Empty Stadia but Lots of Passion

In case you missed it, Torino's slogan is 'Passion Lives Here' and it certainly does seem true. Yesterday, we spent 3 hours queuing for the 400 tickets to the medal plaza that were made available for free to anyone. In the end, we missed out by about 20 places, but the experience was enlightening. Many of the people in the queue seemed more aware of and interested in the artist who would be performing, than the athletes who would be receiving medals.

That night, the first, it was Andrea Boccelli, so the italians were particularly passionate about obtaining tickets. A few arguments broke out and people soon became strategic in their attempt to obtain a ticket. We overheard some people talking about buying them from others and a couple of times, we saw people offer their tickets to others.

The frustration came in the evening when seeing many of the seats empty. It is clear that the sale of tickets does not rate particularly highly for an organising committee, but it seems that it would be wonderful to avoid these situations, which seem to happen over and over again.

I think today, we will go direct to the Plaza in the evening and see if we can benefit from someone's generosity. Who can spend 3hrs queuing in Olympic Fortnight? I'm just glad i had my LifeDrive and a stack of reading.

Torino 2006

The cauldren is about to be lit here in Torino. The city squares are full of people watching big tv screens and the final arrangements to the city are over. The Olympic Truce moment in the Opening Ceremony was spectacular, creative and poignant. Beatriz and I are now in the Media Centre among around 30 other journalists. The city has become progressively busy today, though still no major queues around ticket offices.

We learned that the medals plaza will be open to non-residents and that 400 tickets will be available each night for those who try to obtain them.

A couple of nights ago, we saw the dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony, but they didnt include the amazing ferrari moment. The red lookof the city is in clear coordination with the TOROC look of the Games. There seems to be a good collaborative branding to both elements and the Cultural Olympiad has a strong, subtle and stylish presence around the city.

Tickets were hard to obtain today. The website was unavailble for some time and although cheapest options were shown available, it was not possible to select them. WE eventually accessed some from the ticket office near Medal Plaza where a very small queue had formed. Typically, each customer took around 20mins to serve as they had to pick which days they wanted to visit venues.Not simple.

Vol 7 of C@tO

Volume 7 of Culture at the Olympics has just been published. The contents are proceedings from a symposium that took place at University of Glasgow in June 2005, in association with London 2012. Contents as follows:

7.1	Exploring Internationalism: Scotland responds to London's Olympic Vision for Culture in 2012 pp1-8
7.2	Welcome Presentation, pp.9-11 by Professor Adrienne Scullion
7.3	Special Address, pp.12-16 by Patricia Ferguson, Member of Scottish Parliament
7.4	Olympism and Internationalism, pp.17-23 by Jude Kelly, Chair Culture & Education, London 2012
7.5	Culture at the Olympics: Intangible, invisible, but impacting, pp.24-34 by Beatriz Garcia & Andy Miah
	[Also access the powerpoint presentation in pdf (8mb)]
7.6	Discussion Session [transcript], pp.35-55 edited by Beatriz Garcia

The finishing line

This is our last day in Athens. How quickly it has all happened! The morning is spent trying to arrange bags, then rushing to meet Lucy from the Olympic Truce but she cancels so we get back to the house. We do not leave for the ZPC until 12.30 and decide to have lunch at the nice ‘Event’ restaurant to learn, upon arrival around 2pm, that at 12 there had been a press presentation by the Torino 2006 Winter Games Team. We are disappointed to have missed it, but we get some information, including an extensive press pack.

On the way, before lunch, we go through Swatch street in Plaka to see ‘Kaleidoscope’, one of many sponsor-related art initiatives. It is a clever idea, consisting of objects made by athletes in the form of art displays. The street is painted as a track lane.

At our return at the ZPC, the Zappeion peristyle has been transformed into a food and drinks display from all over Greece. As always, it has been very well arranged. It is amazing how many shows they are putting on, most of them in excellent taste though poorly attended by the journalists. We get some free ice cream, which is always welcome.

We take the bus to the airport and are very happy to learn that British Airways will allow us to take all the material we have compiled without charge.

We see many athletes at the airport. They are leaving after their events, which is a shame as one would wish that the Olympic village were full and busy to the end – and that the athletes were able to enjoy the atmosphere. But reality is not always as one would like it. In the end, it is the athletes with less chances of winning who are probably making the most of the Olympic experience. At least, they can relax enough to enjoy and socialise, party and meet different cultures – and stay until to the Closing ceremony!

We, unfortunately, will have to give it a miss this year. Next stop is Montreal!

