Olympic park and gymnastics

We took the tram and metro back to the centre on our way up to the main Olympic stadium – OAKA – where the rest of the day would be spent watching the artistic gymnastics. It takes a while to go from north to south, but we make it in time, fitting in some self-service food before hand and popping in to the ZPC for updates. OAKA was calm, no enormous or long queues and the gymnastics was also easily accessed and quite enough that we could sit in seats that were more expensive than our ticket price. It pays to watch the heats! The artistic gymnastics is amazing. The tv only conveys one section at a time. Watching the event live is so very different, so much is happening at any one time and the athletes fall a lot!

Sponsor spaces

Across from the beach volley venue was the Water Plaza, another sponsor spot, with a range of spaces of activity. This is the first time we see a ‘big screen’, like the LiveSite! Screens in Sydney. Apparently, they were open for opening night, but few were present. One of the major spaces here is the Coca Cola pin trading area, an enormous room shaped like a coca cola bottle. It also included sport spaces, where you could have a go at archery, weight-lifting, karate, baseball, fencing and shooting. Great idea, though seemed poorly placed – quite empty too. Hyundai cars also had space and would take photographs of guests in front of their cars, drawing people in with the big fluffy ATHOC mascot people, with whom you could take your photograph. They also offered a free bus back to Athens, but we didn’t think too much of the schedule – seemed few and long wait time between them.

Beach volleyball

Today was our first sporting event, Beach Volleyball. It was about time we found out how the journeys to Olympic venues functioned and what kind of experience visitors had throughout the process. We had to leave at 7am, walking first the 10mins to the tram and then taking it south to the water venues in the south of the city. First problem – the tram is delayed and both we and one of the volunteers for the beach volleyball venue have to give up. She advises us to take the bus, which is just arriving. At the end of the line, we change to Tram 2, which takes us north along the coast. Arriving at the beach volley venue, the surroundings look unfinished, but it could be that these spacious areas look strange when there are few people present and they are really geared up to deal with big crowds at peak times. There were no queues at the venue, we could easily have arrived much later. The food and drink was not overly expensive and it was easily accessible at this time of day (around 830am). The stadium was less than half full, so we are able to sit anywhere we like within our section. We easily access the front row and have a great view for the entire morning. If you ignore the fact that the ambiance of beach volley is a little masculine – note the ‘fun girl’ dancers at time-outs – there is a cool, relaxed feeling about the place. The competitions take place with music throughout and a DJ. The matches went well. Spain won the final match, which pleased Beatriz!

The session finished around 1250pm and we then walked across to the sponsor park (the Water Plaza), where Swatch had a range of stands, including ‘serving spots’, where you could serve a volleyball and see how fast your serve is. Other sponsors were also visible, particularly the Visa ATM machines – oh yes, if you are visiting the Olympics, don’t forget that official retail outlets only take VISA cards or cash. If you want to use any other plastic, you will struggle!

Olympic Truce event

We both meet at the ZPC at 12.15pm awaiting information about the Olympic Truce press conference. There is nothing available yet, so we check emails, etc. At 12.40pm, Cathy Freeman turns up with her Samsung-sponsor entourage. We spend some time watching the media frenzy and get a sense for why she is there. We are given the opportunity to interview her, but declined. Nevertheless, her associates seem to know which media is worth giving specific time to; we are asked just because we have already begun to make friends there. Stelios Korkidis, Greece Press Counsellor in Beijing and previously Sydney, spends a bit of time talking to us and at 2pm we leave the ZPC just in time to catch the cyclists whiz by for the road race. We then try to find one of the Cultural Olympiad exhibitions, but find it difficult to locate the venue, despite asking advice from the local police. Actually, we get the impression that a lot of the police on the streets have been brought in from elsewhere. At around 315pm we arrive back in the ZPC for the Olympic Truce conference, due to take place at 4pm. What we were led to believe would be a low-profile meeting turns into the highest profile meeting of the entire schedule for the ZPC. It is not completely chaotic, but certainly no media were getting into the official meeting. All press were lined up ready to take photographs of guests, but only the select few – mainly international news wire reps such as Associated Press – were allowed into the meeting room, where Jacque Rogge would introduce the Truce. We arrived and managed to squeeze to the front of the press line, increasingly frustrated at what was happening. Truce is one of our major interests and we thought we had planned for this event. But, here we were being squeezed out of the main meeting. Admittedly, we had no entitlement to be there, as we learned once the guests started arriving.

