Olympic Fever

Everyone has asked whether or not I'm going to the Olympics. I wasn't at first, because they had all sold out in a lottery over a year ago and costs were very high. Since then a lot of tickets have been released in waves and I guess I didn't pay too much attention, weary over the transportation nightmare and not finding a fellow USA fan to join me.

Well, scratch that. Now I'm heading to the USA Women's Olympic Volleyball match tomorrow with a new American friend. More tickets have opened up and in fact, the games are getting major criticism for all the empty seats you see on TV. With corporate sponsors eating up a lot of the seats, they're not always filled and plenty of eager fans are left without the opportunity. Its been so bad for some events that the Olympic commitee started warning after day 2 they'll start "naming and shaming" the corporations that aren't using their tickets and meanwhile have made plans to fill the empty ones with  school children and troops.

Trafalgar Square, June 2005

Back in June 2005, I took this picture in London's Trafalgar Square - the count down to the Olympic Games 2012 host city decision. It was to be made just 10 days after I left London that trip, and I watched the celebrations in Trafalgar back at home in Chicago. If you had told me I'd be living in England and attending these Games 7 years later, I wouldn't have believed you.

Of course, those host city nomination celebrations in 2005 were overshadowed by the city bombings that took place the very next day. London has rebounded however and these games seem to be going smoothly aside from the news 10 days before the opening ceremony that the company that was hired to provide security would fall some 4,000 security guards short of their commitment. Oh the scandal... I'm glad I'm not the CEO of G4S!

In early September, I'll be going to the Paralympics with my company for the Wheelchair Tennis event. I'm very excited to see some of these super humans: http://youtu.be/tuAPPeRg3Nw 

I'll keep you posted how it goes!  U-S-A!!!!