Radcliffe's Greek tragedy

We go to the Panathenaico together to see end of Women Marathon. The entry is a bit chaotic, with contradicting directions being given – entry by the stadium, where tickets are still distributed at the official boot, or through a special entrance at the National Gardens, linked to stadium through a walled corridor. At these entrance lots of people waiting, then we are told to move away, as we cannot get in without tickets. Most of us have them, so it is a useless remark that confuses people. It takes a while to make it through the corridor – constantly stopped to be checked out, with lots of police. We catch a glimpse of two ‘Greek philosophers’ at a bench behind the fences, in the park, looking in on us. (Isn’t alcohol a banned substance at the Games?)

Most of the crowd are Brits carrying flags. Every British person in Athens seems to be here, benefiting from the 10 euro ticket. Not difficult to get good seats near the finishing line – the stadium is large and we are early. We are just next to the media seats, which are indeed always the best (better than the VIPs designated area on the side). While we sit, we see Bridget McConnell and her husband the first Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell. A happy coincidence. We had a chance to say hello to them both. With them is the well known former British athlete Dame Mary Peters, creating a fuss as fans ask her for a signature. Japanese fans do not know what is happening (they ask us who she is) but also ask for a signature.

The stadium is in full swing with the British fans dancing and flashing their flags. A smaller contingent of Japanese fans is also visible. The race starts and Paula Radcliffe is leading, which brings cheers around the stadium. But she stops, unexpectedly, in the 23 mile mark – just 3 miles to go. She is in tears, and the stadium in disbelief. The Japanese runner wins the race, with all Japanese of a sudden getting prominence. We all cheer for the runners as they arrive, especially for Liz Yelling. When she arrives, Andy spots her husband Martin, an old friend from Bedford, and has a chance to talk with him.

It is nice to stay until the very end – the race started at 6pm and the final runner arrives around 9.45pm – almost 10pm. It feels like this is the real Olympic spirit. It is inspiring to see the reactions and appreciation of the runners who arrive exhausted and still have the strength to smile or send kisses to the crowd while they run the final lap. Several of them collapse after the finishing line and must be taken out in a stretcher. The Japanese winner, though, after a moment of rest, is unstoppable, running around everywhere, carrying the Japanese flag, talking to the media and then, after receiving flowers – one hour or so after winning – running up and down the seating area, mingling with the fans that follow her around. Andy manages to shake her hand. It is so funny! Like a Benny Hill show, says Chris, as we look at the Japanese running around after her, some of them in funny costumes, a group of them all dressed in bright pink. What a strange sight, in this so beautiful and solemn stadium! It is a nice feeling throughout, despite the sad end to Paula’s race.

We go for dinner in the Italian restaurant that is team Japan’s house after submerging our feet in the Kiatsu bath at the entrance. It consists of hot water and stones for massaging the soles of your feet. It is an initiative of the Japanese to promote healthy practices during the Games, and it works!

Visa Olympians meeting centre

After a big breakfast with our hosts, we get to the ZPC and spend some time taking photographs at the Olympic Truce stand. We will use these for our university press release and to distribute information about the Truce more widely. We also go around the Panathenaiko stadium to take some photographs while it is empty. It is such a beautiful and memorable stadium. Later on today we will come here to see the end of the women’s marathon.

After lunch, we go to the Visa Olympians Meeting Centre to attend the International Olympic Academy Participants Association (IOAPA) reunion. It is a good chance to catch up with old ‘Olympic circle’ friends. Amongst the best surprises is seeing Thomas Kaptain, who is in excellent shape and funny as ever. We also see Kostas Georgiadis and his wife. Norbert Muller and Manfred Messing from Mainz University are also there. As is Holger Preuss from the same university with whom we have a brief chat.

We also have a chat with Evi, and a quick hello to Elisabeth Hanley who makes a speech to congratulate Laurel Iversen for her dedication to the IOAPA. We see Bob Barney, John Lucas and Cesar Torres but have no chance to say hi. We meet a UN culture and sport officer working in Kosovo who knows Ana Belen Moreno (from the Olympic Studies Centre in Barcelona). Ana Belen was working with him the year she went to Kosovo. He is an interesting person with a very interesting job. To be followed up. As always a bit of surprise as, in the end, we do not know so many people within the IOA world!

The longest time is spent with Noemi Monin from the Museum/OSC, now in charge of Summer Games Coordination – a post briefly held by Nuria Puig, who is now back at the OSC in Lausanne. She will be working on the Beijing links. We discuss our views about the Athens cultural programme. Few people knows about the ‘cultureguide’ and are often confused about the diversity of activity on offer.

