Games of the XXX Olympiad: A Local's Perspective.
Well, I haven't blogged in a while, so I think I'll start off once again on a topic that is obviously very apparent in the topic of current events.
Yes, I'm talking about the London 2012 Olympics, but this is not a rant, nor is my intention for this blog to become a rant, this is just my way of giving an insight into what it's like to live in the host city of the Olympic Games.
After all, not all of you have the benefit of living around 30 Minutes from the Olympic Park that is.
As a result of most of the venues being well within commuting range, people ask me why I don't go and see the events live, well, there's a few reasons for that.
The first reason is a lack of tickets, or should I say affordable tickets. LOCOG (The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) have been complaining about the high number of empty seats at some events, and this has sparked controversy amongst londoners due to many people being unable to attain tickets during the application process.
It's interesting to note though that the Cheap Seats at many of these events (Band D) are packed to the rafters, yet all of the vacant seats happen to be the good seats. The seats that, depending on the event, can cost anything from £1500 to well in excess of £2000 per head, and this is just for locals. To give you a perspective of just how much money that is, I traveled to Virginia/Washington DC last year for 10 days for family reasons, and that whole trip cost me and my mother around £1600 - £1700, inclusive of flights, hotel costs, and spending money. This was also for two people.
So for all those LOCOG officials complaining about why those seats are empty... the answer is right in front of you.
And then of course there's the traffic chaos and the stretching of the capacity of the Underground network to it's breaking point to contend with...
But besides that, I still believe the Olympics are a good thing, not just for London, but for the UK as a whole. The Opening Ceremony was greeted with Critical Acclaim and I can only agree with them. A good advertisement for UK plc indeed, and in my opinion better than the Opening Ceremony to the Beijing games in 2008.
I wish Team GB good luck in the Olympics, currently as this is being written, we're in 5th. I actually find it compelling to watch the world's finest compete. The fact that the events are literally under an hour away from my doorstep makes that all the better.
And that's basically the Olympics in a nutshell from the perspective of a resident of the host city, it's probably not the most informative, but that's just my take on it all.
Yes, I'm talking about the London 2012 Olympics, but this is not a rant, nor is my intention for this blog to become a rant, this is just my way of giving an insight into what it's like to live in the host city of the Olympic Games.
After all, not all of you have the benefit of living around 30 Minutes from the Olympic Park that is.
As a result of most of the venues being well within commuting range, people ask me why I don't go and see the events live, well, there's a few reasons for that.
The first reason is a lack of tickets, or should I say affordable tickets. LOCOG (The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) have been complaining about the high number of empty seats at some events, and this has sparked controversy amongst londoners due to many people being unable to attain tickets during the application process.
It's interesting to note though that the Cheap Seats at many of these events (Band D) are packed to the rafters, yet all of the vacant seats happen to be the good seats. The seats that, depending on the event, can cost anything from £1500 to well in excess of £2000 per head, and this is just for locals. To give you a perspective of just how much money that is, I traveled to Virginia/Washington DC last year for 10 days for family reasons, and that whole trip cost me and my mother around £1600 - £1700, inclusive of flights, hotel costs, and spending money. This was also for two people.
So for all those LOCOG officials complaining about why those seats are empty... the answer is right in front of you.
And then of course there's the traffic chaos and the stretching of the capacity of the Underground network to it's breaking point to contend with...
But besides that, I still believe the Olympics are a good thing, not just for London, but for the UK as a whole. The Opening Ceremony was greeted with Critical Acclaim and I can only agree with them. A good advertisement for UK plc indeed, and in my opinion better than the Opening Ceremony to the Beijing games in 2008.
I wish Team GB good luck in the Olympics, currently as this is being written, we're in 5th. I actually find it compelling to watch the world's finest compete. The fact that the events are literally under an hour away from my doorstep makes that all the better.
And that's basically the Olympics in a nutshell from the perspective of a resident of the host city, it's probably not the most informative, but that's just my take on it all.
Total Comments 1
Comments
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Why, it is compelling to watch the best athletes in the world compete for honor and supporting their country. Being Vietnamese, people sort of expect me to support Vietnam, which sorta do, but we're such a weak country, we barely send in athletes and rarely win any medals. Living in the US though is nice. Strong country and very athletic. Enjoy the 30th Olympiad and good luck to all the countries. Go USA and Vietnam!Posted 08-09-2012 at 06:06 PM by ♥Martin.
