First things first….got the emergency exit seat for the much needed leg room for the 10 hours of flying via Paris, Air France, and luggage arrived. A good start to any trip.
Heather met me at the airport and we headed straight for my hotel. I have decided to stay in Beijing for 5 days and then move to Shunyi (the location of the whitewater course and about 45 minutes North east of Central Beijing) for 6 days whilst Heather prepares for her racing.
Arrived at a brand new Novotel which I had booked via the internet. I was a little worried that the site said that the hotel was only opening in August, but it took my reservation so I wasn’t too worried.
As we walked through the doors, a flurry of people rushed forward and the manager informed us that I was the first ever guest. The welcome was fantastic, but they dutifully informed me that the pool wasn’t finished and that the actual style of room that I had booked, was not available. Undeterred they took my bags, checked me in and the manager immediately invited me downstairs for a drink and a chat.
Really pleasant and desparately willing to please, on realising that we were both Olympians, they asked if I would present prizes at the staff bed making competition! As the hotel only opened the doors 2 days previously for a few trial guests, they were still doing “Olympic” team building exercises for the staff and would be honoured if we would present the medals to the winners. So three hours off the plane, I find myself in the hotel conference suite with all the managers and 30 staff, applauding the best made bed team and giving out the medals to whoops of applause……very surreal.
Hotel totally empty….a bit eery really but staff so desperate to please, it’s almost painful. Manager insistent that I test them out, so I have thus far requested an internet cable, the BBC news channel and am now writing this diary in an empty bar and restaurant in order to test the beer and the staff.
Really funny and something I have never experienced before…..but great fun…..and the hotel is really good. They tell me that 100 guests are due in by Friday and as I sit here writing, I can see two more checking at reception……not alone anymore!
The one thing necessary in any Olympic city is some form of accreditation. As an athlete, Heather just flashes her pass and gets free transport and bodies dropping in front of her in an effort to please. Without accreditation, life is a lot more difficult. I am very lucky to have managed to secure a day pass to the Olympic village for the duration of my stay. You have to be out by 21.00h each night, but if there is one place to be, it’s in the village.
So after competitive bed making and a quick freshen up, we set off for the village. A quick metro journey and then on to a secure bus which takes people straight in to the village. As we turned a corner, I saw the Birds Nest stadium for the first time. I am sure we have all seen pictures of it on the news, and I even have video of it for one of our company presentations, but …….wow. Nothing prepared me for the scale of it. It is absolutely fantastic. Really stunning. And there right next to it the big blue bubbly swimming pool. Not lit up as it was daylight hours, but still impressive.
Driving through the city, it really looked fantastic. I am definitely not naïve enough to think that this is reflective in any way of the whole of China, but on the face of it…..wow.
Quickly through the security checks and in to the village. Really is good. Heather gives me the grand tour, shops, restaurant, food hall, leisure facilities, training facilities and eventually via the British HQ and accommodation. Say hi to a few friends, particularly Jan Paterson, who we work with very closely with our Olympic programmes. She is absolutely awesome and is the head of HQ staff in the village for the duration of the Games. Don’t know how many games she has been to, but she knows more about the Olympics than any person I know. Always bright and happy, she is fantastic with all the athletes.
Also bump in to Clive Woodward and say hi to Simon Clegg, who is the British Olympic Association Chief Executive. He has already been here three weeks. Most of the GB team are still in Macau at a holding camp, but a few faces that I know wander past.
On to Heather’s US team accommodation. The athletes are in 6 story tower blocks, in 2 or 3 bedroom apartments. All pretty good really. Beautiful gardens are woven in to the fabric of the village and once again it is really pleasant. On getting hungry, we pop to McDonalds in the village! I know it’s corny but sometimes it just hits the spot.
Everything is going well with Heather. Her boat repairs are good and she is looking fit and ready to compete.
We sit down and agree the final few days of training and then its on to my final 2 priorities for the day. The most important is to find out if I can get access to the course for Heather’s final training sessions. As I am not an officially accredited coach with the US team, but am a personal coach, we need to get day passes for the course. These are not currently available and the International Canoe Federation are battling to convince the Chinese organising committee (BOCOG) that they should let us have some. I will find out tomorrow….so watch this space. Really important that I get access as there are lots of little detail things to sort out…….where will Heather do her final warm up….will I be able to be with her for this final hour….where will she rest between runs (I will explain the way the race works in a later email).
The final job today was to try to get some other tickets. I failed miserably in the UK, trying to get opening ceremony tickets, mens 100m final tickets and any other available on my free days (when Heather isn’t training).
One visit to the US office achieved everything and I am now the proud owner of Swimming final tickets on the morning of the 15th Aug and Men’s 100 final track and field tickets for the evening of the 16th Aug.
So here ends my first day’s diary. What a great day. I am completely knackered as I have flown and now done a full day….but have seen Heather (she has been away so much this Summer that we feel like strangers everytime we bump in to each other) ….got 100m final tickets…..presented bed making medals (perhaps soon to be an Olympic sport by the way the staff went at it)….and have an entire 200 bed hotel almost to myself.
The second Tsintao Chinese beer is nearly finished and I’m off to bed.
As I said earlier, if this sort of rambling diary is of no interest, I will not be even slightly miffed if you respond and cancel, but if it is, I will try to keep you up to date with progress.
Thanks to all of you as in some way, every one included in this circular has helped us with the business, with friendship and with support.
Many thanks.
Geoff….Beijing 2008.
