After four weeks of working abroad in Azerbaijan and Germany it feels great to be home. Both the European Games and Pentathlon Worlds were fun but nothing quite compares to a proper English summer; warm weather, glorious long evenings, Wimbledon and train strikes. This week, however, I am not about to embark on another tirade about the inefficiency of public transport - I want to talk about the unforeseen positive effects of train strikes.
My first week back in the UK was manic to say the least. I was working all over the country and clocked up some serious miles in the car travelling back and forth. On Thursday I had to travel up to London for a meeting at 10 am so I booked my train tickets well in advance hoping to get some work done on my journey up from home. After a terrible trip back from Germany, my heart sank when I heard on the news that both the train and underground would be on strike that day with passengers advised to expect severe delays. I got up extra early on Thursday morning to catch the earliest train possible and braced myself for the worst.
What actually happened came as a pleasant surprise. The train I caught up was relatively empty and arrived on time. Clearly many commuters had been put off by the doomsday warnings of travel Armageddon. Yes the underground was closed but I packed a pair of trainers and enjoyed a brisk walk to my meeting – it was great to see so many people out enjoying a healthy stroll to work in the nice weather. Once my meeting was over, I hurried back to the station eager to avoid rush hour and boarded the first train I could. This one wasn’t too packed either and to compensate the passengers for the ‘inconvenience’ of the industrial action we were all given free ice lollies and biscuits. My kind of strike!
Monday, July 13, 2015
Rant over
I warn you in advance that I need to get something off my chest. You might think I would be a seasoned traveller by now and take delays in my stride, I usually do. I’m not sure if it is the affect of being away for four weeks or the fact I have a job to rush back for; I am stuck in an airport and really annoyed.
I was up at three thirty this morning to catch the red eye flight from Berlin back to Heathrow; you can imagine my frustration when I received a text to inform me that my flight was delayed by thirteen hours. ‘How is this possible?’ was my initial reaction as I headed to the airport determined to get to the bottom of this and find an earlier flight home. I had a work engagement to get back for that has been in the diary for weeks and one I could not afford to miss.
It transpires that after spending the last seven days melting with temperatures hitting the high thirties and no sign of a breeze the storm we had all been hoping for arrived the evening before my flight. Consequently the aircraft I should now be flying home on is stuck in Dresden. Apparently no British Airways staff work at that airport so once the passengers had disembarked nobody was allowed back onto the airplane and even the luggage is still onboard.
As inclement weather conditions are deemed an act of God and not the airline’s problem no alternative flights were offered. I have now bitten the bullet and purchased another flight from an airport on the other side of Berlin that will take me into Luton. I still have two more buses, two trains and a taxi before I'll be home in time to shower and rush back out the door.
I was up at three thirty this morning to catch the red eye flight from Berlin back to Heathrow; you can imagine my frustration when I received a text to inform me that my flight was delayed by thirteen hours. ‘How is this possible?’ was my initial reaction as I headed to the airport determined to get to the bottom of this and find an earlier flight home. I had a work engagement to get back for that has been in the diary for weeks and one I could not afford to miss.
It transpires that after spending the last seven days melting with temperatures hitting the high thirties and no sign of a breeze the storm we had all been hoping for arrived the evening before my flight. Consequently the aircraft I should now be flying home on is stuck in Dresden. Apparently no British Airways staff work at that airport so once the passengers had disembarked nobody was allowed back onto the airplane and even the luggage is still onboard.
As inclement weather conditions are deemed an act of God and not the airline’s problem no alternative flights were offered. I have now bitten the bullet and purchased another flight from an airport on the other side of Berlin that will take me into Luton. I still have two more buses, two trains and a taxi before I'll be home in time to shower and rush back out the door.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Free from Azerbaijan
Plastic cutlery, paper plates and school dinner style trays are just a few of the things I will not miss from my stay at the European games. How I long for a meal with metal cutlery and a solid plate sat at a table made of something other than plastic. Usually it is the food itself that I crave after a long trip abroad, of course I am looking forward to a home cooked meal, but the idea of being able to cut my food and hold it on my fork rather than delicately scoop it up using bendy utensils is incredibly appealing.
