My work here in Beijing is now at an end, as the Paralympics prepares for the closing ceremony but for me it has started what could hopefully be a bright future.

I have only one regret about these games in Beijing and that is that they have finally ended but there is no time to waste on matters that can’t be changed. For me it is now time to fully focus on the future.

Having the opportunity to work here as a volunteer is one thing in my life I will never regret. I have so many happy memories and have seen some fascinating sports, world records, Olympic records as well as Paralympian being set and broken.

One thing I will say is that volunteers are a key factor to the Olympics running as well as they do so hopefully in London many more people will get the same or a similar opportunity as I have.

My final work shift was last night and I watched world records come and go, something a year ago I thought would never happen, it is amazing what life can throw at you.

Also my last interview was with South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius aka the “Blade runner” who for the final race of the evening smashed the World record in the men’s 400m. What a way to finish my Paralympic experience.

From here though I have one day to pack and prepare for my long journey back to England. Whilst I have been here I feel I have matured, grown as a person learnt many lessons and improved in my journalistic capacity.

Don’t get me wrong I have also had great fun, and since I have made so many Aussie friends you learn to be slightly more out going and you constantly have fun whether it be at work or on the social side of life.

I am honoured to have been at these games, it has been a dream come true, I hope to be at 2012 for London but you never know what is round the corner, all I can say is if your young enthusiastic and love sport- get yourself to the games. It truly can be life changing!

Finally I am happy after 3 months to be going home to be reunited with my family and friends. I have to also say how happy I was writing this blog for SkillsActive, I hope in some way I have helped some of you learn more about being an Olympic volunteer and tracing some of my thoughts and feelings on the subject.

Remember this if you only remember one thing:

“Volunteers represent the Olympic Spirit”

Jacques Rogge, Chairman of the International Olympic Committee

On this final note I will say goodbye and thankyou.

So far during my Paralympian bout as a flash quote reporter all is going well, just like Great Britain’s medal tally. 

It is nice to see Britain doing so well not just at the Olympics but at the Paralympics especially with 2012 just around the corner, hopefully we can surpass what we have achieved here in Beijing back home in London.

Anyway volunteering here for the Paralympics at first was a proposition I entered with a small deal of pessimism. This was mainly due to friends going home and being in a foreign country for another three weeks after living here for two months already, but to be honest the experience has been well worth while.

One of the main reasons for this is because where I work in the mixed zones after events, there is less accredited media than there was at the Olympics; meaning that you get more one on one time with athletes which not only develops your interviewing skills but also increases your confidence. 

In fact only yesterday evening I interviewed Michael McKillop of Ireland who set a new world record and won Gold in the T37 800m, winning Ireland’s first Gold medal. And he is such a nice lad, I really hope he continues his success and does well in the rest of his career.

I also interviewed the women’s greatest ever athlete Chantal Petitclerc who won the women’s 100m, the first of many events for Petitclerc, who won five Gold medals in the last games at Athens. Also with this looking like her last Paralympics it makes interviewing her even more special. 

So when you are interviewing some of the worlds great Paralympians it can be a bit daunting, however they put you as a reporter at ease and are very understanding. Something that at times wasn’t the case in the Olympics whereby athletes would blank you and then close up like a clam during the interview, this has not happened here.

Now looking back on my choice to stay here I am very happy and feel I made the right decision. I am working with a great team at the Birds Nest and flash quoting at the Paralympics is so much fun, it is exciting and to be honest this experience is going to help me as much as the Olympics did.

Finally I would like to finish of by saying congratulations team GB, keep up the good work and continue to make us proud.

Will speak to you all very soon.

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

Originally on the campus where I live there is a university canteen and a coffee shop which serves some western food mainly pasta dishes. So for a while making use of these services was very handy indeed and it meant no effort on my part. Then when I left the campus there are noodle shops just outside the main gate and a western restaurant next to the subway station. It isn’t the greatest place for a meal but it was adequate for my needs.

Also close by and everywhere in Beijing there are 24 hour McDonalds and KFC so again if I felt lazy this would be one of my hang outs for food. But there are plenty of Chinese restaurants on every street but after a while the meals became much of the same other than the dumpling house which is cheap, incredibly tasty and very close to the campus.

