Athlete's Village has it all - Country and Sea Sides all with British Heritage

A Corner of OLV

Last Saturday was my last formal organised Games Maker raining session - OLV VST

It was, at last an opportunity, or so I thought to see where I’d be working during the  Olympics

The OLV VST aka Olympic Village Venue Specific Training really brought home to me the size of the London 2012 Olympic project and the attention to detail that has gone into creating the Olympics in London with a distinctly British feel - a huge event planned down to very smallest detail.

OLV is a vast site which at its peak capacity at Game’s time will cater for 203 countries with 17,000 athletes and officials requiring 1,200 NOC Games Maker assistants to support them – one of which is me.

I’m part of the70,000 army of Games Makers helping to  look after everything  including Services and Relations (the  Functional Area (FA)  I’m part of)  Security, Anti-Doping, Transport, Ticketing, Accreditation and so on.

Presentation as seen from near the back

The biblical scale of the training in place for we Games Makers is seen from the presentation area for the OLV VST I was booked on - the presenters were lost in the distance! And this was just one of several such sessions introducing the Athletes's Village to us Games Makers

One of the architects of the village Patel Taylor has produced a beautiful, spectacular  fly through of the Village which you can see here.

The actual tour was just little more – not much more - intimate than the presentation as we were split into groups of about 50. Sadly still too large to go inside and see the actual OLV apartments. We were only able  to stand outside while a seconded Holiday Inn - an 'Official Hotel Provider' - front of house manager cum guide explained what was inside.

Introducing the PolyClinic

The Village is zoned off into residential areas and number of other areas – Transport Mall, Village Plaza and an Operational area containing  Organisation, Gymnasium, Poly clinic.

The Residential Area Being Explained

The residential area is further zoned into three themed areas  -  English Countryside, English  Heritage.

English Seaside - with each zone’s apartments and public areas eponymously styled. I really wanted to see inside a Heritage apartment complete with red mats in the style of facsimiles of a World War II poster which has since become ubiquitous with its request to KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON - wonder what the athletes will make of that mat's request the night before an Olympic final!

Foyer of a Seaside Apartment Block

I did however have a glimpse inside the a Seaside foyer (equivalent to an hotel’s reception area). The designers  have really caught the vision and created an airy, light open space with its furniture’s  colour and shape evocative of the bracing British seaside  – the multi-coloured stripped deck-chair like seating and the sandy coloured, pebble shaped sofas and chairs – and not just any beach the foyer  evoked Southwold that quintessential , enigmatic British seaside town with its renowned, idiosyncratic , multi coloured beach huts.

Southwold Beach  and Huts - Summer 2011

One last thing  I noted  on my tour of the Athlete's Village is its landscaping  and its Art Works. The green areas, gardens and Plaza all looked magnificent even on a cold wet day - English Countryside!  And for once the architects' concept drawings matching the reality - no need to wait for the trees to grow, they are all there now along with many other plants and lawns creating verdant, vibrant public spaces!

The Art Works set against these magnificent buildings and that landscaping with the overall back drop of the Olympic Park dominated by Stadium and the Olympic Tower created some extraordinary vistas. I plan to write more about the Village's and Park's Art on my Contemporary Art Blog Assisted Readymades , meanwhile below is a work to give you a flavour of what can be seen.

Anna Chromy's 'Olympic Spirit'

So much for the introduction to the village, the afternoon ended with me being given my NOC Assistants mobile phone and the 301 page London 2012 Chef de Mission manual...more of on them later!

Met My First Olympian

Visiting my family up in Liverpool Over the Jubilee extended Bank Holiday I met my very first 2012 Olympian.

And what's more she's a local girl from Liverpool 8, Toxteth were I grew up. And there's more she's sponsored by the pub where my sister runs the crib team. And there's even more my family know her family. And one last thing she was the very first team member to qualify for Team GB 2012!

She is Natasha Jonas......

Apart from being very gracious and kind allowing me to be photographed with her, Natasha is Team GB's Women's Lightweight Boxing medal prospect as she has an impressive track record leading up to London 2012:

• Gold at the Olympic test event a month later, beating the world number two in the process
• Gold medallist at the European Union Championship: 2011 and 2009
• Amateur Boxing Association of England Champion :2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007
• won the GB Championship in 2010

To underline their commitment to her - The Newstead Abbey - my sister's local has its windows completely decked out with Natasha promotion;

I'm looking forward to bumping in to Natasha at the Olympic Village!

NOC ? OMG NGR! V HPY!!

I was thrilled delighted to be given the Nigerian delegation (NGR) as my National Olympic Committee (NOC) for London 2012 – my first choice  on my Expression of Preference Form (EPF).

 Nigeria NGR

The Volunteer Management team let me find out  in a  novel, fun manner.

At the last RST (Role Specific Training) training session I was directed to sit at a specific table - table 6 - and note the letter B, all very mysterious. Once seated,  I began asking what countries the others at the table had given as their preferences:  Seychelles (SEY) , Mauritius (MRI), 'Not Bothered Happy to be Part of the Olympics'  (NBH!)and Nigeria (NGR). Further asking those Games Makers  on the surrounding tables revealed – Ghana (GHA), South  Africa (RSA), Zimbabwe (ZIM) and so on, all  countries from the African continent.

There was also a big clue in two huge globes on either side of the stage with their Africa continents   facing the audience.