The waste at events of this scale depresses me. I had to stop thinking about the affect we were having on landfill sites although I do understand the challenge of catering for such huge numbers. It was the bottles of water that were the biggest contributor with no refill available and the tap water unsafe to drink.
I also crave freedom; I am not referring to Azerbaijan's reputation on human rights but the tight security necessary to keep everyone safe in a multi games environment. Going out without my accreditation firmly around my neck I feel lost. It has become part of getting dressed everyday and I even had to wear it running. I have never enjoyed airport security - imagine being scanned at least four times every day just to go to work and home again. I even had my legs scanned whilst wearing shorts; literally nothing was going to get past their barriers.
I am now one step closer to freedom and three hours closer to home. I have a week in Berlin where I look forward to stepping out with more than one hundred millilitres of fluid in my bag and eating from a solid plate, although the tag might still be a necessity.
The waste at events of this scale depresses me. I had to stop thinking about the affect we were having on landfill sites although I do understand the challenge of catering for such huge numbers. It was the bottles of water that were the biggest contributor with no refill available and the tap water unsafe to drink.
I also crave freedom; I am not referring to Azerbaijan's reputation on human rights but the tight security necessary to keep everyone safe in a multi games environment. Going out without my accreditation firmly around my neck I feel lost. It has become part of getting dressed everyday and I even had to wear it running. I have never enjoyed airport security - imagine being scanned at least four times every day just to go to work and home again. I even had my legs scanned whilst wearing shorts; literally nothing was going to get past their barriers.
I am now one step closer to freedom and three hours closer to home. I have a week in Berlin where I look forward to stepping out with more than one hundred millilitres of fluid in my bag and eating from a solid plate, although the tag might still be a necessity.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
The glamour of Baku
I am acutely aware that some readers may think I live a glamorous life trotting around the globe. I do not always feel the need to dispel this myth and must admit I am incredibly fortunate to have these wonderful opportunities. On the face of it, working at the European Games in Baku sounds like another one of those trips.
The last week I have had the pleasure of commentating on numerous gold medal performances by British athletes in both triathlon and diving. TeamGB ended up dominating in the diving pool, overtaking Russia on the medal table on the closing night and the divers won a total of four European Games titles at this junior event. You can imagine how exciting this has been for a Brit to commentate on. The real challenge has been remaining neutral. The feed is going out at home on BT Sport but I am working for the international host broadcaster and we are very clearly instructed to show no bias at any point.
The sports I am covering are all roughly linked to my background in Modern Pentathlon; triathlon being a multi sport event and diving - well I guess it is water based? For the next five days I'm remaining poolside for a busy programme of swimming; a junior event and hopefully another chance to see the Union flag on the podium.
I do, however, have a small confession to make; this trip couldn’t actually be further from glamorous. It doesn't involve me touring around the lively city of Baku attending all the competition venues. Quite the opposite, I am spending most of the daylight hours in a small windowless box. The broadcast is all being transmitted from the International Broadcast Centre and therefore all commentators are watching and reacting to the feed from a studio doing their best to bring the event to life.
The last week I have had the pleasure of commentating on numerous gold medal performances by British athletes in both triathlon and diving. TeamGB ended up dominating in the diving pool, overtaking Russia on the medal table on the closing night and the divers won a total of four European Games titles at this junior event. You can imagine how exciting this has been for a Brit to commentate on. The real challenge has been remaining neutral. The feed is going out at home on BT Sport but I am working for the international host broadcaster and we are very clearly instructed to show no bias at any point.
The sports I am covering are all roughly linked to my background in Modern Pentathlon; triathlon being a multi sport event and diving - well I guess it is water based? For the next five days I'm remaining poolside for a busy programme of swimming; a junior event and hopefully another chance to see the Union flag on the podium.