We share most of the afternoon/ evening with Berta and Chris (from the Centre for Olympic Studies in Barcelona), who have had the chance to see some events through IOC support. They have collected lots of material (25kg) mainly through the Main Press Centre, where they were based. They also visited the ZPC and found it very useful and accessible.

Olympic park - athletics

A full day at OAKA today for the athletics. We depart at around 730am, missing our bus and, thus, taking around 40mins to get to the tram. We arrive at OAKA around 915am and are, again, able to sit where we like. So we get some near front-row seats to watch the Heptahlon long jump. Denise Lewis pulls out with injury, though looked good in the performance. A strong performance from Team GB’s Kelly Sotherton. We also ‘see’ the 100m heats, which include Maurice Greene, Kim Collins and Greg Campbell, though the sprint track is on the other side of the stadium, so we don’t really see much more than small dots of people and the television screens in the stadium.

We took some time to get to know the OAKA complex. It is a bit desert-like, sand on the ground, seemingly unfinished, though possible to pass of as a traditional Mediterranean dry and dusty landscape! Sponsors are not too overwhelmingly, though are clearly present in the facilities spaces. Many Kodak and coke stands and the McDonalds restaurant is bursting at the seams. Water and food are reasonably priced though.

At 125pm we take the metro to Nea Ionia to see the DESTE foundation exhibit ‘Monument to Now’. Well worth a visit, though the volunteers around the area did not know about its existence.

Olympic opera

At 7pm we leave the ZPC for the Odeon of Herod Atticus. There we are going to see the opera ‘Rea’ by Spyros Samaras, which has been made famous because of its music becoming the basis for the modern Olympic Hymn. We are really exhausted and the hard stone seats do not help to make us feel relaxed, so we decide to leave at the end of act 1 and make a couple of tourists very happy with our tickets for the opera’s second half.

We go out for dinner at Kolonnaki square, a very pleasant and upmarket area of the city were prices are high but service is truly excellent. We are lucky and have an uneventful public transport return to our flat.

Commonwealth connections

After the exhausting – but great – interviews session, Beatriz gets back to the Zappeion Press Centre to attend a press conference by the organisers of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006. During the press reception, we have a brief chat with Lord Sebastian Coe, the chairman of the London 2012 Bid. He is happy to hear about our project and very encouraging. We also see Prof Kristine Toohey from University of Technology in Sydney, with whom Beatriz had worked during her experience at the Sydney Organising Committee for Games in years 1999 and 2000. The press conference is interesting enough, but the best part comes at the end, with the distribution of information backs and, best of all, nice Commonwealth pins. The pin mania is difficult to avoid in Olympic and related circles!.

Research intensive

A full research day for both of us. Andy spends time in the ZPC working on new archival material, promotion for the public communication of our work, articles for newspapers and subsequently visits the archaeological site in Athens. Despite it being summer and Games week, it is relatively empty.

Beatriz has to go through a real marathon of interviews at the Hellenic Culture Organisation (HCO) headquarters. This is the group in charge of the Cultural Olympiad on behalf of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. The meetings start at 1pm and do not finish until practically 6pm. She receives great support from Takis Panagiotopoulos, HCO president advisor.

The first meeting is with Amaryllis Frangou, the director of communication. She is a very straight forward person who offers very useful information about the evolution of the Cultural Olympiad marketing and promotional campaigns. She shows videos of the Cultural Olympiad TV campaign from 2002 onwards. It is also helpful to learn about the progress of the logo and the notion of a ‘brand’ that is supposed to survive the end of the Games and become established as a permanent Cultural Foundation with a base in Greece.

The next interview is with Liza Tsaliki, director of international collaborations. It is excellent to meet her and it will be definitely be worth keeping in touch. She has an academic background in cultural and media studies and is good friends with Prof. Neil Blain from Paisley University in Glasgow, who happens to be the head of Andy’s school. The interview provides detailed information about the Olympiad wider (and complex!) political context and the difficulties in securing a broad international projection.

An unexpected meeting with Elias Vergidis, manager of the new Athens Culture Guide, proves very useful as well. The Guide is rapidly becoming a key reference point of Athens cultural agenda. It is by far the best guide to get an impression of the wide range of cultural activity happening in Athens during the Olympics, including not only ATHOC and Municipality cultural activities, but also the Cultural Olympiad, the Hellenic festival programme and a range of alternative offerings. The guide is supported by the HCO and has been set as a long term project.