After the obligatory intro and review of the Games Maker Journey and what we might expect going forward from the Volunteer Team management – NOC Relations Team Africa. We were asked to find and open the folded piece of paper with our name on it amongst the pieces all neatly folded inside another piece of blank paper in the center of  table 6. We each found the folded A4 piece of paper with our name on.

We then all agreed to unfold our piece of paper after the count of 1-2-3!

When I opened my piece I was SO happy to see I’d been given NGR. Even happier to find on my table were all six of the Games Makers who have been assigned to NGR.

From left to right 

Alex, Bernie, Me, Christine, Adedapo, John 

Games Maker Team NGR

We spent the next hour or so exchanging views, ideas,  thinkings  on the Olympics, Nigeria and Life:

Why did you choose Nigeria ? [Me: My Dad came from Nigeria] What part of Nigeria are you from?  [Me: My Dad was from Etitti a village near Owerri,  Imo state] When was the last time you were there?  {Me: A while ago 1989] What’s your favorite Olympic sports? [Me: Gymnastics and Men’s 4 by 400m] Have you got any tickets? [Me: Yes; for weightlifting]  Do you know any of the Olympic team ? [Me:No, but interestingly  some of the team had already met some of the NGR NOC at last summers  test events so that’ll certainly get us off to great start] and so it went on. Great fun!

It soon become apparent to me these were people I could work with all intelligent, fun, keen, enthusiastic wanting to make the games work for Nigeria – brilliant!

Now I’ve my country and my team next is VST – Venue Specific Training – I get to see inside the Olympic Village (OLV)

The LOCOG BMWs

The Olympic Branded BMW Series 3 at the Olympic park

Well it had to happen it was all going so well - the interview, the offer, the training sessions to date, the uniform&theacrediation - I had not expected the driving to present any challenges.  I was wrong!

The driver training session started early 8am as it was a full program.  I was pleased to see faces I recognised from previous sessions - I was beginning to feel at home.  The morning was spent in introducing us to the Transport FA of LOCOG aka the Transport Functional Area of London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic.

As usual there was brand new posse of TLAs - posse is IMHO the collective noun for a group of Three Letter Acronyms. I'll not burden you with them all I'll give you flavour: FDN NOC Fleet Depot (where we collect and drop off cars daily) FDP Park Lane Fleet Depot (where the cars are kept in central London); ORN Olympic Route Network (specally designated routes for Olympic use only); VSA Vechile Screening Area (where the cars are security cleared proir to accessing a venue). And there's more,many more OFA, PCP, PSA, FDO, BMW(!),OSA. Seems each FA has its own posse of TLAs hence the 35 page  booklet to explain accrediationabale(!) areas and fucntions that appear on the Acrrediation Card (Front & Back).

  the Better Driving Matrix

My big take away from the morning session was the Better Driving Matrix which I reproduce above. It was a catchy way to make one a better, more thoughtful and hopefully safer driver when encoutering or anticpating potential hazards.

Poistion for Vision for Decision - get into the best place on road to get the best view so you can take the most appropriate action

Fake Space to Make Space to Take Space - fake and or make space for yourself or other drivers and when approproiate take/use that space.

Slow until know then go - if uncertain slow down until you know what's going on once you know then go ,equally if you don't know you don't go.

Yes, all common sense but well put, to my mind.

Another take away of much lesser important, nevertheless of quirky interest is another TLA - SoH - Seat of Honour. The passenger side rear seat is SoH1 - seat of honour one, SoH2 the driver side rear seat and SoH3 front passenger seat. This could lead to TLA radio phonetic radio calls like this:

Control Control Zulu Charlie one two three four taking November India Golf Charlie Delta Mike to Victor Echo Lima he is in Sierra Oscar Hotel One Over

Control I'm taking the Niger Head of Mission to the Velodrome he's sitting in the back passenger side seat.

Eventually we had the chance to drive the much anticipated manual series 3 BMW diesel's sponsored by BMW complete with “sat nav” and sponsored fuel (ultimate diesel) and car washing from BP. These cars were chosen for the fuel efficiency and sustainable manufacture in line with LOCOG's commitment to the environment and sustainability.

The Olympic Branded BMW Series 3 at the North Greenwich Arena 

aka NGA aka O2 Dome

We went out in pairs with a driving instructor. We spent the afternoon swapping roles as driver  and reporting to control our movements on sample typical routes.

My own personal challenge was the manual car having driven automatic cars for the past 1,000 years it was case of embarrassing, repeated stalling and sharp breaking! I believe with the help, guidance, support  and encouragement of our instructor I was able – eventually – to reduce the bumpiness of the drive. I must mention my fellow Games Maker in the car with me he was very sympathetic with me. Thanks to both, my confidence with the gear changes increased and I was able to relax (a little). Still the overall experience was very sobering - can’t take anything for granted.

I will have the chance to become even more comfortable with these manual BMWs in the Driver Training part 2.

Onwards to the next event when I get to know my country aka NOC aka National Olympic Committee, fingers crossed for Nigeria aka NGR.

There's An App For That

London 2012 have launched the first of two Apps one to help you reach your event on time , the other The Results is all about the medals who's won what. I downloaded the first one - Join In. It's packed with facts and real-time updated info on what's going on, along with a complete games schedule all designed to make it easy to reach your event in time. Join In is available for both Android & iOS right now The Results will be available later this summer. Both are free.