I do, however, have a small confession to make; this trip couldn’t actually be further from glamorous. It doesn't involve me touring around the lively city of Baku attending all the competition venues. Quite the opposite, I am spending most of the daylight hours in a small windowless box. The broadcast is all being transmitted from the International Broadcast Centre and therefore all commentators are watching and reacting to the feed from a studio doing their best to bring the event to life.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
European Games
This week I am in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, soaking up the spectacle of the inaugural European Games. As a commentator and journalist, I have to fully immerse myself in the event so it’s difficult to gauge, from this far flung corner of Europe, what kind of impact the competition is having at home.
The Games were conceived just three years ago, will be held every four and are vying for Olympic credibility on a European scale. The host city of Baku proudly boasts a rich cultural heritage and has undergone huge redevelopment in recent years thanks to a thriving petroleum industry. Azerbaijan seized the opportunity to showcase itself on Friday night during a spectacular opening ceremony featuring over a thousand dancers, an enormous hydraulic stage and a performance by the pop singer Lady Gaga.
A significant challenge for these games is the credibility of individual events. A few of the major sports have insisted it remains as a junior level competition so as not to detract from the European or World Championships that they organise themselves. An outsider might imagine that the major sports would be happy to take advantage of the world class facilities in Baku and pass on the administrative burden but there are other financial factors at play. For example, swimming and athletics can sell the television rights as well as gain huge sponsorship deals when owning the big meets themselves. As a result all of the aquatics disciplines are under eighteen and athletics has been graded a third tier event. On the other hand there are several ‘Road to Rio’ qualifiers throughout the seventeen days and TeamGB have already experienced success in the men’s triathlon.
As a commentator and spectator, living and breathing the event, it feels a success. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the world views Baku and its European Games.
The Games were conceived just three years ago, will be held every four and are vying for Olympic credibility on a European scale. The host city of Baku proudly boasts a rich cultural heritage and has undergone huge redevelopment in recent years thanks to a thriving petroleum industry. Azerbaijan seized the opportunity to showcase itself on Friday night during a spectacular opening ceremony featuring over a thousand dancers, an enormous hydraulic stage and a performance by the pop singer Lady Gaga.
A significant challenge for these games is the credibility of individual events. A few of the major sports have insisted it remains as a junior level competition so as not to detract from the European or World Championships that they organise themselves. An outsider might imagine that the major sports would be happy to take advantage of the world class facilities in Baku and pass on the administrative burden but there are other financial factors at play. For example, swimming and athletics can sell the television rights as well as gain huge sponsorship deals when owning the big meets themselves. As a result all of the aquatics disciplines are under eighteen and athletics has been graded a third tier event. On the other hand there are several ‘Road to Rio’ qualifiers throughout the seventeen days and TeamGB have already experienced success in the men’s triathlon.
As a commentator and spectator, living and breathing the event, it feels a success. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the world views Baku and its European Games.
Dark times for sport
To say it has been a depressing week for international sport is probably an understatement. Both stories had been brewing for sometime; it just took a while to gather all the evidence before the allegations made the press.
America's FBI made the first move as they arrested several FIFA board members for corruption and money laundering. The head of football’s world governing body, Sepp Blatter, went straight into damage limitation overdrive, denying knowledge of any wrongdoings within his sport. The timing was dangerously inconvenient as the news broke only days before the presidential elections were due to take place but somehow he was still re-elected. Thankfully due to mounting pressure Blatter has agreed to step down next year and I just hope that will mark the end of an era of corruption within the sport.
Athletics was the second sport to enter the firing line. Although the allegations are less concrete, the fact that Panorama has highlighted Mo Farah’s coach as a drugs cheat places an uncomfortable degree of scrutiny on the double Olympic champion. The inference was that athletics had many similarities with that of the Lance Armstrong era in cycling. I sincerely hope the accusations turn out to be false.
