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It has been a genuine privilege to cover the Olympic and Paralympic Games. To witness first hand the many unforgettable sporting moments has been something very special.

But is Britain a different country and London a different city today because of the festival of sport that has just finished? And, more importantly, will it make a lasting impact on us all for years to come, long after the memories have faded?

The successful staging of the Games has given the country a massive confidence boost at a time when there are so many concerns - economic and otherwise - to trouble us.

From the creation of the Olympic Park in a run-down part of east London, to the torch relay and the smooth running of the creaking Victorian transport infrastructure, the Games have been delivered with precision and impressive purpose.

All the anxieties of the preceding seven years - over costs, security and transport - now seem slightly ridiculous. They weren't. We were right to be nervous. Staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games are the biggest undertaking any country can take and do not come cheap at £9bn of public money.

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Whenever a big name in sport loses and then criticises the athlete who beat him or her as well as the rules governing the competition, it makes for a great story.

But there are three reasons why the Oscar Pistorius story matters:

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