Olympics...................have you ever been

**Frosty** · 29-08-2008, 19:42

Hi Everyone,

So the Olympics have finished and the next are in London 2012.

Thats going to be a special year for me and seeing as how i have alwayd wanted to go to an Olympics, this could be the one.

So as anyone here ever been to an Olympics?

Where did you get tickets, how does it work in the stadium, are you assigned a seat for the day, set time or what?

How long before did you have to book?

**Mo Green** · 29-08-2008, 21:32

Tickets will go on sale in 2011 but there is a website http://www.london2012.com/index.php for anything you want to know about the 2012.

I have not been to an Olympics myself but my nephew was lucky enough to go to Australia as part of his work experience and as a result also got asked back to help in Athens. He said it was a fantastic experience.

You could always volunteer as a helper

Oops - just noticed you are from the USA so a long way to come as a volunteer!

Mo

**thornton** · 29-08-2008, 22:29

The best way to see it is to be a volunteer, but you will only get to see any sports if you are in the stadiums, arenas etc. We are both volunteering for the sailing at Portland (Weymouth) and the reports are that we will be staying on one of the luxury liners that will be moored in Portland Harbour. I think that might be the nearest I get to a luxury cruise. [msnwink]

**canarypam** · 30-08-2008, 00:00

This is interesting how do you go about volunteering? It's something I'm sure hubby and I would like to do.

**JaneB** · 30-08-2008, 00:26

You can register to be a volunteer here http://www.london2012.com/get-involv...ring/index.php DD did it the other day - she'll be 20 and (I hope) at uni by then.

We went to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester and it was superb. We applied for tickets ages before - they were made available to UK residents before anyone else. You could apply for a specific session as your first choice but if it was oversubscribed they held a ballot. We were lucky to get our first choice and saw Paula Radcliffe and Johnathon Edwards winning gold medals and we also won the hammer but I can't remember his name. The atmosphere was amazing (particularly when Paula was obviously going to win - with every lap the crowd got louder and louder!), the weather was superb, the organisation worked like clockwork - all in all, a magical day. We should have seen some wheelchair racing but that was moved to another session.

We had to attend a particular session (evening in our case) and had assigned seats. We parked in a big field outside the city and they ran free shuttle buses into the city and to all the venues. We went into the city first then later got another free shuttle to the athletics stadium.

We went into Manchester earlier to watch the marathon as our tickets were for the athletics evening session and spent a few hours with a picnic in a square with big screens and fountains for the children to play in.

we're less than an hour from London so will definitely be trying to get tickets and to the sailing as well as that's our main hobby (although I'm not sure how much you'll see from the shore!). We'll pretty much have an open house for all our friends and relatives who want to come and stay and go to see the events.

**stuart** · 30-08-2008, 00:43

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:we also won the hammer but I can't remember his name.[/quote]

Mick Jones won gold for us whilst Paul Head won bronze[clap]

Kim

**JaneB** · 30-08-2008, 01:26

Thanks! I should have googled I suppose. And yes, winning the bronze as well was great - I hadn't forgotten that!

Here are a few piccies of the day - it was getting a bit dark by the end so they're a bit grainy.

We were still around the marathon route about half an hour after the runners had gone through when this guy appeared - James Donaldson from Norfolk Island. We all cheered him on! He finally finished over an hour after everyone else and got got a massive cheer in the stadium - we saw it on the big screen near the fountains. I think I heard that there aren't even 26 miles of road on Norfolk Island!:

Manchester fountains (had to rush to TK Maxx to get costumes for the children!):

Waiting in the stadium [8D]:

Paula Radcliffe in the lead [msnsmile2]:

Mick Jones, Paul Head and Jonathan Edwards celebrating [msnsmile2]:

Paula getting her gold medal (on the big screen as we were on the wrong side of the stadium):

**taylona** · 30-08-2008, 05:17

I went to the Olympics in Munich in 1972 - I was very young! [msnwink]

Looking forward to the London Olympics - would like to see some of the gymnastics and track and field. We have some American friends who want to join us [msnsmile]

**Jill** · 30-08-2008, 12:42

We are thinking of going to the villa for this period and renting out our house as it will be extremely difficult getting into work for Stuart due to transport problems.