The London 2012 Olympics is about 40 days away and the excitement is starting to build up. The venue where I will be volunteering (which shall remain nameless) is being built and should round into shape soon. Having done a test event last summer, I have a pretty good idea of what it will look like but it should still be awe-inspiring nonetheless. Even the individual and team competitions are beginning to finalise so we can get a feel for some of the compelling story lines during the games. With all this said, I can't help but be a little disappointed with my role in all this.
Since I can remember, I have always loved the Olympics. I can't say that Canada ever does particularly well, and we may be more well known for doping and our races against animals, but there is something about the Olympics that is special. In the main scheme of things, it's a very trivial event. And yet it has the ability to unite and excite. And after attending the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, I was certain that I wanted to be a part of it.
Roughly two years ago, applications for volunteering at the London 2012 games began. I filled in an application. Some time later (unknown), I was asked to join a test event and go for an interview, in that order. I figured getting asked to do a test event, in itself, was a good thing. Though over 1.5 years before the games, my excitement grew at a rapid rate. Fortunately (or not), the interview process was able to slow this down. I got someone whose first language was not english and who could not pose the questions properly, it seemed. Not only was I worried that I wouldn't understand the question, I was worried that she wouldn't understand my answer. That was a good confidence builder. Luckily, details of the test event were released and I forgot all about the interview debacle.
The test event was great. I performed great. I left a great impression with the staff and was certain of my return for the big show. It really seemed that my Olympics dream was coming to fruition. And then it began. The e-mails. The events. The mandatory events. The mandatory visits to London. The lack of financial support. The lack of convenient times for these visits. There comes a certain point where I no longer feel like I am a part of something special but rather that I am being taken advantage of. Badly. I feel manipulated. Cheated. The worse part is, throughout the process, all I've heard is how it's a games for Great Britain. How the torch is being paraded around the entire mainland. However, with each passing event, it becomes increasingly clear that this isn't a games for all. It's a game for Londoners. The number of train tickets, days off work I've had to take in preparation and during the games is costing me a fortune. I'm being praised for my sacrifices - but I'm not sure what they have done to accommodate any of us. I'm not saying that my Olympics Dream is dying, I just don't think I want to be sleeping on the situation anymore.
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