Among the VIPs were Tony Blair and Cherie Booth, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Prince Albert of Monacco, Queen Sofia of Spain and many, many more. So here we were, missing the entire event, only to see people arrive and walk into the adjoining room. We just weren’t having this. We quickly needed a plan B! Andy protested at our exclusion to one of the ZPC staff, who clearly did not have any influence. So, he tried someone else who seemed a little more central to the proceedings. This woman, as it turns out, was coordinating the event. He quickly explained that we are university ‘professors’ and that this was central to our research and, by the way, could we get in. Andy also tried to play the ‘we met Cherie Booth yesterday and arranged to see her here’ card, which seemed to work reasonably effectively, though her PA was clearly not overwhelmed. Could it be for the fact that he was in beach wear and looking not much like a professor? What can we say? We did not expect this to be anything like the event it turned out to be. Anyway, perhaps it was because this woman was from the UK, but, she let us in and we were able to get a reasonable position on the speeches. At the close of the meeting, one of the initiatives was the Truce wall, where guests were asked to sign their support for the initiative. Beatriz nearly rugby tackled Tony Blair on the way out, but everything went fine enough.

Afterwards, we had a chance to speak with Stelios and also foreign press counsellors Stavros Stathulopulos (Germany) and Nikos Papaconstantinou (London and Egypt). We have some renewed kudos from having been two of the few to make it into the meeting. Hehe. It is a very fruitful conversation, about the ZPC, how it emerged, who was pushing for it and what were its expectations.

After the main guests had left, everything calmed down considerably and it was back to the real work. We sent a couple of emails to inquire about access to the International Broadcast Centre and the Main Press Centre, and Monday seemed possible. Then we took a walk to the Acropolis and Monistiraki, where we had a drink. The restaurant where we ate that night had an ‘Olympic’ theme – a 5 course meal, each course representing one of the rings and the food even corresponded to the colour of each ring. ZPC again at the end of the day and home by 1am.

BBC interviews

Depart the flat around 9.40am and take the bus to Sygrou Fix, where the tram is now terminating, due to the road cycling track arrangements in the city. From hereon, the tram does not leave from Syntagma Square for the rest of the Games. Andy’s first task is an interview for the BBC Today Show radio programme at one of the BBC posts nearby the Panatheneiako Stadium. He also records a generic for the BBC and talks with the journalists about the Zappeion Press Centre. They have not had a very good impression of the facilities, though this seems largely due to their expectation to access sports information, for which the ZPC is not set-up.

Opening ceremony

At 4pm, we leave and take a bus to the area of the Hilton Hotel, where we visit one of the Modern Art Gallery exhibitions – TransCultures, part of the Cultural Olympiad programme. We then try to find out more on the Opening Ceremony, but still no information available. It is amazing that we know nothing and that, with all our contacts, nobody can confirm any arrangements. We wonder what visitors will be doing – probably watching the television!! Around 7pm, we arrange to meet a friend from ATHOC, who has been told of a big public screen at Omonia Square. We all walk down there and nothing is happening, so it is back to the ZPC to watch a screen there. Not the best of experiences!!

VIP lunch with the British Olympic Association

We depart the ZPC at around 12.30pm for our meeting with Jude Kelly at the British Olympic Association villa. The area where we needed to arrive is ‘Psychiko’ and buses did not seem obvious. We are fortunate enough to have some advice from some locals and make it there on time. The bus passes by the Hilton IOC hotel, very impressive, with cameras everywhere waiting to spot a VIP. The lunch was really informative and a great opportunity to talk with London 2012 bid committee members, among others. It was hosted by Jude Kelly, but invitations were on behalf of Tessa Jowell, MP. Some time through the lunch, we were told that Cherie Booth, the UK Prime Minister’s wife, would join us, as she was soon to be announced as a new ambassador for the bid. This was also a great opportunity to have a discussion about Olympism, which is precisely what took place. It was a small gathering and included Ric Birch (executive producer for the ceremonies at Sydney’2000, Barcelona’92 and LA’84), Nigel Short (British Chess champion), Marco Balich (executive producer of the ceremonies in Torino 2006) and the British Council Director based in Athens.

Let the Games begin!

Oddly, today is a public holiday in Athens! The day of the Opening Ceremony and everyone gets a holiday, as if all the work is done. Actually, we thought this was supposed to be some reward for the city, but we seem to find out that it was just a coincidence. The streets are empty and we leave home at around 9.30am – breakfast on the go. Spend time in the ZPC until 114pam, trying to find out about arrangements for the ceremonies. The difficult task was finding out about public spaces, where we could watch a screen showing the ceremony – a €900 ticket for the actual ceremony just didn’t fit into our budget! However, nobody can tell us of any clear venues where people could gather. There was some suggestion of big screens, but the ‘May I help you’ people deny this.

