It's Here! Today, the Games Open!

Well, it is 3 am and I am working the graveyard shift in the Village.  It just dawned on me.  Today is the day that the Games open.

It has been seven years since Vancouver was awarded the Games and a lot of work has been invested since then.  For those who have worked for years on this, I am sure it is almost surreal to think the Games are actually here.

My guess is that it will be so busy that the next two weeks will go by quickly.  Hang on!

The Mens Downhill, one of the glamour races, goes tomorrow, on Saturday morning.

Also, I'm watching a news report about athletes who have tested positive for banned substances....in pre-Olympic testing.  How disappointing would that be - to actually be in Vancouver and then get disqualified.

In a similar vein, one of the American alpine skiers was injured in a training run today.  More devastating, Lindsay Vonn, the favourite for a number of alpine events, revealed that she has a deep bone bruise and that the pain is excrutiating.

Don't miss the Opening Ceremonies.  7 pm eastern or 4 pm pacific.

One Day to go!!!

The Village is getting full.  The Uniform and Accreditation Centre was really busy yesterday and the Opening Ceremonies had their final dress rehearsal yesterday.  The mens' downhill, which goes on Saturday morning, had their first training run yesterday.  These are all signs there is only one day to go, before the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics open and the fun begins.

Before it all starts tomorrow, I would like to thank Rob Stewart (right) for his help and support so I could have this opportunity to experience the Vancouver Olympic Games.  As I mentioned before, Rob and I have been friends since our MBA at Ivey, back in 1987.  Rob, Kathy and their children, Sarah and Ben have been generous with their home, allowing me to stay and making me feel welcome for this Olympic sojourn.

Vancouver is excited.  The final day of the torch relay is today.  It will traverse Burnaby into downtown Vancouver and will finish at Yaletown, adjacent to BC Place Stadium, where the Opening Ceremonies will take place tomorrow.  Make sure you watch the Ceremonies....you will not be disappointed.  There will be a lump in your throat, as a proud Canadian.

Further to my earlier blog, there is a great article in today's Vancouver Sun on who the final torch bearer will be.  Visit http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/should+light+cauldron+There+great+ones+Great/2549951/story.html

Also, you have to see the ride the torch took yesterday, up Grouse Mountain.  Visit http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/Daring+torchbearers+take+ride+Grouse+Mountain+gondola/2548371/story.html

Well, I have a long night as I work the graveyard shift tonight.  See you tomorrow, after the Games open!!

MM.

Olympic Queues

Well, I have encountered my first event of the Games and I have also survived the Olympic queue. Queue for the SkyTrain, queue for the security screening, queue to get in the building, queue for the bathroom and now, queue for the food.

There is security everywhere. Police are apparent and I have gotten used to metal detectors. Everyday when I enter the Village, I empty my pockets, I submit my bag for x-Ray and I walk through the detector. I have it down to a science.

So, I am programmed to queue and submit to screening.  It is good for the safety of the athletes, but perhaps not so good for the spectators.  Queues......necessary but sometimes a pain.

Interesting.

More on the Opening Ceremonies later.....much later....after Friday's real ceremonies.  We were sworn to secrecy, as a condition of getting to view the dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremonies.  This blog writer isn't going to be the one who breaks the surprises.


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Location:BC Place

The Torch Brings Good Vibes

The Olympic Torch is making its way around the communities that make up Vancouver.  On Wednesday, the torch came through White Rock, Surrey, and New Westminster.  I had the opportunity to see it on Columbia Street in downtown New West.

I don't know the torchbearer but he received the flame, right in front of where I was standing.  The support from the citizens of New West was great.  People were lined up two and three deep, just to see the flame for 15 seconds.

But, more than what you can see, it was very heartening to see the support from the citizens.  There were lots of people wearing the colour red and clothing that showed the pride of Canadians.

Even if you are not the biggest supporter of the cost of hosting the Games, you cannot help but be impressed by the nationalism and pride that the Games and the flame evokes.

Teams are Arriving in the Village - 3 days to go!!!

With three days to go, all of the teams are arriving in Vancouver. Yesterday, today and tomorrow are expected to be the busiest days in the airport.

As the various countries arrive in the Village, they are greeted with a Team Welcome Ceremony at the International Plaza.  Yesterday, I attended the ceremony welcoming Chile and Bulgaria.

The event started with the drumbeat of the Four Host Nations (First Nations).  The teams were announced and they marched in, behind their flag.  Next, an honour guard from Canada's military was led in by a Mountie in his red tunic. They were carrying the official flags of Chile and Bulgaria.

Rick Hansen, the Man in Motion, who serves as the mayor of the Vancouver Athletes Village, brought a warm welcome to these incoming teams.  The announcer said that the Man in Motion tour raised more than $200 million for spinal cord research.  I recall watching how fast Rick traveled in his wheelchair.  After hearing Rick's eloquent speech, there was no doubt the organizers picked the right person to serve as the ambassador of the Village.

