Hi everyone,

The Paralympics have just begun today and I start work tomorrow. As you all probably know by now I will be working at the national stadium (Birdsnest) on Paralympic Athletics. 

This weekend I finally received my Paralympics accreditation and with it I thought a free ticket to the opening ceremony, maybe not. Unfortunately for me and my four fellow British colleagues our accreditation hadn’t been given the official stamp for the opening ceremony.

So like many Chinese, British and everyone else around the world I settled for watching it in my hotel room and enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t wait to start interviewing the athletes, the sooner the better!

Today I paid a visit along with colleagues to the Birdsnest to pick up our Paralympics uniform, which was quite amusing. Originally on my uniform request form I asked for a large shirt size and large trousers because the Chinese sizes are smaller than western clothing. Today I was surprised to find one medium, one large and one extra large shirt in my uniform bag and again similar problems with my trousers. The best though was my Jacket. I got a whopping 3XL which could fit me and at least one more person in, it was quite funny at the time.

I don’t mind though I am working eight days at these games and it doesn’t matter what I am wearing so long as I am down at the field of play or in the mixed zone.

Until this afternoon my mood for the Paralympics was somewhat lessoned because of my Olympic experience being so good. But now with new colleagues, new challenges such as new sports to report on, my ambition and my journalistic juices are working overtime.

 Really looking forward to working, watching and being part of these Paralympic games but when they finish I have only one day left in Beijing. I will miss this place when I’m home but I will take away so many memories, life experiences and so many new friends who I will know for years to come. Again I reiterate these Olympics have given me so many new horizons and I recommend it for many people come 2012.

I’ll speak to you all soon.

David