Games Maker: my time is (nearly) now

Well, it is now only 34 days until I begin my first shift as a Games Maker working as a Flash Quote Reporter in the Olympic News Service (ONS).

It’s a great role to have got – interviewing athletes after they compete in the mixed zone. I will be working across the cycling disciplines covering track cycling, BMX and mountain biking.

I have already had a taste of it. I volunteered at both the BMX and track cycling test events and loved every minute. The contrast between the two events was stark – one sport (BMX) was very new and unknown to the press and spectators at the event; the other (track) probably the most high profile from a British point of view.

This led to different experiences in the mixed zone. At the BMX test event the mixed zone was often a barren wasteland with just a few hacks dotted around. This gave us a great opportunity to meet the riders and conduct interviews on a one-to-one basis.


I met some great athletes at the event, with most happy to stop, chat and generally promote their sport. I got some great quotes too, my favourite being the rider (who shall remain nameless) who commented after a wet day: ‘considering all the money that has been spent, you thought they would have put a roof on the track’.

That’s the great thing about working for the ONS – despite being Games Makers we are there to report what is actually said, not what we want athletes to say (or the world to hear). That means the natural journalist in you (who wants a great quote, good or bad) is allowed to ask questions to get it and then report it (within reason). Even if an athlete swears and it adds to the quote, that is also fair game. It is a great freedom to have.

The track UCI Track World Cup in February was a different story. The mixed zone, I imagine, closely resembled what I can expect mixed zones to be like come August. Full of hacks jostling for position, we were often listening to and annotating other journalist’s interviews, rather than conducting our own. Although that was disappointing, I did take the opportunity to test using a translator when interviewing Juanes Esteba Arango, the Colombian winner of the Men's Omnium.

So, what’s next? Well,  I have my uniform so all that’s left are two venue training sessions – one at the velodrome and the other at Hadleigh Farm (where the mountain biking will take place). It is all very close now.

I have also entered a competition laid on for Games Makers to attend a rehearsal of the opening ceremony. That would be a great start to my Olympic experience.