The time of our lives: Rio 2016

Without any doubt, the last two weeks were the most intense and memorable time of my life. The amount of unforgettable moments together with amazing people from all over the world lead to pure Olympic joy and happiness which can be hardly compared to any other human feelings. Maybe the picture below depicts the best my satisfaction with these last two weeks. For sure you know, I am standing between Katinka Hosszú, three times Olympic champion swimmer and her husband-trainer Shane Tusup:

In the Olympic Stadium

In_Engenhao a short 4-days break followed the football group games and last Friday the athletics competitions commenced. Being the part of the Language Assistance Team we were utmost privileged to work in the vicinity of the best athletes of the world.  If no assistance was needed in the broadcasting areas we mainly supported the operations of the mixed zone where athletes were meeting the press to give interviews. Usain Bolt or Mo Farah passing in front of me was just as regular as taking metro 3 in Budapest. Unfortunately it was strictly forbidden to take pictures with our modern-days heroes, but some of them volunteered to do so. Usain Bolt is the perfect living example of coolness and sociability! The biggest story of the week was the ad-hoc birthday party organized for him by volunteers following his third victory. 
               

Lagoon (Lagoa)

As Hungarian athletes were not that involved in athletics, I was requested to support the finals of kayak and canoe sprints which are considered to be the main medal bringer sport disciplines for Hungary. At the amazing venue of Lagoa it was hard to find a final without Hungarian interest. According to our expectations, Hungarian ladies excelled in these competitions, however none of our male athletes could conquer medals this time. By winning all of her races, Danuta Kozák became the heroine of Rio 2016 female kayak competitions and she even had the time to take a photo with me:

The Lagoon in the heart of the city is just simply amazing. Although the international media had serious concerns about the water quality, most of the athletes agreed that there were no major issues at the time of the competitions. The Language Assistance Team here was very welcoming I am really grateful for their helpfulness and availability.

Other Olympic Venues

Of_course, there were a number of sport events which I visited during these last weeks. Olympic volunteers were rewarded with free tickets, but we believe the organisers also aimed to fill up empty seats in less visited venues. This I how I could follow in live some interesting sports such as Rugby 7 in Deodoro or Weightlifting in Riocentro. Furthermore, having the opportunity to see water polo games in Barra through the Olympic Legacy project (see below) was just the icing on the cake!

In_addition, visiting national houses became a favourite leisure time activity for many Brazilians and international supporters. Depending on the goodwill of the hosting nations some houses were free to enter while others were only for invitees. Most popular houses involve the Swiss, the French and the Austrian ones which were mostly free to enter. I could not get in to this latter as there were always never-ending lines before the entrance.

The Hungarian House

Hungary also followed the examples of other states by setting up a national house in one of the most privileged locations of Rio the Janeiro, the Gavea district. The promotion of the Budapest 2024 Olympic bid also played a role in establishing this cultural exhibition, however the main idea was to showcase the greatness of Hungarian sport. I believe Hungarian descendant Brazilians were the most excited about the place, which also became the favourite meeting point for Hungarian supporters and media. The first time when I visited the house I was accompanied by members of the Language Assistance Team from the Lagoa who were amazed by its location and content. I also have to admit; this time the organisers hit the nail on the head!

Thanks to the goodwill of the Budapest 2024 staff we managed to organize a meeting for Hungarian volunteers at the time of a reception to commemorate the National Day of Hungary. To open the reception it was Thomas Bach president of the IOC who was followed by the internationally renowned prime minister of my country. The Hungarian group of volunteers was also welcomed by the president of the Hungarian Olympic Committee who apparently did not know have a glue about the number and motivations of Rio volunteers. On top of that he did not make an effort to understand how much voluntary work is needed for the success of the Olympic Games, as for him the only factor of success is the number of Hungarian gold medals. Well, at least some of the volunteers got to know each other :)

Olympic Legacy Youth Exchange

Last but not least I have to mention a wonderful project which was funded by the European Union and I happen to be part of it as one of the coordinators. The main objective of the Olympic Legacy youth exchange was to create opportunities for talented young people from less privileged backgrounds in terms of participating and volunteering in Rio 2016 Olympics. The one-week long event brought together over 30 young people from Brazil, the UK and Hungary in the spirit of Olympic friendship, solidarity and understanding.

Participants and the support staff were hosted by Gol de Letra Foundation in one of the most disadvantaged districts of Rio, called Caju. The program featured sport activities, discussions, team building games, cultural activities and of course visiting Olympic events such as the swimming competition, water polo or judo. I am really glad that the youth exchange ended with a success and we managed to create a life-long experience for the young people involved in this initiative! Being an ongoing project you can learn more in the official website of the project: http://olympiclegacy.eu/

Only a few days left for me here in Brazil, on Thursday I am flying back to Europe. One more blog post is coming soon to commemorate this amazing Brazilian experience.