100 days and counting!!!

Wow, not sure where the time has gone and it's hard to believe that in 100 days the greatest show on earth will eventually kick-off.  The focus will be on London Town, as billions of people from across the world will zoom in on the opening ceremony!  The excitement is immense now, just image what it'll be like once the official opening ceremony has happened and the Games are in full swing!!!

Let the countdown begin!

The on line networking forums have been building steadily but since the test events the pace has certainly picked-up, with regular regional get togethers, useful tips from fellow volunteers and general chit chat leading up to games time!  It's been great exchanging banter with other volunteers, as well as sharing our experiences, after all there will be approx. 70,000 of us come games time.

I may be a slight fan!

The momentum has certainly stepped-up a gear, here are a few important dates coming up in my journey as an Olympic volunteer:-

1. 16th May, uniform and accreditation collection
2. 19th May, Olympic Torch Relay begins at Land's End
3. June (tbc), final orientation of the Olympic Park
4. July (tbc), start of my shifts
5. 27th July, Olympic Games begin
6. 24th August, Paralympic Torch Relay begins at London
7. 29th August, Paralympic Games begin

Think it's going to be a busy Summer!!!  The latest image of the Olympic Park can be seen below.

Aerial view of the Olympic Park!

Olympic Torch relay, coming to a street near you!

It's finally happening - the Olympic Torch relay route was released today in the media.  Lit in Greece and steeped in history, the Olympic Torch will travel for 70 days across the UK, starting on 19th May until 27th July, when it'll be laid to rest as part of the massive opening ceremony for the games! 

Representing peace, unity and friendship, as it makes its way across the UK on a 70-day journey it will bring the excitement of the Olympics to everyone. 

The Olympic Torch Relay will help shine a light on the whole of the UK – from dynamic urban areas to places of outstanding natural beauty.  Torchbearers will carry the Flame through more than 1,000 cities, towns and villages in the UK.

See exactly where the Olympic Torch relay will pass here.

The London 2012 Olympic Torch features 8,000 small cut-out circles, representing the 8,000 inspirational people who will carry it on its journey around the UK.

History of the Olympic Flame, Torch and Relay!

The Olympic Flame, Torch and Relay draw on a history going back to the ancient Olympic Games in Greece.  The Torch and Relay were important elements of the cultural festivals surrounding the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece.

Spreading the light from Greece: the modern Games - a very precise ritual for the lighting of the Flame is followed at every Games. It is lit from the sun's rays at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, in a traditional ceremony among the ruins of the home of the ancient Games.

After a short relay around Greece, the Flame is handed over to the new Host City at another ceremony in the Panathenaiko stadium in Athens.

The Flame is then delivered to the Host Country, where it is transferred from one Torchbearer to another, spreading the message of peace, unity and friendship. It ends its journey as the last Torchbearer lights the cauldron at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in the Olympic Stadium, marking the official start of the Games.

The Flame is extinguished on the final day of the Games, at the Closing Ceremony.  Let's not think about the end before the Games have even begun!

Uniform collection dates have been announced!

Just as the excitement had died down following the test event back in February, I received official notification of collection dates for the uniform and accreditation for the Olympic games.  It's finally happening people, strap yourself in and enjoy the ride, the games are on the way!!!

I will be collecting my uniform in May by visiting West Ham of all places, home to the Hammers.  Here I will be presented with my official Olympic accreditation and uniform for the games.  This will entail:

• two polo shirts
• two pairs of trousers
• one jacket
• two pairs of socks
• one pair of trainers
• one hat
• one water bottle
• one umbrella
• one bag

Wow - just a handful of Olympic Adidas branded goodies - whoop whoop!!!  Each of the volunteers will look something like this:

As ambassadors for the Olympic games, we will surely stand out from the crowd and will not be missed!  Personally it reminds me of the Sainsbury's workforce uniform and I'm not sure if the colour of the trousers has been thought through very well,  as dirt will easily be visible!!! 

Comments on the Olympic forum have ranged from:

"so excited to be wearing this!!! will wear it with pride! am so honoured and proud to be given a volunteer role"

"We'll certainly stand out in the crowds ... which I guess is the whole point. Still looking forward to it though :)"

"HEHE my girls had shell suits like this,,,,,,,,,,, when they were 7yrs old hehe "

"I'm not too sure, I would have thought something with a Union jack, or Red-White and Blue would be more patriotic, but I suppose the Games are about encompassing all people."

and my personal favourite:

"Bring on the Purple Ronnies! Its the Ribena bunch!"

I guess you can make up your own minds.  Just wait till I post my pictures of me posing in the uniform!

150 days until the Olympics!

Let's keep this blog entry simple, 150 days until the Olympic games.  London 2012 - the biggest party in the world!

Party time!

Video - Inside the Aquatics Centre!

