My name is Charlotte Abbott and I am a 20 year old student. I am studying Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University.

Luckily, out of 200 people, myself and 23 other students from the university were given the opportunity to volunteer and work for the Olympic News Service in Beijing this summer. To become part of this project, I had to go through various exams, such as writing an article in 100 words within an hour and writing ‘flash quotes’ from audio and video clips, as well as an interview. Hallam was the only University in Europe to gain this experience, due to its well known establishment of sport culture.

Over the next few weeks, myself and fellow student David Stevenson will be writing blogs about our feelings, experience and the atmosphere at the Beijing Olympics.

It will be interesting to view the Olympics from behind the scenes, as I have only ever witnessed the event on the television. As I will be part of the environment of sport, culture and media all rolled into one, it will be one ride that should not be missed. So I hope you can follow my journey for the next 7 weeks in Beijing!