Although I am one of these people that finds cooking therapeutic so I found a local supermarket which unfortunately sells some products past it sell by date. So be careful, I know I was! So now with pots and pans, the meat, pasta, rice and other good student ingredients like Heinz baked beans I am cooking most evenings and when your not working like me at the moment, it helps pass the time.

I have really enjoyed living in a different country for just over two months and the independence it has given me is insurmountable. However as I mentioned in my last blog whilst living in China for so long, your hair does grow and I needed a haircut. Now let’s not forget the obvious language barrier that I was facing and my total inadequacy to learn the language. This was one Beijing experience that I thought could go rather wrong and if it hadn’t been for a friend of mine it probably would have. This week I decided to venture out and attempt to come back to the world of man and stop wearing baseball caps to cover the dead cat on my head. So I rang a Chinese friend and colleague Kevin Wang to help me on my mission.

We arrived at a salon and went in the building close to my accommodation. If looks could kill I wouldn’t be writing this blog right now as I could instantly tell my presence was not much liked in an all Chinese barbers. Kevin decided to do the talking for me – thank god and I also let him pick my style because apparently the styles in the book all involved some type of perm and I didn’t fancy looking like Kevin Keegan from his playing days.

A price was decided and then my hair was washed, clipped, chopped, blow dried washed clipped again and finally shaved.

All this was happening while Kevin took photos of me at my best looking sullen vulnerable and scared at what the end product would be. Fortunately the trip was a success but I apparently had had the same style as most Chinese students so now I look like one of the natives. That does have its positives and some negatives but the price was very reasonable 50RMB which is around 3-4 pounds so a lot cheaper than back home. I might even have another one before I go home.

So now I’m suited, booted, got a new haircut, cooking in the apartment and just about to start work for the Paralympics. Life in Beijing is good but I can’t wait to come home soon for some good British grub and the start of my university semester because when I get back home it is two days off and straight back to uni to start my final year.

Originally when we set off from Sheffield two months ago twenty four of us set sail on our voyage. Now there are only eleven.

We all knew that the day would come because there were fewer volunteers required for the Paralympics but during the Olympics we bonded like a family and looked after one and other.

Like the Olympics bringing the world together for the largest sporting spectacle, it also brings the volunteers closer together both international and local. I have personally made friends from all around the globe whilst on this volunteer programme and it has opened up many doors to my future.

Although one of the main lessons I have learnt is to respect everyone not just for their attributes but also their shortcomings and our twenty four became more of a brotherhood because it was the longest we have all spent in a foreign country away from our families.

Personally though, even with the feelings of sadness as my friends and now family boarded the coach, I was happy for them because they get to go see their families. For me I am here with another ten of my new family and I know my family are at home waiting for me but they can wait another three weeks.

I am still here to do a job and to be the best volunteer I can be and embrace the Paralympics spirit as much as I can, so I can’t remain saddened but I can be happy knowing that my friends and family will all be back in Sheffield when I arrive home.

Till then there will be two weeks of work for the Paralympics but before then I will do some more travelling round the city, play some football, tennis, badminton and I will get a hair cut. This could be fun in China, wish me luck.

Unfortunately the sun has set on my Olympic adventure but my Paralympics adventure begins very shortly.

It seems very strange that only in January I applied for a volunteer slot at the games and now the games are a growing memory. 

However I have to reiterate the friendships I have made out here are unbreakable and I have made friends from all over the world which has opened up more and more possibilities for me.

The Olympics are the greatest sporting spectacle in the world and to have worked here in Beijing makes me feel very honoured but even more determined to work in London for 2012. 

At the games as a volunteer it not only allows you to watch the greatest sportsmen and women in the world compete. You enter the Olympic community where everyone helps each other and works together which is incredible with the mix of international volunteers that were here in Beijing.

I have now been invited to go visit friends in Australia; something I thought I would never say. But whilst being at the games it opens your eyes and a whole new world is at your feet. 

The confidence I have gained is incredible and I really now want to work in Sports Journalism and have my eyes fixed on doing the best I can like the Olympic athletes in my chosen specialism.

I hope to carry this blog on for everyone during the Paralympics because at times these games are too easily cast aside whereas people should embrace them the same way they do the Olympics. 

I will work at the “Birdsnest” for the Paralympics while covering the athletics. I hope to speak to you all soon, and everyone prepare for a
great games in London 2012!

