A Day in the Life of an Olympic Volunteer

It’s over a year since I applied to be part of London 2012. I remember counting down the days from 200, going to interviews, training days, picking up my ‘Games-maker’ uniform, and finally it’s here. Wary of how I was dressed, (in the oh-so-wonderful, almost metallic red and purple Games-maker uniform) I left the house on Monday and hopped on a train that took me to directly outside the park.

The transport information volunteers were already keenly positioned to guide officials, athletes, games makers and members of the public to exactly where they wanted to go. Security flowed smoothly and I found myself in the vast Olympic park. As we were walking in for the first technical rehearsal for the opening ceremony, there were workers everywhere placing the last details, working right up until the 11th hour.

Upon entering the briefing room I was aware that I was just one of a crowd. It is quite surreal to be sitting in a room and seeing clothes clones of you everywhere. Even looking down and seeing the same shoes on everyone’s feet made me feel like I was part of some mass army ready to receive instruction and deliver with precision. Yet the experience was far from being like the first day of military school. It wasn’t intimidating or scary, instead we were told to introduce ourselves to our fellow games maker team mates, both young and old. This way we all felt comfortable asking for help, going for breaks with each other and generally sharing the experience with a group of enthusiastic people that a couple of hours earlier were all strangers.

Before long it was five o’clock, and people were beginning to stream in. Amongst officials, journalists, film crews, spectators and athletes from every nationality, I spotted Tom Daley and his young diving squad posing for a photo outside the stadium as well as many other participants exploring the park before competition time would bind them to a relentless timetable.

A couple of days ago I found myself being a part of the most incredible spectacle. The joy of volunteering is that I could find myself being rewarded by a chance to see some of the events. The gates opened and excited spectators flooded in. I was showing people of every nationality to their seats, who all greeting me with their animated smiles and enthusiasm.

At the very precise time of 20:12 the show began with a fly over from the Red Arrows, and soon after anthems from each British nation of the ‘Isles of Wonder’ were sung beautifully by the choir that I had only heard practicing from outside on the ticketing bridges all week. The cast members that I had seen rushing to and fro on the concourse outside the stadium were now putting on the greatest performance of their lives in front of a billion people.

The atmosphere is something which could never be fully captured on the TV. At moments there were the loudest cheers I have ever heard, and at others the most subdued silences. The standing ovation given by the stadium to Muhammad Ali was a joint decision, not started by anyone in particular or dictated by the commentators, but instead the collective feelings of the audience that such an honour was deserved. Inclusivity is at the heart of the Games. The lighting of the cauldron could not have been achieved without the help of all the nations represented at the Olympics, and the bid to open the Games to all is something was really amplified during the ceremony.

It was a pleasure to be part of this, an experience that I will never forget. The spectacular ceremony may well be over, but the Games have been declared open and I look forward to supporting London 2012 further in its attempt to create the best Olympics ever.