Each Chef de Mission was presented with a gift and the national anthems were played, as the honour guard raised the respective flag of the country.

The event ended with the lively song of the Olympics, with most of the team members dancing with the musicians and Olympic volunteers.

Also yesterday, Hayley Wickenheiser, captain of Canada's Womens Hockey team, visited the fitness centre.  It was neat to see her in person.

Today, Jacques Rogge, the President of the International Olympic Committee will be touring the Village.  Also, it will be the only time the media get a chance to be "inside the ropes".

Later this morning, I'll be in downtown New Westminster to watch the Olympic torch come through the community.  It was announced that Walter Gretzky, Arnold Scharzenegger, Sebastien Coe and Rolly Fox (Terry's father) will be carrying the torch today.  There has been no word of Wayne Gretzky or Betty Fox (Terry's mother) carrying the torch in the next few days, which means they are probably slated for the run during the Opening Ceremonies.

Tomorrow, I'll be attending the dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremonies with my aunt.  It should be a blast.

The Games open on Friday.  Don't miss it!

5 days to the Opening Ceremonies

We are just 5 days away from the Opening Ceremonies at the Vancouver Winter Games.

The Opening Ceremonies are bigger, better and more dramatic, with each Games.  Check out this article that contrasts past Ceremonies (http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/feature-stories/producing-olympic-games-opening-ceremonies_54364bs.html).

These have been one of the most anticipated Games ever. First, it is Canada and we can break the record of being the only host nation who hasn't won a gold medal. The "Own the podium" initiative has provided athletes with funding, coaching and support like never before. Instead of focusing on the negative, Canada is focused on being the leading nation as measured by medal count.

NBC is eagerly awaiting the Games too, as Vancouver's events will fit nicely into prime time television programming. CTV and TSN's partnership will have hundreds more hours than ever before.

Finally, just as Expo 86 put Vancouver on the world's stage, I expect the 2010 Games will truly make it a world city. Montreal is well known globally and Expo 67 and the 76 Summer Olympics solidified their reputation...I expect nothing less from Vancouver's time in the spotlight.

The real Opening Ceremonies are on Friday (February 12th).  I'm going to the dress rehearsal on the 10th.  Read what organizers are afraid of....http://www.ctvolympics.ca/news-centre/newsid=31416.html



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Pin Trading

When you look at the different events here at the Games, you won't see one of the biggest activities that involve the most people. That would be pin trading.

The trading of lapel pins is an obsession for many visitors. I visited the Olympic Superstore yesterday (in The Bay), where you can buy almost anything with the Vancouver logo on it, as long as you pay with either cash or Visa (no debit, no MasterCard or Amex as Visa is the official card of the Games). In the store Coca-Cola has set up a pin trading area. I met traders from Athens, Greece, Los Angeles, and Manitoba, who had hundreds of Olympic pins displayed, ready to trade. Some of these traders had thousands of pins in their collections.

I felt like a roman being thrown to the lions as these traders are pros. Apparently, there is a protocol - how you trade, how you signify your traders and how you interact with each other. One man had been to 14 Olympics and takes off work for a month each time. Serious trader.

Well, it is back to the Village after a few days off.

Location:E 1st Ave,Vancouver,Canada

The Village is Getting Busy

I'm writing today's blog sitting in the volunteers dining hall in the Athletes Village decompressing after my shift. It is in a temporary structure but it is comfortable. We get all the coffee we need (good for the graveyard shift) and we get fed when we work over mealtimes.

On Wednesday, we had a real treat as we got to eat in the Athletes section, as part of their test for the Village opening. What a great facility the athletes have. They have food stations serving almost every kind of cuisine you might want: Asian, Italian, North American (grilled), salads, soups, smoothies, McDonalds, etc. The smoothies were the best and they were from McDs!!

The official Village opening was on February 4th.  Rick Hansen, the Man in Motion, helped to cut the ribbon.  The photo above was taken at the grand opening.

With the athletes arriving, the Polyclinic was quite busy today. We doubled our staffing and even still, we were kept hopping. There were lots of tours as the IOC and NOCs (National Olympic Committees) officials and support staff wanted to confirm the services that we offer.

One of the busiest areas is the therapy area - physio, massage, accupuncture, chiro, rehab and more. Interestingly, we have to keep it secure as many countries might spy on their competitor athletes, discovering injuries and tender areas.

Overall, you would be impressed with how Canada has organized the Games but probably shocked at the overall cost.

One of the perks of volunteering is that I get to attend the dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremonies next week. There is much speculation over who will be the final torchbearer and light the flame, and many think it will be Wayne Gretzky but my money is on Terry Fox and his mother. With the technology available today, it would be easy to make Terry light the flame. The person has to have international recognition and with Terry Fox runs being held around the world, he qualifies in spades. Is there a better, more heart-wrenching story? And, don't ignore the fact that NBC has a huge say....I think they would want the drama of Terry.