Hello all, 

I can’t believe I have been sat in the same stadium as the great Diego Maradona!  

I know that he is only a shadow of his former self now but when working at the Olympic men’s semi-final Brazil v Argentina he was also in attendance.

In a match that has seen Argentina progress to the final Gold medal match against Nigeria the 1996 Olympic champions. Argentina who are the reigning champions want to retain their coveted gold medal position.

During this match there was as in all sports at the Olympics unbelievable quality on the pitch with players such as Messi, Ronaldinho, Aguero and Mascherano who fascinated the capacity crowd at the Workers stadium with their incredible agility, skill and athleticism.

What I will say as a volunteer at the Games here is that I may never get a chance to see top level sport like this up close again. I sincerely hope this is not the case. But working here at the Olympics illustrates how privileged a position we hold as volunteers during the worlds largest sporting spectacle.

Not only do I get to see some of the greatest sports stars on the planet but I also have the opportunity to interview the players and for a young aspiring journalist this experience is not only life and career changing but it makes you realise this is the profession you wish to follow.

I now know that when I graduate I want to further my career in the field of sports journalism as well as other areas of the journalistic spectrum. At twenty I have stood in mixed zones, flash quote areas and have attended both pre and post match conferences at a major sports event. This experience has been second to none and for anyone wanting to further themselves in sports journalism perhaps being a volunteer at London in 2012 wouldn’t be a bad idea!

I hope personally that by 2012 I will be working in some form of sports media and would perhaps be employed to work during the London Games but if not, I may do the same voluntary work again if the opportunity arises.

What I will leave this short extract with is that a player such as Maradona who attended the Argentina game made 64,000 people roar with excitement when he was on the screen. I was fortunate to be here to see, feel and be part of this environment. I hope that all the volunteers for London only have the same if not a better experience than I have had. But one thing is that when you leave the Olympics you have memories and meet friends that will last a lifetime.

David Stevenson

It seems very strange that we are nearly at the halfway stage of the Games. For so long I have been out here training for the event and felt like it would never come. However as always good things always seem to come and go so fast but leave an everlasting impression in your mind.

For me so far these Olympic Games have taught me lessons not only about my trade as an aspiring journalist but have given me more independence because I am in a foreign country for so long which has also boosted my confidence.

Also being a volunteer is a great role and is an experience everyone should try. In fact I am that impressed I want to apply for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and then the London Games.

I will do another blog soon to tell you more about the experience but until then it is back to the office for me and I am so happy to say it.

By any chance did any of you get to watch the Olympic opening ceremony. I didn’t and I’m here in Beijing. Only joking. I wasn’t in the Birdsnest but I was watching on a big screen in a park near the lama temple with 3,ooo other spectators.

Originally we all had plans to go and watch the ceremony outside the Birdsnest but with security being tight and the constant checks, we decided against it. Also the fact that there was 1 million viewers outside the stadium also had a rather large influence.

What did happen during the ceremony though is that my colleagues and I suddenly realised the Olympics were upon us and it added more excitement to the evening. We have all been out here for so long now it has felt like a long vacation with a bit of work in between. But now work really begins.

Although I am only a volunteer, after watching the ceremony I realised what a special event the games are. They are the one sporting event where the whole world turns its eyes for a fortnight and it is the only one which follows strict traditional guidelines and has created Olympic values and protocol.

The values consist of enjoyment, competitiveness, honesty and all the things that are good in people. From what I have seen so far in Beijing the Games unite a country and many of its inhabitants which can only make it a stronger nation. I can only hope that come 2012 the same happens with Britain.

I would like to end this brief little chatter by saying how wonderful the whole set up for the opening ceremony was and that I will be working  at the Birdsnest at some point during the Olympics. I only have one wish and that would be to do it all again. Although I want to pose one question to everyone. Can London top Beijings opening ceremony?

Please comment on this and I will let you know my thoughts, anyway I best get back to work. Hang on, how can the Olympics be work? I just feel honoured to be a part of it.

Speak to you soon, and please drop more comments and I will add more photos and video footage soon. Hopefully.

Well it is now official we have been here in Beijing for exactly one month. So I only have another seven weeks left in the Chinese capital till I am back in sunny Sheffield.

But before my return I have to get through the Olympics and in my case the Paralympics as well.

