The athletes are ready to begin - and so am I
And on Wednesday morning, as a huge roar of relief reverberated across the entire park after it was announced Great Britain had won their first gold medal, I knew the Olympics had well and truly arrived.
I may be only a few days into my Olympic adventure, but I’m already loving every second of it. Sure, Team GB may not have gotten off to the best of starts, but that hasn’t stopped the vocal London crowds from giving it their all at every event.
It hasn’t dampened the spirits of the volunteers either, and none more so than the press team at the Olympic stadium that I’m fortunate enough to be a part of.
My team is a small group of 20 who will be providing the world’s media with all the stats, results, quotes and interviews from all the track and field events.
Although competition at the stadium doesn’t get under way until Friday (today), myself and my colleagues have been working hard for several days. Since arriving on Monday, I’ve got to know my team (I’m the only Scot!); I’ve stood mere metres away from the undeniably magnificent Olympic cauldron, and I’ve seen where I’ll be conducting post-competition interviews with some of the biggest names in sport. Usain Bolt, anyone?
There’s no guarantee the athletes will stop to talk to us (especially if they’ve just been beaten to a medal), but most should give us a few minutes of their time once they’re done speaking to the cameras. From here, the quotes I or a team member take down are posted online for any media outlets in the world to use. In the days prior to competition starting, we have honed this procedure.
The Olympic stadium is absolutely stunning. With a capacity of 80,000, I can’t wait to see the venue packed to the rafters. The field has been laid, the track looks great and the athletes are ready to begin – and so am I.
The next 10 days of competition will make the 18 months of waiting, four training sessions and hundreds of e-mails all worth it. The team and I will not only gain invaluable contacts in the world of journalism, but we’ll get to interview medal winners just minutes after they’ve wowed the world with some breathtaking sporting displays. It promises to be an absolutely incredible experience. Bring it on!
* Colin Stone is a Glasgow Caledonian University journalism student from Castletown who was picked to play a part in the Olympics press operations team.