Cycling though, had a positive news story to end the week as Bradley Wiggins smashed the hour world record covering over fifty four kilometres in the London Velodrome on Sunday night. On another encouraging note we saw the inaugural women's sport week celebrated across the country which coincided with the start of the women's football World Cup. FIFA, despite all of its wrongdoings, has at least recognised the need for equality in the sport which the BBC has decided to follow by showing full coverage of all the games. It might be one step back but I feel we have taken two large ones forward.
America's FBI made the first move as they arrested several FIFA board members for corruption and money laundering. The head of football’s world governing body, Sepp Blatter, went straight into damage limitation overdrive, denying knowledge of any wrongdoings within his sport. The timing was dangerously inconvenient as the news broke only days before the presidential elections were due to take place but somehow he was still re-elected. Thankfully due to mounting pressure Blatter has agreed to step down next year and I just hope that will mark the end of an era of corruption within the sport.
Athletics was the second sport to enter the firing line. Although the allegations are less concrete, the fact that Panorama has highlighted Mo Farah’s coach as a drugs cheat places an uncomfortable degree of scrutiny on the double Olympic champion. The inference was that athletics had many similarities with that of the Lance Armstrong era in cycling. I sincerely hope the accusations turn out to be false.
Cycling though, had a positive news story to end the week as Bradley Wiggins smashed the hour world record covering over fifty four kilometres in the London Velodrome on Sunday night. On another encouraging note we saw the inaugural women's sport week celebrated across the country which coincided with the start of the women's football World Cup. FIFA, despite all of its wrongdoings, has at least recognised the need for equality in the sport which the BBC has decided to follow by showing full coverage of all the games. It might be one step back but I feel we have taken two large ones forward.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
I survived
It would have been easy to focus this column purely on my debut triathlon experience if there hadn't been some significantly more important sporting events taking place. First off was the finale of an exciting premiership rugby season. A couple of weeks ago it was disappointment for Exeter Chiefs as they got within touching distance of the play offs finishing tied with third and fourth but losing out on points difference. Another impressive season for the home grown Devon club and one they will take many positives from.
Westcountry hopes then lay with Bath who made it comfortably into the final positioning themselves as marginal favourites to take the title. The final clashed with my triathlon registration so I resorted to finding a sports bar in Nottingham. Sadly it was hardly worth the effort as Bath had a disappointing performance that resulted in a painful loss to Saracens. Meanwhile on the international sporting scene Great Britain won medals in triathlon and rowing whilst Jess Ennis-Hill made a her comeback ahead of Rio.
On a significantly more amateur level I completed and even enjoyed my first ever triathlon. Waking up in the wee small hours on a Sunday morning, listening to the wind and the rain beating against the window I was starting to seriously question what I was doing. Things didn't improve when I had to jump into a cold murky lake and tread water for ten minutes before we were allowed to start. I suddenly realised this challenge was larger than I first anticipated. Coming from a swimming background and being brought up on the wet hills of Dartmoor actually meant I was better prepared than most; combined with safe pacing and a strategic nutrition plan I surprised myself by winning my age group and finishing fourth woman overall.
Westcountry hopes then lay with Bath who made it comfortably into the final positioning themselves as marginal favourites to take the title. The final clashed with my triathlon registration so I resorted to finding a sports bar in Nottingham. Sadly it was hardly worth the effort as Bath had a disappointing performance that resulted in a painful loss to Saracens. Meanwhile on the international sporting scene Great Britain won medals in triathlon and rowing whilst Jess Ennis-Hill made a her comeback ahead of Rio.
On a significantly more amateur level I completed and even enjoyed my first ever triathlon. Waking up in the wee small hours on a Sunday morning, listening to the wind and the rain beating against the window I was starting to seriously question what I was doing. Things didn't improve when I had to jump into a cold murky lake and tread water for ten minutes before we were allowed to start. I suddenly realised this challenge was larger than I first anticipated. Coming from a swimming background and being brought up on the wet hills of Dartmoor actually meant I was better prepared than most; combined with safe pacing and a strategic nutrition plan I surprised myself by winning my age group and finishing fourth woman overall.
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