The flame arrives

Yesterday we got free invitations to attend the special party to welcome the torch to Athens. It is in the beautiful Odeon of Herod Atticus. It is a full house, so it takes a while for people to get to their seats in this ancient open theatre. In the meantime, the torch is being carried around Athens towards us, footage of which is being projected over the wall of stone behind the stage. As the torch passes the Odeon, it is carried by former Olympic champion Carl Lewis. The torch is finally taken up the Acropolis and there is a special ceremony at the Parthenon, where the torch is to rest at night. We have followed all of this through video projections on the Odeon’s stone, which create a strange and memorable effect. The Mayor, the head of the Hellenic Culture Committee, the Prime Minister and the head of ATHOC all make speeches at the Parthenon and, after this, come to join us at the Odeon for a concert. The concert is also attended by the King of Greece and the rest of top Greek personalities. It is a beautiful concert, in particular, the second piece, with title ‘Slow Motion’, by a Greek contemporary composer. There is also a funny situation during the third piece by Shostakovich. The solo pianist stops playing of a sudden in a rage and seems about to leave due to being disturbed by loud noise in the background that spoils the quiet moments of the composition. This is the down side of having the whole of Athens celebrating! The orchestra director manages to convince him to stay to the relief of the concert organisers and front row personalities. In the way out of the concert we have the chance to say hello to Kostas Georgiadis, the dean of the International Olympic Academy, who, as always is half-smiling and happy to see us.

Unfortunately, we end up missing the special cultural activities organised by ATHOC to celebrate the opening of their ‘Catch the Light’ programme in the Keramikos area. Our group has grown unexpectedly and we must accommodate and go to Plaka for a most needed dinner.

Interviewing cultural players

Beatriz interviews Georgia Iliopoulou at the Hellenic Culture Organisation. Pleasant meeting, though brief. The interview is useful to get a first understanding of the structure of the Cultural Olympiad and its relation to the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and ATHOC among others. We also meet with Jude Kelly, the chair of Culture and Education at the London 2012 Olympic Bid. She is extremely open with her views and very interested in our work. She invites us to attend a lunch with Tessa Jowel, UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and head of DCMS. This will take place tomorrow.

Patras, Euro Capital of Culture

In the Zappeion on the 12th we see the Symphonic Chorus of Children from Patras. Many efforts are made by representatives from this city to ensure a strong presence in the Zappeion. They are promoting its programme as European Capital of Culture 2006 – we have been impressed by the dedication and the amount of activities (including extensive materials, puppet and shadow theatre and then the chorus among others). It is clear that the initiative has a high profile in Greece.

City initiatives: 'real prices' & volunteering

We also observe some other interesting initiatives. The Municipality has issued a ‘real prices’ list for visitors to ensure they do not get ripped off by overly ‘entrepreneurial’ retailers. The diversity of ‘volunteer programmes’ is also remarkable. In contrast to previous Olympic hosts, where most volunteering is managed through the official Olympic organisers, in Athens, the Municipality has made parallel arrangements, among them, the ‘may I help you’ programme. The transport authorities have also created their own ‘follow me’ campaign to guide visitors and locals through the constantly changing public transport schedules. The only difficulty is knowing what to ask to which person and when!

Olympic cultural programmes

We are particularly impressed with the cultural preparations. Since the first day we wandered around Athens, 4^th of August, the final touches to an extensive public art programme and the amount of information about other initiatives throughout the city have developed at an amazing speed. ‘Catch the light’ is a visual arts programme consisting of images of Greek (or Athenian) people in medium size boards hanging from the gates of the National Gardens, plus enormous billboards showing stills of sports and creative views on Greek culture and related endeavours that cover full buildings at different points of the city. It is an effective programme that achieves a difficult balance between being creative and attractive and blending with the environment. It is a far cry from the ‘in your face’ flashy sporty images, heavy on official logos and sponsor recognition that were common in Sydney and Salt Lake. Information also abounds on the ‘other’, additional cultural events, that range from ‘happenings’ (or impromptu performances) in Olympic venues and surroundings to concerts in public squares, national parades, free theatre and other arts related shows organised by the Municipality of Athens and ATHOC. There are many other, paying events, organised as part of the Cultural OIympiad and the Hellenic Festival. In fact, it is confusing to realise who is in charge of what, and this, at times, jeopardises the value of ‘cultural guides’ that may include certain but not all activities taking place.

