The Olympic Village is where the athletes can relax, hide from the media and prepare themselves mentally for their competition.
The media are banned from the Village, but an athlete’s room has been recreated in the Village Plaza where the media can conduct interviews. Clever!
The buzz in the village is amazing!
Every athlete and official wears their team colours and kit. So every journey I make across the village is incredible! Over 200 different nations have made this village their home for the next 2 weeks. On a simple 100 metre walk I could see:
- Nn Italian boxer sparing with his coach
- A Columbian walker
- A super tall French basketball team
- A Venezuelan cyclist
- A traditional Muslim lady out for a jog
…and everything in between.
Each country has flags hanging from their balconies, the roofs and in the windows of their offices. It is so colourful!
The movement of people
You have to look out for cyclists such as Chris Hoy, who cycled passed me yesterday. There is a constant procession of dignitaries, which may also mean electric security vehicles tagging along. Golf carts, delivery vans, red London buses, medical vehicles, armed security, army men and women, jogging athletes and fellow Games Makers buzzing around on duty. It is a hive of activity!
The Design
What I admire the most about the whole building project was that everything was designed and built backwards. The Olympic legacy was considered first and then it was made practical for the Games. All the apartment blocks were first and foremost designed as comfortable flats to be rented and sold. And then converted to be used for the Olympics.
When we were doing inventory checks in the rooms before the athlete arrived, you could see the skeleton of the flats. And the outline of the lounge and kitchen, where the TV socket was etc. All they would need to do after the Games is lay new floors, put in skirting boards and add kitchens. So cleverly thought out!
The street names all related to the Games too
The dining hall is the biggest building in the Village.
It is a temporary structure and houses the main dining hall as well as the workforce dining area. It must be such a thrill for the athletes and officials to walk to the entrance to the main dining hall through flags of all the participating nations.
The Globe
The Globe is the entertainment area for the Village residents. There are internet points, a bar (no alcohol is sold in the Village so only alcohol free drinks), live music, TV screens, video games etc. It is so crazy to see a Russian playing pool with a Jamaican. The vibe is so….international! Nowhere on the planet would a bar be so cosmopolitan!
The Village Plaza
This is like a mini High Street. There is a florist, post office, phone shop, ‘corner shop’ and an official London 2012 merchandise shop. There is also the most important IOC office and the Protocol Lounge, where dignitaries meet to get their Village accreditation. The Village Plaza is one of the main entrances to the Village for the athletes and officials, so this is another hive of activity. And you feel the energy of the Games as soon as you have gone through the scanners.
Arriving for my shift on the day of the Opening Ceremony I walked passed tourists trying to get photos of the Village from Stratford, and I beamed. What a privilege it is for me to be able to enter this ‘sacred’ world, and although I am going to see so little of the Games, I get to see a side that few people get to see, and this is incredibly special!
1 August 2012
