A swimmer takes practice at the aquatic centre at Olympic Park in London, England Thursday, July 26, 2012.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
Since arriving in London, we've enjoyed a week of blazing hot temperatures and bright sunshine. Now, just in time for the opening ceremonies, it looks like we may be returning to some more typical British weather. So far, I've been using my sunblock more than my umbrella.
I spent most of the last few days making the required stops at the Main Press Centre, lining up for credentials and a photo vest (required for entry into venues and shooting positions) and securing a locker to store gear. I also popped into the Canadian Olympic Committee offices to introduce myself.
I've spent a lot of time figuring out how to handle the logistics surrounding an event as vast as the Olympic Games. There are two transportation hubs: one from Olympic Park and one from Bloomsbury. Each hub has a fleet of double-decker buses constantly moving media back and forth to venues throughout the city. So far, the system seems to be working considering the sheer volume of media here, but it is a slow tedious process.
I received my ticket to the opening ceremonies this morning from the COC. My shooting position is way up in the nosebleeds (position K), so I've popped into the Nikon equipment centre to borrow a 600mm lens in order to reel in some of the action happening way down at field level.
Tomorrow we'll finally be off and running with the finish line 16 days away. Game on!