ATHOC’s programme is the most clearly dedicated to highlight the Olympic experience. It takes place in and around selected Olympic venues, in the Olympic Village, and as end of the day celebration to the torch relay in every night-stop of the tour around Greece. The programme also includes an interesting visual arts programme, with the beacon exhibit ‘Monument to Now’, a daring proposal of contemporary art organised in collaboration with the DESTE foundation. Interestingly, ATHOC has also coordinated a ‘gallery walk’ that takes you through the little street of Athens, from Psyrris, Plaka and Monastiraki to Kolonaki and as far as Kifisia.

The Municipality of Athens has launched its ‘A Celebration all over the City’ programme, which is all free and, as in the case of ATHOC, focuses on the period of Olympic sport competition. The programme is heavily focused on entertainment but has a greater level of cultural endeavour and is more unique to Athens than the ‘LiveSites!’ in Sydney. The Cultural Olympiad has stopped its performance programme during the Games, only leaving a collection of interesting exhibition at prestigious venues and a reduced number of free events that are often ‘by invitation only’ in rare venues. Special performances and events will continue in September, once the Games are over.

The Hellenic Festival is also in full swing, with top cultural events taking place almost daily at the beautiful Odeon of Herod Atticus, the most spectacular theatre in Athens. The events are often pricy, but welcomed by visitors interested in the arts and aware of this prestigious festival. A further myriad of activities are taking place under the wings of several foundations, cultural centres etc. There is not clear coordination of all of this wealth of cultural offerings, but it is obvious that Athens exudes it and this makes the experience of walking around the city particularly provocative, enticing and memorable.

Is Athens ready?

Just one day to go. It is the first morning that we have had the strength to get up at 7.30am. We are getting used to the heat. Athens looks ready as the Mayor of Athens, Dora Bakoyannis emphasised in her press conference at the Zappeion Centre yesterday. She looked confident and pleased, and probably she has good reason. The city looks fantastic.

However, some things keep going wrong with local transport: the tram is not very reliable at the moment, there are signs indicating how long until the next train, but you get stuck in the longest ‘1 minute’ waits ever. The screens never seem to go beyond ‘7min’ to the next tram, no matter whether you have to end up waiting for one hour. On the other hand, the metro and buses seem to work fine.

Street cycling and gallery walks

On the way to finding food, we notice Syntagma in a little chaos. The main road was closed and we wondered whether the torch was about to arrive. Some police confirmed this, though it actually turned out to be the time trial for the road cycling. The bikes whizzed past, one of them even taking a photo while peddling past the government building. Who says Olympians don’t sight see as well? We get some food in what has become our usual, miserable place, though the food is ok and it is quick and convenient. Afterwards, we do a little clothes shopping and then find somewhere else to eat for dinner at around 9pm.

After dinner, we take a stroll to one of the art galleries, which are open from 8pm until midnight during games time. It is all part of the organising committee (ATHOC) official cultural programme, consisting of contemporary exhibits at unusual venues. The building for this one is a block of flats and doesn’t seem too inviting, but the exhibition is beautiful and worthwhile.

The way home, again, is not straightforward. We take the metro to Neo Cosmos, then the tram, though had to wait around 20mins for the tram to get moving. They seem to be having problems with this system. When it works, it is excellent, but we have had difficulties so far.

Press conference with the Mayor of Athens

After obtaining the tickets for the ceremony tomorrow, we head back to the Centre for the press conference with the Mayor. We arrive an hour before, though cannot receive the press packs until 45 minutes before. We take our seats early, a few other journalists are there, though many cameras are already set-up. We speak with a presenter from US television in Colorado, who has a Greek advisor with her. They are both busy constructing the ‘track’ for her recording later. As time goes on, the room fills up, until eventually the Mayor, Dora Bakoyannis, is escorted in. She is an impressive woman, tall and attractive, with a distinct presence. She is dressed in white with a Greek blue Athens 2004 t-shirt. Her hair is immaculate and she is accompanied by an adviser.

The conference lasts for one hour, with first questions from the main media companies, who seem to receive special attention from the chair, though this might just be an impression. Most of the questions are banal; we really wonder what journalists think they are doing. Is Athens ready? Of course. Do Athenians want it? Of course. Is everything wonderful? Of course. No surprises here, though she does still have a way with people that is playful and yet authoritative and uncompromising.

