The Olympics Table Tennis

It's only Day 2 of the Olympics, and Iota and family have already been to an event. We are very Olympismist. Oh yes.

It was fabulous. I loved it. I felt like a child all day, excited from the moment I woke up. Big events like these are the stuff of future memories, and now I'll be able to say "London 2012 - I was there!" for the rest of my life. It's a double excitement for me, because for the past five years, I've felt out of the loop of big British events. We've jumped back in with a bang.

We saw the Womens' Table Tennis, Third Round.

Good things

The volunteers: (at least I assume they were volunteers): All along the route from the DLR station to the ExCel centre, people in purple and pink were showing us where to go. It really helped. I'm not intimidated by London, but that's not an area I know at all, and it was just nice not to have to keep looking at a map or signs. For people from outside London, it must have made all the difference. And the volunteers were so jolly. They were pointing the way with giant pink foam hands, and engaging with the flow of spectators. "Have a great evening!... Enjoy the Games!" It created a very welcoming atmosphere.

The staff: Everyone was helpful and friendly. I've been struck since I've been back in this country, by just how second best we are at customer service compared to America. They will, without question, win the gold medal if customer service ever becomes an Olympic sport. But LOCOG, or COLON, or whatever the organisation is called, has excelled. The staff on London transport were ubiquitous and helpful. The venue was well-staffed, and free from that trademark British grumpiness among the retail and food-serving staff. They smiled, and seemed pleased to interact with customers. The security seemed over-staffed. Poor old soldiers, losing a week's leave, to make up the G4S shortfall, but very polite and helpful in spite of it.

The venue: Table tennis was at the ExCel centre. It was easy to navigate around, spacious, and imaginatively done. In the big area behind the arena, the area where you were hanging around for quite a long time if you'd got there early, there were displays in glass cases, and information boards about the history of the sport. I saw the programme of the first World Championship in 1920-something, and early bats, strung like mini tennis racquets. Did you know that table tennis originated in upper class England in the early years of the 20th century? People made a barrier across the middle of a table using books, and then hit a ball back and forth using cigar boxes. It had various names, including Clip Clap, Whiff Waff, and of course Ping Pong. I kind of wish Whiff Waff had stuck. I'd like to say I'd been to Olympic Whiff Waff.

The game: Yes, the game! I mustn't get so carried away by all the other positives and forget about the game. It was thrilling to watch. They are so darn FAST, those table tennis athletes. Fast, and strong. The Team UK competitor had been knocked out in the second round, so I cheered for the Czech Republic, on the basis of their costume in the Opening Ceremony. Did you see them in their wellies, carrying umbrellas? What a superb way of joining in, on British terms. I've never thought of the Czechs as being notable for their fine sense of humour, but I loved that moment.

The match that got the crowd most excited was the last one, China vs the USA. The American athlete was 16 years old. (I said to 15-yo "Wow, that's quite something isn't it? Being 16 and being to the Olympics". He replied "I'm 15, and I'm at the Olympics".) The American spectators were enthusiastic - of course - lots of flags and cheering. Americans are so good at that kind of stuff, aren't they? We cheered for America, of course. There was a big Chinese contingent too, so the match made for a noisy and exciting end to the evening. The Chinese athlete won.

Table tennis wasn't a random choice. As a family, we're quite into table tennis. We bought a table last Christmas, and used it pretty much daily. Husband (a bit of a table tennis afficionado in his youth, it turns out) would come in from work, and immediately there would be a son or two hovering around, making small punching movements with his hand, and with an enquiring look on his face. 15-yo won the $10 that Husband promised him, the first time he took a game off him. I play too... in my own amateur way... so long as my opponent agrees to be nice to me... But hurrah for amateurs! We're what Olympism is all about!

Bad things


Visa: You could only buy a ticket from the website using a Visa card. You could only use cash or Visa to buy anything in the venue. This is appalling. It's sponsorship gone mad, in my opinion. 



This is a crass slogan, meaning nothing. All you can say for it, is that at least they have tried hard not to split an infinitive, and to position the word only where it makes grammatical sense (which I notice I failed to do in previous sentences - never mind).

I thought it should say It is shameful that we accept only Visa.


Photo credit: NatBat on Flickr


Empty seats: Well, yes, there were those, and they were mostly in big blocks in the prime viewing area. Clearly this is silly.

But let's not dwell on the Bad Things. All in all, a thoroughly great evening. A good note on which to end our sojourn in the south of England. Our container has arrived from America, and we head northwards today to Edinburgh. We've made sure to order a television, as a priority for our new home, because we're hooked on the Olympics now. (Ironically, there was a glitch using our MasterCard on Amazon, so we had to use my mum's Visa card to pay for it).
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