The final meeting is with George Liontos, director of the ‘department of programme realization’, that is, the man in charge of cultural programming. He is a rather authoritative man, with a far reaching experience at the Ministry of Culture. He has a very good insight of the evolution of the Cultural Olympiad since its original inception in 1998 and is also well aware of the difficulties in confirming certain acts and responding to the very ambitious design of the Olympiad during the four years it has lasted. He offers a magnificent selection of Cultural Olympiad publications. These include several hard-back (and extremely heavy!) exhibition catalogues with great photographs, which are, indeed, extremely valuable additions to our Olympic culture library collection.

Ancient Olympia or bust

At 3.45am, we walk over to Syntagma to catch the media coach down to Olympia. This was not provided free and was actually quite expensive. Their luxury coach was far from being luxury and we did feel sorry for some of the media, many of whom were big guys with big equipment. The 5hr journey down to Olympia cannot have been easy. Most of the journalists were from the Main Press Centre and it was full.

We arrive in Olympia at 9am and the route was quite different towards the end. Olympia had gone through some dramatic changes in recent months. Andy was last here in June 2003. Upon arriving, we discover that departure is not until 8pm – we had been told it was 1pm, after the shot put finished. This spoils our plan to be back in Athens for the Cultural Olympiad event tonight at 9pm, so new plans were necessary. The tour guide assures us she will find out about other possibilities, so we watch the event and relax a little. It is amazing how they have transformed the walk from Olympia down to the stadium, though there are nearly no water kiosks and certainly no food anywhere.

At around 1230pm, we rush to the restaurant to see if we can grab a bite before learning that we need to take the 1pm train back to Olympia to ensure we make it there for the evening. Shame, since it would have been good to talk more with the journalists, one of whom said that being in Olympia is the highlight of his career. So much for being cynical about the sports media journalist. Here we were in the heart of where sport began and it actually managed to touch someone in a very important way. How reassuring.

The train back to Athens was not much fun. First leg was packed in like chickens. The second leg began in a nice first class carriage, until we were moved and had to walk through a ‘raining’ carriage – air conditioning leaking into the train – and into our less air-conditioned, but dry carriage. It took around 6.5 hours to get back and we were exhausted by the end of it. Still, just enough time to get cleaned up for the Cultural Olympiad function.

Zappeion events

Later that day, the Expo 2008 Thessaloniki bid committee gave a presentation about their aims. That night, we would prepare for one of the ZPC culture events, an evening of Greek cuisine. We had hoped for a table with ZPC officials and it more or less worked out, except for an unusual Frenchman who decided to sit with all of us and show us photographs of him with, among others, the Pope! This was a truly bizarre evening, with somewhat serious consequences. The meal was supposed to be the one occasion when colleagues from the ZPC could sit and have some relaxing, together time. Well, while we had been invited to join their table, he had not and he was taking the last seat. Ultimately, the boss of the ZPC group dealt with it very professionally, but we did feel sorry for them! Anyway, the food was great, but nearly non-existence, so it was a quick McDonalds later. We stayed at the ZPC all night tonight, since tomorrow was the 4.30am departure to Olympia for the Shot put.

Athens by art

Depart home around 9.15am, Beatriz was due to meet Nelly Kyriazi, Director of the Municipal Gallery of Athens. She is meeting her to talk about her role as curator of the ‘Athens by Art’ contemporary public art programme being presented throughout the city during the Olympic fortnight. Andy was at the ZPC until 1230pm, conducting the daily archival work.

City scenes

Arrive at ZPC at 1130am only to find out that our Main Press Centre accreditation application has been declined. The ZPC officials are clearly not that influential when it comes to ATHOC accredited buildings. We go to the New Benaki Museum, another Cultural Olympiad venue; an impressive exhibition of clothing from a range of locations called ‘Ptychoseis=Folds+Pleats’. This is definitely one of the most extraordinary exhibitions during the Games.

We then venture over to the Technopolis venue, an extensive complex of cultural centres and activity. There were few people around and the guard seemed desperate to talk to someone. One of the exhibits was a video of Olympic history, which included interviews with Olympic veteran academics John MacAloon and Norbert Mueller.

Back at the ZPC at 7pm to find out about a Torino 2006 function due to take place that night. No info is available, which ruins the plan for that evening. Instead, we take the evening to have some sushi and find some of the Catch the Light events. However, there was no information available about this at Syntagma square and the people handing out leaflets about it at Korai Square were almost invisible. At around 10pm, one of the ticket booths happened to be closing and we saw an argument between a visitor and an employee, the former of which was protesting at their closing so early. A fight very nearly broke out! The volunteers are so vulnerable sometimes and just get too hard a time from visitors.

The tram home functioned well.

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.