Day 2 – Tue Aug 5

Kicking my heels all day. Didn’t manage to get a pass for the course so cannot get access to Heather’s training sessions. We are still trying and it is not just me. The head of the International Canoe Federation is trying to negotiate with BOCOG, but I’m guessing that things won’t go well.

Tomorrow looks like being the same. Heather’s last but one big training day. 2 sessions at Shunyi……but unfortunately I will not be able to get in. This is the frustration of being a personal coach and not an official full time coach with the US. Oh well.

Today’s training apparently went Ok. Met Heth in the village at 16.30 when she returned from the course. The weather was a lot clearer today. At 19.00h the US team assembled and had their official welcome to the village “Flag Ceremony”. Each Olympic village has an Olympic Mayor. In the village in Beijing, she actually has a large entertaining compound (a little replica of the forbidden city, but still a pretty big compound) contained within the Olympic village where dignitaries, politicians, royalty and other VIP’s are entertained when they visit the village.. Every team is officially welcomed by the mayor with a small flag raising ceremony lasting around 20 minutes and involving the head of delegation of the appropriate country.

Heather had to get changed in to the US white tops and khaki shorts. Very smart they are too. I was able to join the team and get access to the square in the village where the ceremonies take place. The Chinese insisted on loading the whole team on to buses for a distance of not more than 500m from the US accommodation to the flag square in the middle of the village.

We all got off the buses and assembled in the square, surrounded by the US media and TV. We all stood for the raising of the Olympic Flag and the Olympic anthem. The mayor then gave a speech in reasonable English, but on the big screen behind, the words appeared in English and French (the two official languages of the Olympic movement) and in Chinese. The head of the US team (known as the Chef de Mission) then received an official welcome gift followed by the US national anthem. Although proud to be a Brit….I didn’t really feel a fraud and hummed along gamely to the star spangled banner. A children’s choir, all in red blazer uniforms then sang a friendship song and we all clapped and that was that.

Small reception afterwards where we met the US ambassador to China. We spoke to some other representatives from the embassy and found out that they are hosting a couple of receptions for the US team. During my time as an athlete I always enjoyed these visits and never could work out how they always had a copy of today’s Times on the stairs, wherever you were in the world, no matter what the time difference…and that was before the internet!!!!! Anyway, Heth has got it in her diary for the 20th Aug after I have returned home.

Picked up my tickets for the swimming and 100m finals…still can’t believe I managed to get what appear to be the last 4 tickets available. Might see the first UK track and field ,medal as this is also the final session of the heptathlon and Kelly Sotherton is in with a real chance. Should be a good, if late, night and really looking forward to getting some close up shots of the stadium.

My trip to the village each day is really simple. 4 stops on the very clean, new and efficient metro, costing 2 yuan each way (about 15p) and then out to a special processing building where they check that I am on the list for a village pass. On to a bus and then 20 minutes of driving in to the village. On arrival a quick security check and they have my days accreditation pass waiting for me. I am only allowed in to the international zone on my own which has all the shops, hairdressers, art and culture shops, bank etc…..basically a mini town centre. Once Heather is with me though, I have the run of the village, being able to pass through the final accreditation barriers as long as I stay with my host.

Ended my day in the village with a quick swim (as my hotel pool isn’t yet a pool!) and then the bus and metro back to the hotel.

Have decided that I may just as well have a tourist day tomorrow as Heather will be at the course all day for her two sessions and I cannot get in. As I said before…very frustrating…but we knew this may happen.

Now gone midnight here so I’m off to bed.
Kind Regards
Geoff