The Olympic park is huge. It is though nothing more than a pathway to and from the various venues around the site. You could walk it or hitch a ride on one of the buggies if you were lucky. Certainly the only way round for families, etc.
In between though there were distractions other than the successful Park Live big TV screens. You could spend money or just take in the sights. be warned there are few sun and rain shelters. Well actually there are none of those!
Wear sensible shoes and take an umbrella.
Part of the Great British Garden on the Olympic Park. Copyright the author 2012
Part of the Great British Garden on the Olympic Park. Copyright the author 2012
The buzz around Gamesmakers has now turned to what volunteering legacy might there be once the Olympic and Paralymic Games have long left the shores of Britain and Stratford in East London has returned to some semblance of normality(poverty, overcrowding and all the usual inner London problems). I have given this considerable thought and indeed I have been thinking about it for some considerable time. That’s because I volunteered well before the Olympics reached Britain.
Clearly politicians have thought about it too. It has become a catalyst in Tory thinking for their Big Society ideas. It is not though a Tory notion and any proposals that are put forward that it is, should be rigorously rejected. Most of the 250,000 original applicants and the lucky selected 70,000 volunteers eventually selected, put themselves forward anything up to 7 years ago is the truth.
But what of the legacy of spontaneous sports volunteering? Can it be harnessed in the future outside the sports arena? I certainly hope so. Many Gamesmakers were already avid volunteers in their favorite sport and many had volunteered in other non-sporting roles like myself.
There were though, still thousands of Gamesmakers that had never before volunteered. So what will they be doing after the Games have left town? I hope they will see this as an opportunity to become involved in the voluntary sector on a regular basis now they have had a flavour of what volunteering can do for one’s self esteem. As Aristotle put it – Eudaimonia or welfare and happiness as it might be translated today.
We can learn much from what the Greeks said about volunteering or civic virtue as they may have expressed it. However, you’ll be pleased that today is not a day for ancient history. If we did we might end up convincing ourselves that volunteers were the modern day equivalent to the slaves in ancient Greece! So best not go there.
Whatever manifests itself in both organized and unorganized format, I trust it’s the voluntary sector that becomes the real benefactor.
Gamesmaker in the Olympic Park on crowd control duty. Copyright the author 2012
Certainly can agree with that one! Spent most of the time watching the TV in a technology role. Didn’t really need any technology volunteers in my opinion.
The work was done by capable contractors. Nothing like the impression given at training sessions. I wonder if any of the medical volunteers got much to do?
Whose decision was it to employ so many volunteers? Just hope it does not put off many from taking up volunteering in the community in the future. I can assure them that volunteering is not the same as LOCOG volunteering.
Flags outside the Basketball Arena, Olympic Park. Copyright the author 2012
A 7/7 doctor says they now have closure after the 7/7 bombings 7 years earlier. That’s really good to hear.
Dr Hartle, one of 70,000 Games Makers volunteering in London, said: “We had just won the Games and the only thing people were talking about during the first hour of work that day was the Olympics. Most of us were pretty cynical. What was the impact going to be on those who lived and worked in London?”
He added: “Then, as you all know, the day turned out to be about something completely different, with the terrorist attack on London. I was there and I did my job. It wasn’t the job we planned to do that day, but we did it, and we did it well.
This is similar to my own journey, except I never had the trauma of the bombings as a medical expert.
Two of the many fans preparing to go to the dream ticket night, Sunday 8th August 2012 on the Olympic Park. Copyright the author 2012. Lucky devils!
What a golden weekend that was! Whilst I get around to organizing the photos from the Sunday on the Olympic Park, here’s one of a kind group of ticket holders preparing their faces for action in the Olympic Stadium Sunday evening. Just having that Usain Bolt ticket is something and I hope they had a good time. Of course they can have the rights to this photo with my compliments.
The Olympic Stadium at night. Copyright the author 2012The outside area of McDonald’s ‘largest restaurant in the world’ complex. Copyright the author 2012
Two articles today (links below) show that Gamesmakersare having a real affect on the general public that visit the various venues around London. The most visible are the wayfinders and event services Gamesmakers who stand out in all weathers along with the Gamesmakers on duty front-of-house in venues. As a Gamesmaker back of house, I can only admire their tenacity and patience during some very long shifts (I’m sure there’s a law against that somewhere) and I’m rather jealous to be honest, given I’ve done very little myself during my three weeks of shifts in a Technology role.
I have made up for it by walking the Olympic Park during breaks, etc. and mingling with the other Gamesmakersand visitors to the park where I get asked many questions given I wear the same purple uniform as everyone else on duty. I just trust I get the answers right. Apologies to Common Domain Gamesmakers if I don’t! These photos are some of the results from my Olympic wanderlust on day one of the park opening to ticketholders.
Some of the millions of planted flower beds in the Olympic Park at night. Copyright the author 2012
The most pressing and so far unanswered question on Twitter for Gamesmakers is where are the Cadbury’s chocolates?
Given Gamesmakers wear the corporate colour of this Olympic sponsor( purple was not by accident) this question will be increasingly asked of them. Their response so far has been we have no control over the 3,000,000 chocolates we delivered to LOCOG
A real side step there then and implying that LOCOG are the ones withholding these little demons from some very impatient chocaholic Gamesmakers! Revolution must be on the horizon in some venues if LOCOG don’t release them soon I feel.
There is much fuss of empty seats at venues of London2012. In my venue, it does not appear to be the case, but elsewhere there is evidence that it is happening. It really only hits home when you see whole blocks of empty seats on the TV. It has quite rightly, enraged many members of the public and the media. For several months now the organizers have been congratulating themselves on their ticket sales claiming sell-outs at many venues apart from football.
So how come so many blocks of seats at some venues are remaining empty during sessions and what are they going to do to fix the problem?
Some blocks are kept for competitors and for VIP guests. There’s little that will be done about those seats is my guess. The arrogance of Jacques Rogge (IOC) last week defending their hotel accommodation along Park Lane, London:
‘We have to have accommodation somewhere…’
tells me not to expect any changes on the VIP seating front any time soon.
Failing to see that to be seen being housed in a five star hotel would actually outrage the great British public who have paid through the nose to pay for those Olympic Committee hotel rooms in the first place is breathtakingly naive but is, par for the Olympic course!
I now await the great LOCOG bullshit machine to go into overdrive on this one. There’s not enough serving public servants (soldiers, teachers, etc.) to fill the venues is there?
The Olympic park is huge. It is though nothing more than a pathway to and from the various venues around the site. You could walk it or hitch a ride on one of the buggies if you were lucky. Certainly the only way round for families, etc.
