BEIJING 2008
The sports
After an unforgettable and tiring first day we were all exited to see our first Olympic sport event which was the men’s Basketball, the first match was between Iran and Russia. The Russian team were really very tall and their height advantage really began to show as they pulled away in the second half. The second match we saw was between Germany vs Angola - that was a lot faster and more exciting, the German team were really cool as they all had the 5 Olympic rings shaved into their heads!! Dirk Nowitski (NBA player) was awesome (he could stand and touch the net!) we also saw him in the dinning hall in the Olympic village; he has to duck to get through the canteen doors! In a much better match where the crowd got involved and we were on the big screen with our flag! The Germans won comfortably.
After a mad rush to get to the Watercube we arrived late but still lucky enough to see Tom Daley and Blake Aldrige competing in the final of the 10m synchronised Diving. The precision and accuracy makes you realise just how difficult a sport this is to compete in! When the Chinese divers had their turn the atmosphere was amazing! In the last two dives the favourites, the Russians, slipped from first to third and were really grumpy on the podium. The Germans however seemed more than happy to get silver and the Chinese won another gold, they were both really young!
Tennis what can I say, my first ever live match and it was Venus Williams! Watching live is so different from telly, its so much faster! Venus wins comfortably, and as we prayed for the rain to hold off .Novak Djokvovic warmed up ready to play an American called Robbie Ginepri. Can you imagine trying to return a service travelling at around 190kph!! James (Dower) got very excited about this match and even managed to get Djokovic’s autograph! The matches were all tight and we had to leave for dinner, as we couldn’t survive on crisps any longer (10pm) just as a Chinese player with mad home support was just about to beat Kutsnova!
Amy
Great Wall
Following a few wet days, filled with two action packed games of basketball, three intense tennis matches and two out of six rounds (as were slightly late) of mind blowing 10m diving; it was fair to say that we were feeling very optimistic and excited about our visit to the Great Wall, and in some hope that we may be blessed with a sunnier day. We began the day with an early start (around 6:30am), proceeded by a 50 minute drive to the village of Mutiyanu which is the location just outside of a large section of the wall itself. On arriving, it was apparent to see that it was a very popular attraction by the shear scale of tourist busses that littered the area but on seeing a first glimpse of the wall it was never the less clear as to why.
We first began our journey up to the wall by cable car, where it is possible to take in the amazing landscapes of the hills and mountains that almost represent an oriental paradise on the outskirts of Beijing.
Once we reached the summit, it was made clear to us why this landmark was renowned for its beauty and architectural indifference all over the world, its construction began in 300 BC, it took 160 years to build and it is around 3000 km in length! After taking a few pictures we began walking along a small stretch of the wall, which contains many sections of ancient stairs; which travel up and down the rolling landscape. As we came to the end of our hike, we arrived at the toboggan ride which Is a fairly well kept secret about the wall, but is essentially a slalom run where the rider sits on a sledge sown a mile long slide, transporting you down the mountain, its is EXTREMELY good fun and well recommended!
Following this and some masterful bartering from Andy and James, we visited a school house which had been uniquely renovated into a fantastic yet simplistic restaurant. When we finished eating our massive ‘Great Wall Burgers’ we visited the adjacent glass works centre where we witnessed the most magnificent cobra and sea horse crafted before returning for some shopping and finally back to our apartments.
The Olympic Village
On Monday we got to experience the Olympic Village. This was the event in our Olympic timetable that I was most looking forward to, as I knew getting into the village if you weren’t a member of an Olympic team, was impossible.
Our driver dropped us off just before 11am, with each member of the team not really knowing what to expect. We then went through a rigorous security check before handing over our passports and finally getting into the Village.
On the other side of security we met our guide and Olympic Gold medallist Ben Hunt-Davies. He welcomed us into the Village and took us on a tour.
First up we started in the International Zone. This is the only area in the Village where the press are allowed to go, and therefore we didn’t see a huge amount of athletes here. In the International Zone there is a games room, a gym, a DVD/film room and an outside area where each team is individually welcomed to the Village by the Mayor of the Village during a special ceremony. It was amazing to see how competitive the athletes were when playing air Hockey or table Football in the Village!
We then went to the accommodation in the Village, and visited Team GB HQ. This was a lot different to what I expected. This is because once inside the GB block it felt like you were back at home and not in the centre of Beijing! We then visited the Physiotherapy department. This was a personal highlight for me as I would like to study Physiotherapy at university.
After this we then visited the Olympic Village canteen. This was amazing! It was the size of 4 football pitches and contained any food you could think of. I had spaghetti bolognaise and this was the best I had ever had! Seeing so many world class athletes just walking around casually was a very surreal experience.
Finally we all went to the Olympic Village shop. I purchased a Chinese team tracksuit top to remember the experience. However it would have been easy to have purchased an awful lot more!
This was an amazing experience and it has been the ultimate experience to make sure that I am there competing at London 2012!
James Dower
The Opening Ceremony
We arrived in Beijing very early Friday morning and we had to keep ourselves awake all day in preparation for the Opening Ceremony.
We left for the Bird’s Nest at 5pm. This was 3 hours earlier than it’s scedueled start time.
As we approached the stadium I had realised why we left so early, and I must admit I’m very glad we did!!
We had 2 interviews along the way; both were filmed and would probably be put onto TV channels and watched by the Chinese public.
As time went by, we finally made it to the entrance of the Bird’s Nest, even though we were late, there was already massive hoards of people waiting to enter the building. The queue’s were huge, I thought we would never get inside by the time the ceremony began!
When standing in the queue, a volunteer told us to get on the bus, which would take us around to the entrance for security checks.
We decided to get on, and as the bus took it’s course, it seemed as if it was taking us to the furthest away entrance there was!!
Luckily the crowds weren’t too big there, but it did mean we had to walk much further than many others.
Whilst we were making our way through security, they made sure that NOBODY took in anything inappropriate, including food.
Sadly Andy had his snacks taken away and Amy lost her hand wash!
We finally made it through, and as we walked down the Olympic Green towards the Bird’s Nest I managed to catch a glimpse of many, many Mascots!!
After a long journey and HUNDREDS of photos with the Chinese public, we finally entered the stadium.
I was gob smacked; the way the stadium seemed to open up as I walked inside was unreal, and the amount of noise the crowd was making made me feel like I was dreaming!!
As we sat down in our row 10 seats, there were official Opening Ceremony bags waiting for us, each containing lots of special goodies and colourful lights to use during the Ceremony.
There were also a few presenters standing in the centre of the stadium, giving each member o the audience some instructions to do during certain parts of the show.
Finally the countdown commenced, and as soon as we had reached 1, the roars of the crowd which collided with the bangs of the fireworks was insane.
I never ever expected to actually feel highly emotional during the opening of the Opening Ceremony!!
To be perfectly honest I did shed a few tears, but it was an indescribable feeling that I had, and I am certain to never feel like that again.
The entire Ceremony was magnificent, the 14,000 performers made the show unforgettable, and I will never forget how beautifully they all performed.
After the amazing experience we finally left for our apartments at about 1am, meaning we all had about 3 days of no sleep!!
It was all truly brilliant, and I would love to see it all again, hopefully I will be taking part in the opening ceremony in 2012, walking along side Team GB.
Lauren Sammot