

By now, the cynics are probably dying to remind me that one of the reasons the Olympic Games are so successful is because they happen only once every four years. But it's worth remembering that the Olympics drive four years worth of smaller tournaments and competitions, all of which feed of the enthusiasm and spectacle that we have just seen in Sydney.