In the time between my last blog and this new edition I have been working monday to friday nine till four for the last two weeks unless there has been a security check at my work venue the Workers Stadium.

While at work we have been continuing Olympic News Service (ONS) training on interviewing techniques when talking with athletes. Also we have been using the computer systems in the venue to be adept at typing our reports both pre and post match as well as our flash quotes which we will get during press conferences and mixed zone interviews.

However with the Olympics only a week away, I have this weekend off so my body can prepare for the long three week endurance task it is about to undergo.

But it isn’t all work and no play here in Beijing. At the weekends I have made trips to the Forbidden City, where the former Chinese Emperors resided.

In fact the reason it was called the “Forbidden City” is because if anyone trespassed they were executed, this place was only for the royal family but it is now open to the public. My advice though is that it is so big, go early in the morning and spend a full day there if you want to see most of it.

I have also visited the Chinese Pearl Market and haggled with the shop owners, which is a lot of fun. So now I have all my gifts bought and ready to bring home for my parents wedding anniversary.

But before I celebrate their anniversary I plan on celebrating my anniversary with Beijing with my colleagues.

My next blog will be uploaded very shortly so keep a look out for it, as I will be talking about tightening security in preparation for the Games.

Talk to you soon…..

Its been just over two weeks since our arrival in Beijing and there are a few words to describe what I’ve seen so far immense, extraordinary, incredible, impressive and large.

I know it sounds like I am saying it just for the sake of saying it but Beijing is constantly, even in the two weeks I have been here.

For example I arrived at my working venue the Workers Stadium where I will cover Olympic football and in the first week there was still construction work being carried out. A week later and the 64,000 capacity venue looks completely different esecially the interior where our offices are.

Although there is still time before the games start it is amazing to see how a major capital city is still with only 21 days before the Olympics start putting the final touches into its venues. Hopefully this won’t happen in 2012.

However I have also visited the “Birdsnest” a 90,000 capacity venue and the watercube and these works of architectural art will live with Beijing for a very long time.

Also the Beijing Olympic Organising Commitee for the Games (BOCOG) arranged a few volunteer training days for us before our shifts actually start at our respective venues. These sessions were organised for all international volunteers which was in total 280 students consisting of Americans, Australians and our 24 Brits.

The one thing that is standing out in my mind since I have been here and have witnessed Beijing before the games is the international significance the Olympics brings to a country and the effort a host nation has to put in not only in hosting the games themselves but construction, redevelopment, environmental plans and a plan for the future after the games have finished.

Also with respect to us volunteers BOCOG have treated us very well taking us on tours to the Summer Palace, Ming Tombs and most importantly the Great Wall. I have to admit I have never seen such panoramic views and if anyone gets the opportunity China is well worth the trip.

One final wonder that everyone should see and taste if they do make the trip to this side of the globe is the famous Beijing Duck. I have been here, as I’ve said just over two weeks and have had the pleasure of it on four seperate occassions with constantly improving chopstick skillsand each time it keeps on getting better.

Anyway Its off to work in the morning and my first full day of work I will keep you posted and will upload photos of the Great Wall, Beijing duck and another sneaky slice of poultry I tried. Wild Pigeon!

See you soon

My colleagues and I are the only European students to have been given this opportunity to report for the Olympic News Service (ONS). Our jobs will entail gathering quotes, reviews, previews, press conference highlights and much more, which will then be distributed to the world’s media.

Our chance to get to the Games only came round in December last year but since then from out of 200 candidates our final 24 were hand picked by the Olympic committee after two exams and an interview. Even after we were picked we have completed over six assignments and we head out a month before the Games start to continue specific ONS training.

I’d like to add that whilst we are over there we are working as volunteers not paid members of staff. But how often is it you get the opportunity to work on the Olympic Games the most prestigious sports event in the World.

While I am there I will be writing a couple of blogs a week detailing my thoughts, feelings and experiences of what it is like working at the games, as well as information about Chinese culture. So along with my close friend and colleague Charlotte Abbott we invite you to join us on a virtual journey that takes us to the other side of the world.

We hope that through our opportunity to work at the 2008 Olympics we will hopefully show how exciting the Olympics are especially with 2012 fast approaching.

Well I best get some packing done as we fly out this week, I’ll be in touch next week so I’ll talk to you then.