Prior to going to London I had a few assignments to complete for the class. The largest one was a paper comparing the 1976 Olympics and the 2012 Olympics, which can be found in the comparison section. The main point of comparison I found between the two years was the security. In 1976 the Olympic organizers spent effort in making the security team look peaceful and friendly by dressing them in light blue uniforms and arming them only with walki-talkies. That plan came under intense scrutiny when the Munich Massacre occurred. Organizers for the London games had a much different situation to deal with. Rather than trying to promote peace and new beginnings, the organizers had to spend more than $864 million USD on preventing terrorism and other violent attacks. London was questioned on their preparation earlier in the year, but ended up partnering with the military and successfully carried out hosting a large international event. I spent an hour talking with a member of the military that was brought in from Germany to help out. He said he enjoyed being able to help out, but wished they had gotten access to tickets on their days off. He was also excited because he was on the way to see his family, and was glad the games brought him so close to home. My experience with security was that it was extremely streamlined and easy. To enter any venue we had to go through xrays and bag checks. No liquids were allowed and there was a potential for pat downs. It was very similar to the airport security procedure, except it was way more efficient. I honestly never had to stand in line for more than a few minutes to get inside the venues. Emptying out my water bottle was a pain, but they had refilling stations right inside. There were very friendly security team members posted all around venues to field questions and look out for potential threats. Police helicopters flew over almost every venue doing surveillance and establishing presence, and I spotted a few police sniper set ups on top of buildings that looked into venues. The only thing I did not like about the security was the men walking around with assault rifles, with their fingers on the trigger. I thought that was very threatening and it made me very uncomfortable.
After doing all the research for the paper I was very humbled by how much work and collaboration is required to put on the Olympics. While watching the games at home on the couch you don't get to see the behind the scenes efforts. Meeting and talking with the people responsible for carrying out the games on a daily basis was enlightening, and their spirit and pride was very infectious. All of the volunteers and workers seemed excited and eager to help.
From a professional development side, this trip offered me a unique perspective of the Olympics. If I am ever lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with Olympic athletes in the future, I will have valuable insight into how the games are organized and carried out. This experience made me so much more than a spectator. I was truly invested in the success
After doing all the research for the paper I was very humbled by how much work and collaboration is required to put on the Olympics. While watching the games at home on the couch you don't get to see the behind the scenes efforts. Meeting and talking with the people responsible for carrying out the games on a daily basis was enlightening, and their spirit and pride was very infectious. All of the volunteers and workers seemed excited and eager to help.
From a professional development side, this trip offered me a unique perspective of the Olympics. If I am ever lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with Olympic athletes in the future, I will have valuable insight into how the games are organized and carried out. This experience made me so much more than a spectator. I was truly invested in the success
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