Take an exclusive tour inside the magnificent Aquatics Centre.

3 days at the Diving World Cup as an Olympic volunteer!

I have been invited to help out at the newly built Aquatics Centre on the Olympic Park.  The event was staged so that the Olympic Park, venues and other areas could be tested in the build up to the greatest show on earth, the Olympics!!!

The event was the 18th FINA Visa Diving World Cup 2012.  This competition is of great importance, as it's a qualifying event for the Olympic Games.  With countries competing from all over the world, the expected attendance for this event was 20,000 approx!

So my training begins........

The alarm bell sounded at 4.30am and I thought to myself what am I doing?  Regardless of the time, the anticipation of what lay ahead, made me spring out of bed.  With my Adidas volunteer uniform on, accreditation at hand, I made my way to the tube station at 5.30am.  To my astonishment I thought the tube would be empty but how wrong was I.  There were several other commuters also catching the tube at this ridiculous hour.  I guess London town never sleeps!!!

I arrived at the Olympic Park at 6.30am and made my way via the airport style security towards the Aquatics Centre.  There was an airy darkness at this time of the morning, with only the wind howling across the park, quite spooky but nice and calm at the same time.  I took advantage of this by snapping some pics, although dark, the silhouette's could still be visible.

6.30am - the Aquatics Centre visible before sunrise

The Orbit structure visible before sunrise

I arrived at my debrief with mixed feelings, excited, anxious and nervous.  The excitement could be felt from all parts, all the volunteers eagerly chatting away of what lay ahead, nobody would have thought it was only 7.00am!  The team of volunteers had been split into several various roles, ranging from checking and collecting tickets, to manning the information point and access control areas.  I spent the day moving between all the various tasks.  Once the team had been deployed the gates to the Olympic Park opened.

The calm before the storm

Evidence that I was there as a volunteer!

A small part of the volunteering team - nice bloke on the right!

In the distance we could see the spectators being security checked before they rushed towards ticket checking.  Half an hour into the job and a message was conveyed  that Nick Clegg had entered the Olympic Park - the first VIP of the day!  His entourage was visible from the distance, fast approaching I could just about make him out, as he was surrounded by his own security team.  He was the first of many, so the volunteers decided to see how many VIPs/celebs we could spot. Throughout the three days we managed to spot Princess Anne, comedian Jimmy Carr and Tom Daley.

As the spectators flowed in, so too did the number of pushchairs, children's scooters and bikes.  I'd never seen so many in my life, there must have been the same ratio of scooters to pushchair's!  The crowds began to fill the Aquatics Centre and the atmosphere was intensifying.  Everyone waited in anticipation for the event to begin. 

Action time!

Spectators waiting anxiously

The roof of mammoth whale like structure is clearly visible!

Synchronised diving is underway

The music began and so did the event.  The cheering and applause could be heard from within the arena outside.  I managed to catch some of the competition on my break and so did the remainder of the volunteers.   Once the competition ended, it was time to assist in helping to vacate the venue and the Olympic Park.  The Park did not take long to empty and once all the spectators had gone, we had a debrief and headed our separate ways. 

It was a long and gruelling day, a 10 hour shift in all!  It did not seem this long, the excitement and movement from role to role helped make the day go quicker.  This was pretty much the routine for the remainder of the week.  As as the days passed, the tasks became easier and so to did the journey to and from the Olympic Park.  All in all, the event had been hailed a great success, lots of positive feedback being received from many of the spectators, with gate receipts exceeded 20,000!  This trial run gave not only me, but all the volunteers and organises a flavour of what it'll actually be like at games time.  Exciting times ahead for the greatest show on earth!

Aquatics Centre here I come!

It's the final countdown - I am almost packed and ready to go to my first test event.  Only one more working day in the office and then I'm off for the remainder of the week.  You will not believe how excited I am at the thought of spending the next few days on the Olympic Park, particularly in the Aquatics Centre.  I'm not sure how quickly tomorrow will pass but the end of the day can't come soon enough!!!



The awesome Aquatics Centre

My wife, Farzana, is already fed up at my constant reminders about the Olympics but believe me, these will become even more annoying, especially as I countdown towards the Summer!  God help her!  My uniform is packed, accreditation checked and packed plus a few extra layers as I will be based on the Startford walk - the direct bridge which leads to the gigantic Olympic stadium.  This is one of five bridges, all leading straight to the mammoth structure on the centre of the Olympic Park.  The Stratford walk, directly in front of the Aquatics Centre, can be seen clearly below.  Come the Summer this will be packed solid with spectators, volunteers, media, press etc, all eagerly scurrying around the Olympic Park!

Startford walk

The next time I write a blog entry it'll be after my first day's work!  I'll be exhausted, excited but the adrenaline rush will be enough to log the day's activities.  Wish me luck.