Afterwards, a cocktail reception is held and the Mayor stays for 15minutes or so. The Centre is quite busy now, not much room to find a computer. We check email a few more times and then sit for a while in the massage chairs that are provided by one of the sponsors. Andy receives a phone call from BBC Five Live about his book. Then we head out for some lunch at around 430pm. We don’t seem to get hungry, despite the messy eating times.

Working our way around

The ZPC is quite peaceful at this time. Computers available, though sometimes trouble working out how to change the keyboard settings from Greek to English. The facilities are excellent, though we wonder how much busier it will become and whether there will be enough space. The provision of free lockers is a big help to free-lance journalists. We keep there a change of clothes and every-day material, which accumulates quickly. After a couple of hours emailing and addressing journalists and interviewee correspondence, Andy attends the final minutes of the lecture from Prof. David Young, Olympic historian. The lecture is well attended, though lacks dynamism and the slide show is poorly lit. Afterwards, Andy speaks with the PR person, who could not seem less interested in him. However, Andy speaks with Prof. Young, who is delightful and pleased to make contact. We will try to meet again at the Society of Olympic Historians’ AGM in Athens.

At 1230pm, we take the metro one stop from Syntagma to Akademia, to pick up some tickets for tomorrow night’s welcome torch ceremony. It will take place in the Odeon theatre at the Acropolis. Tickets are free to anyone, but the difficult part is finding that out and then knowing where to pick up the tickets. It is not clear whether it is elitist, but it seems likely. This information is not available everywhere, though we have not yet fully checked the Ministry of Culture’s website.

Museum moments

The morning is a little cooler today, helped by getting out of the house by 9.30am. We managed to catch the bus to Dafni within seconds of arriving at the stop. This was helpful as the last two times we have had to wait around 20minutes for the bus to arrive. At first, we had trouble asking for tickets in Greek and finding a kiosk, but were assisted by an English speaking Greek woman. This is essential where we are staying, though even those who do not speak English try to help. We arrive in Syntagma square around 10am, wondering about some breakfast. At first, we see the fancy café on the square and sit to eat, but decide it would take too long and cost too much. What we want is a quick, tasty breakfast, or, failing that, just a quick one. We decide to walk to one of the museums and on the way grab a croissant and a frappe. The museum is just five minutes to the north west of Syntagma, it is the Old Benaki Museum. The museum is beautiful, full of classic items from antiquity and more recent times. The building is four stories high with ornate decorations and a view towards the Panathenaiko stadium. We spent at least 40 minutes there. There were few people attending, but we saw at least one female athlete walking around on her own.

Accreditations and security

One of the problems with wearing any form of accreditation is that you do not really know if people change their approach to you just because you are wearing something official. We do not stand out like the fully accredited Olympic family. Our accreditation looks less official and most people probably would not have heard of the Zappeion Press Centre, though all Athenians do know the Zappeion building, which sits just inside the park adjacent to Syntagma. The building has a long Olympic history, having been the headquarters for the first Olympics in 1896. It is possible that we look more official, or simply official in a different way, as our accreditation clearly indicates ‘Zappeion Press Centre’. In contrast, media accredited to the main press centre or International Broadcast Centre, do not have this information clearly visible. All officially accredited people – athletes, coaches, camera people, presenters, IOC members – have the same kind of accreditation and their specific affiliation is in very small print, too small to catch unless you have excellent eye sight. After the museum, we walk through the park to Zappeion, taking the route through the zoo and the maze of paths that surround the building. For the first time, the guard seemed interested to check our accreditation, perhaps an indication of the heightened security, given that the Mayor of Athens is presenting today. Though perhaps this is just a coincidence. We make it through the x-ray machine, following a couple of broadcasters who are worried about their expensive cameras.

Back to Athens

After the conference, we took train back to Athens and had dinner there with a friend from University of British Columbia, Canada. The city is thriving – and restaurant prices roaring!! We do not get home until 1am, after taking a metro to Dafni and then getting into a taxi with a driver that tries to scam us by taking unnecessary long turns in the area. We jump off at the first opportunity but then feel we are in the middle of nowhere. A bit scary considering that we are carrying laptops and all the material gathered during the Congress.

The tram services that are to run late every night during the Olympic fortnight are not yet fully operational. As it is common in most Olympic host cities in the final days before the Games, travelling at night is a bit messy but we end up managing well. We find a nice old lady in one of the lonely streets who offers some useful – in English! – advice about how to get back to our place.