Day 2: Fancy the opening ceremony??

You know it's going to be a great day when you arrive at your shift to a gift! The IPC managed to source tickets for the Opening Ceremony no less, as a thank you for our hard work over the next week or so. The tickets also came with a corporate picnic!


Opening ceremony ticket


I couldn't keep my smile off my face as I chatted to athletes and coaches for the remainder of my shortened shift (just 2:30 til 6:30).

The shift whizzed by and it was time to organise some clothes (the IPC were keen for us to not be in Games Maker uniform) so a quick visit to the athletes merchandise store resulted in a purchase of an Athletes Village hoody... something that can only be purchased in the residents village (so clearly a keepsake!).




Picnic!

 I collected my picnic and made my way to my seat only to be surprised once more... the tickets were 5 rows from the front!! The stadium was breathtaking (I've always loved visiting stadiums here and abroad - Boca Juniors in Argentina being my favourite to date).

A few of my games maker colleagues joined me (Alex & James) and we shared our delights and took 1000s of photos/videos. The picnic was delicious and offered another great keepsake.

The ceremony itself was a joy. Completely different to the Olympic one, but equally as powerful. Some of the athletes stories nearly reduced me to tears as I was transfixed to the screen. Watching the A-Z of countries walk past us was long, but far better than watching on the TV... shame TV producers constantly tried to speed up the procession when clearly their disabilities restricted how fast they could go.



Spectacular display

The Team GB parade got the goosebumps going as ticker tape littered the sky. Such a proud moment. The goosebumps would return for the national anthem as the Queen opened the games (the Royal Family and Government were only about 25 rows behind us).

...and then the finale. The torch appears on top of the Orbit and he floats in. INCREDIBLE! The torch was lit by a footballer from Cansdales (who is known in my real job) and the fireworks boomed around our heads from all angles. Then sadly it was time to go home.


Incredible night!

It wouldn't be until 3am until I finally reached my bed but it was sooooo worth it. Thank you so much IPC for one of the best days in my life!