Well, I have a few days off and plan to visit the Olympic Headquarters for pin trading, at the downtown Bay department store. There was one man in the news who had 20,000 pins. Amazing.

See you.


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Location:E 1st Ave,Vancouver,Canada

Grand Opening of Village Thursday

Vancouver's Athletes Village opens today (Feb. 4th), just a few hours from now.  At 8 am, there will be a ribbon cutting which will officially signal the opening of the Village.  Athletes will start to arrive tomorrow and the Village will take on a whole new life.

I am working the graveyard shift right now and I'll be done at 7 am (ending 24 hours on site).  I'm planning to have some breakfast and then watch the ceremonies before catching some shut eye.  It is a bit quiet tonight, but I suspect this may just be the calm before the storm.

Speaking of the Village, yesterday I mentioned how beautiful the view of downtown is....here is a great photo.  Judge for yourself.  On the left, you can see BC Place, where the Opening Ceremonies will be on February 12th and in the background, you can see the "lions", the snow covered mountain peaks. 

On the waterfront, there is a flag representing each country who has sent athletes to the 2010 Games.

Approximately 2,700 athletes and officials will be resident in the Village.  A similar number of people will stay at the Whistler village.

So, here we are....a matter of 6 hours until the Village opens and the fun begins.

Day One in the Books

Well, Day one has come and gone.  I worked in the Polyclinic at the Vancouver Athletes' Village from 7 am to 3 pm and then helped out at Medical Headquarters until 8 pm.

The Athletes Village is awesome.  It sits on the shore of False Creek, overlooking Science World and BC Place.  The downtown and mountains complete the backdrop. 

Officials and delegates are starting to arrive.  Athletes start to move in tomorrow.  The facilities are top notch and countries are starting to decorate their balconies with their flags.  Soon, I expect to see a United Nations of flags.

The Polyclinic is in the heart of the Village.  Tomorrow all of the flags of the participating countries will be raised in Village.  I'll make sure I post a photo tomorrow.  Back to the clinic...the word "clinic" is a misnomer.  This is a mini-hospital.  Everything you can think of is here.  CT scan, MRI, xray, ENT, dents, therapists, emergency, etc.  Next door, is the doping centre.  On the other side is the athletes' fitness centre.  Should be a hubbub of activity when the athletes arrive.

Security in the Village is tight.  We have to go through airport-like scanners and searches. 12 foot high fencing surrounds the Village and the Police presence is noticeable. 

Today, I have a packed day.  Two full shifts plus a training session.  I'll be here for 24 hours.  Wish me luck.

I'm here...amazed and accredited

I'm simply blown away by the majesty of the mountains here in Vancouver.

I am standing here outside of the Uniform and Accreditation Centre at the Pacific National Exhibition grounds in the heart of Vancouver staring at the mountains on the north shore and I am simply blown away by it all. I can see "the lions", the peaks of Cypress and Grouse and it is a reminder that I am here in the most beautiful city in the world.  What a venue for the Olympic Games!

I got through accreditation and uniforms quickly.  It was a finely tuned machine.  Verify your identity, get a photo taken, get your accreditation, get fitted, pick up your complete uniform and then, before you know it, you are outside the back door, with a big bag in hand and with id around your neck.  30 minutes in all.

That is when I looked up, saw the mountains and had my personal moment with nature.

By the way, these are the same mountains that captivated me when I was 5 years old and on my first trip to the coast.  You see, both my parents were born and raised in BC (Abbotsford and Maple Ridge) but had to relocate after WWII.  So, with family roots in BC, I have visited regularly and have always loved the city.

Anyways, Rob picked me up and brought me to the VANOC offices and here I write.

Here is just one of the neat things that I saw today at VANOC offices....I just dropped down to the Operations Centre to see the 24 hour pulse of the Olympics.  The Ops Centre is a large room with tables around in a circle, with representatives of all of the key operational departments....so any problem can be solved quickly and efficiently.  The room has more televisions and screens that a Future Shop or Best Buy, with multiple feeds of every video channel known to man, so they can see every venue, from every perspective.  Impressive.

Well, I have to run to help out with some of the last minute planning here in the medical services department.  More tomorrow.

My Volunteer Role at the Olympic Games

Well, I'm headed to the airport for my flight to Vancouver on Air Canada.  As soon as I land, I'm off to accreditation and uniforms at the PNE grounds.  I'll report more on this after I get through the process.

Tomorrow, on Tuesday February 2nd at 7 am, I'll do my first shift at the reception desk at the Polyclinic (medical clinic) in the Vancouver Athletes Village.

If you are wondering what my responsibilities are....I will be the first point of contact as athletes enter the clinic.  Here is a photo of Ben and Rob Stewart showing me how I should appear....friendly, welcoming and an ambassador of Canada.

By the way, Rob is one of the key directors at VANOC, who has been planning for these Olympic Games for many years. He is on secondment from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.  Rob is a great friend and an old classmate of mine, from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Ben is a budding athlete - he plays lacrosse, soccer, hockey and he is a great skier.