| |
 August
7, 2004 - The Olympic village is really a small city with
10,000 athletes and 5,000 support personnel, not to mention the thousands
of volunteers needed to maintain the operation. With Opening Day (August
13th) approaching rapidly, the village is now about one-third
full. Each day there are multitudes of workers furiously trying to make
everything perfect by Friday.
Each delegation is supplied with a block of apartments and Team USA is
well positioned -- the Sailing Team has a prime location. We are very
near the USOC operations center, sports medicine department as well as
within easy walk of the main dining hall. Numerous Teams have decorated
their balconies with country flags. Brazil -- one of the larger
delegations -- has spared no expense in letting everyone know where they
are situated. For security reasons, we (USA) have been asked to not
display any flags, signs, logos, etc.
There are approximately 25 blocks of apartments, and each block has a
designated name and color so it is quite simple to find your way around.
Security is very tight, with numerous checkpoints (there are x-ray
machines everywhere!) whenever you enter a different section. To get
everyone around the Village, as well as to their respective competition
venues, there is a transportation center (with more busses than I can
count) running continuously from 6:00 a.m. until well after midnight.
As you would expect in a small city, the Athlete’s Village has everything
you need: laundry, travel agency, salon, bank, numerous ATMs, post office,
news store, convenience store, gymnasium, outdoor track, and a main dining
hall complete with a MacDonald’s.
We have started a “pick the sport” contest played when we see all the
different teams dining together. Women’s volleyball has been easiest --
with everyone over 6 feet tall. Some of the women’s soccer teams have
stood out as well; Mia Hamm was in having dinner the other night as the
Team had just arrived.
Our main focus now shifts to the Aghios Kosmas Sailing Center where the
sailing will be conducted, and where it appears that about half the
sailing teams have arrived. Most will show up over the weekend and early
next week. ISAF President Paul Henderson and his wife Mary arrived today
and stopped by for a brief visit.
Preparations for Team USA are almost complete, with just a few boats still
to go through measurement. Our athletes are getting into Olympic mode and
trying to establish a comfortable pattern as the Games approach.
As activity has increased in the Village, so has it increased at the
sailing venue. Security has increased to the point that with a scheduled
closing of 1730 each day a sailor was forbidden to leave the harbor at
1700 to practice.
 The
weather continues to be very hot. Today as there was a good breeze early,
and a better one after 1600, but during the heat of the day (1100-1400)
the wind shut down and we were all extremely hot.
My stay at the Olympic Village is coming to an end as I will move into an
apartment in Glyfada (suburb of Athens) near the sailing venue in the next
few days. This may also be my last report for a few days as I’m not sure
where I will get Internet access until early next week. |
