Kofi Annan's coke zero

29th July 2012

After staying up late to watch the Opening Ceremony, it was an early start for me on Saturday, but the lack of sleep was the last thing on my mind as I arrived at the buzzing Horse Guards venue at 7am. There was a line of volunteers snaking out of the door to check in, and the crowds were already starting to gather on the Mall. A services brass band were chilling under the trees, helmet plumes blowing in the breeze, ready to entertain the crowds.

After a quick briefing I was despatched to the ‘Tribunes’ (the press area in the stands with rows of desks and screens) to watch the first match between Russia and Chinas’ women’s teams. While I watched, I researched their previous form in my players handbooks, and googled them to find any hooks for questions – a recent injury, a nickname, how far they are from retirement. I also had to closely watch the development of the game and swot up on my blocking, digging and setting.

It was amazing to see the stands full of spectators and the cheerleaders in costumes entertaining the crowds. There is a lot of audience participation at the volleyball and a DJ to drive everything from Mexican waves to shouts of “Ole!”

Ten minutes before the end of the match I left the stands to head down to the ‘mixed zone’ the long corridor under the stands that the players have to walk down to be interviewed - broadcast first, then print journalists and agencies in a series of pens, all managed by the mixed zone managers, whose job it is to keep everyone in the right place and not cross the line. There is a lot of hustling to manoeuvre into the top spot, and sharp elbows are absolutely part of the turf. This is a job I have the right skills for after years of London commuting.

The Chinese bronze medallists from Beijing were eventually defeated in a tense three set match. Heading into the mixed zone was nerve wracking in the extreme. Rob, the ‘paid’ member of the my team, a rugby writer for the Mail on Sunday, had told me to just listen in for the first interview, but he got wedged behind one of the cameras and couldn’t make it to the front, and as the Chinese athletes walked by, I acted on my instincts and stopped them for an interview, with no questions prepared. Suddenly, it was my moment, with the journalists from Reuters and other agencies reaching over my head to record our conversation on their dictaphones. My stomach dropped about eight floors!

It was actually quite difficult interviewing people when they had lost. The bubbly athletes I had met the day before were clearly crestfallen and it felt cruel to be delving into the depths of what went wrong. But that is their job – and mine for the next fortnight. After gathering my quotes, I had to sprint the 200m back to the media centre, write and edit the quotes and then sprint back to the stands again to watch the next match.

And so it went on for six consecutive matches. Each interview posed its own challenges. In some cases I had to use an interpreter, and that automatically dilutes the quality and character of the quotes, and in other cases the athletes don’t have anything new to say.

There was a moment of excitement in the afternoon, where two burly bodyguards came into the tribunes, scoped out the scene and then ushered a man and two women into the row in front of me. It was Kofi Annan! Clearly taking a break from peacekeeping in Syria. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, he was shortly followed into the stands by Seb Coe, and then not ten minutes later, I bumped into Colin Jackson in the mixed zone. I could hardly contain my excitement. Kofi left his bottle of coke zero behind and it is now sitting in the media centre as a trophy!

The day culminated for me with the GB men’s team’s match against Canada. Sadly they narrowly lost, but I was delighted to be given the opportunity to interview one half of the pair John Garcia-Thompson, who was absolutely lovely and truly gracious in defeat.

I left the grounds after a  long shift and wandered back, somewhat dazed, through London’s sun filled streets, packed with revellers. I was a novice to beach volleyball, but now I am hooked. It is a fantastic game to watch – dynamic and tactical with a fantastic atmosphere and I am looking forward to my next shift.

Kofi's coke zero