Visit to the IOC Feb 2-7, 2009

Arrived February 2 in Lausanne after a grueling 26 hour flight/layover. The days were filled with workshops with the Olympic committees -- we learned more about the Olympic Solidarity Program, the Youth Olympic Games, as well as the upcoming Olympic Congress.

We spent some time at the Olympic museum as well.

A bus tour of the city was the highlight of the last day of our trip.

2008 ICF Congress

This year's International Canoe Federation's Congress was held in Rome, Italy.

Home!

Beijing's airport must have seen a sharp spike in revenues the last few days, with all the excess baggage fees and overweight charges paid by departing visitors. I came with two luggage, but left with three! I am so glad I went ahead and bought the extra suitcase.


While I was not able to visit the Great Wall, I did find time to wander the old Hutongs of Beijing. I was also able to do a quick visit to the Forbidden City.

In the end, it's not a matter of what I was able to see, but what I have felt. I met so many wonderful people. Whether or not you choose to believe that the Chinese government has in fact sanitized the city for this event, there is no denying that the welcome I felt from the people I met was genuine. This, is what made it memorable.

Scorpions, silk worms, and sheep balls

Right after Derek's 800m run last night, we headed to the famous Wang Fu Jing district for the night market. We have heard so much about its food stalls and the "delicacies" served.

There was a long row of food stalls, brightly lit with red lanterns. I didn't even want to know if the food was kept at a safe temperature or whether the vendors are subject to health inspections. No matter, as we made a bee line to the stalls where the "delicacies" were. Yes, there they were -- scorpions, silk worms, sheep balls (and penis -- eat as a pair, the guy told us), sea horse, snakes, lizards...

Our last competition is today, with Sean's 500m semi final event. The weather forecast was dead on -- thunderstorms. It is absolutely pouring right now.
Such is Beijing weather. One day nice and hot, the next thunder and lightning.

Almost showtime!

Yesterday was boat control, and today was the team leaders' meeting. It is all coming together, and I am getting quite excited. Almost there!

The purpose of boat control is to weigh the canoes/kayaks and review the uniforms, equipment, and canoe for logo compliance. The IOC is very strict about how many, how large, and where the manufacturers' logos are.

Our C-1 ended up being "exactly" 16kg, which is the minimum. For good measure, we had to add 4grams. Wouldn't want to be dq'd for something we had control over. There was doubt about the size of "GUAM" and the Guam seal on the uniform being too large. Fortunately, this was resolved at the team leaders' meeting this morning. Supposedly, the country name and flag/logo can be of any size. I hope the volunteers at check in realizes this!

Well, I've got the bib number for Sean. It's all for real now.

His first event, 1000m, will be tomorrow at 4pm. Can't wait.

August 16

Yesterday, we all cheered on for RJ. It was the first time I have ever watched a Judo match. I didn't know what to expect; but because the Chinese characters for Judo is "the gentle way", what I saw was not what I had in mind. There wasn't anyone to explain to me what was happening, so I was totally clueless as to how RJ lost. It was only later on that Neil explained to us that RJ lost because he wasn't aggressive enough and accrued penalties as a result. Oh well. He gave his all.

Being here, you cannot help but be immersed in the sporting world. Not only did I watch a Judo match, but also later in the evening, I watched USA women's basketball team beat Spain.

As I settled into my seat, Julienne elbowed me and told me to look to my right. To her and Jay's excitement, Lebron and Kobe and the rest of the USA basketball team were seated next to us. Just five seats away. I truly didn't appreciate the good fortune until half time. The moment the game took a break, a MOB descended onto our section; thankfully, the security guards prepared themselves and buffered us from the mob. There was this psycho lady who even threw a pen and pad towards them, asking for autographs. Instead of taking pictures of the celebrities, I turned my camera to the crowd. It was too funny. We even made it onto the TV screen as the cameras honed in towards them. yes, we were that close.

In the papers yesterday, it described the Olympics as the Hollywood of sports. No kidding.

August 13

The ONOC office is located in the basement of our building here in the village. It is a hub of various activities -- transportation needs, village guest passes, internet access, and other matters relating to the Oceania countries. Today was my turn to man the desk. (Each country offers/assigns people to help relieve the two ONOC staff members so they can eat or run errands.) I actually enjoy the three hours spent there, as I meet people from the other regions.

We were allotted tennis tickets again today. So, Julienne, Jay and I set off at 3:45pm for the tennis center. Jay always spots celebrities, and today was no different. So glad I was with him. He tried to tell me discreetly to turn around, but of course I was too dense. When I finally got "it", it was none other than James Blake standing NEXT to me on the bus. I have to say, he is much more handsome in person than in the magazines. He was very nice, and graciously endured the three of us taking turns taking pictures with him.

We ended up watching Li Na play against the Estonia (?) girl. Then we decided to be daring and stayed for the next match. As each person came up the stands, we would hope he/she did not have tickets for our seats. Lucky us, we were able to stay for the entire next match. Who played? None other than Federer himself. It was an exciting match, as Federer was behind in the second set. It was down to a tie breaker. For a change, I was explaining how to score to Julienne. I felt like such a tennis expert today!

Final celebrity sighting today -- Michael Phelps in the cafeteria.

Tomorrow RJ will compete. He is our best bet for a medal for Guam. I don't know if I will be able to watch, since the time of competition is the same time Sean and i normally head out to Shun Yi for practice. Will see....