28-08-2012, 08:38 AM
Everyone's here safely.
My Internet connection was painfully slow until I discovered that the reception in the bathroom is much better (don't ask).
Douglas has been sent the following for inclusion on the CS website. We'll try to keep you up to date on things.
Olympiad Diary Day 1
A mixed bag of arrival times for the teams and officials from Scotland. Heather was the first to arrive (a week early) to do some sight-seeing beforehand. Alex and Lara arrived at 00.45 on the 27th which is not as bad as it sounds because Turkey is two hours ahead of Britain. It was the hour and a quarter to get through passport control which was the killer. Alan, Ali and Alison also arrived a day early travelling from another tournament in Prague. The others all arrived in dribs and drabs thereafter.
The Prague contingent’s first priority was to get their clothes cleaned, the girls doing it themselves and Alan opting for a local laundry. Ali’s brother is playing in the under 16 Olympiad and she seemed uncharacteristically keen to see him until it was disclosed that he was bringing her fresh supplies from home.
Alex and Lara conducted an early tour of the playing hall for the main event (the U-16 Olympiad is in an adjacent hall). Every game will be broadcast live. All are hardwired – none use the Wi-Fi system of the Scottish sensory boards. It will be one arbiter per game so the hall is laid out accordingly with columns of 4 boards with a small arbiter’s table attached to the end. The team captains will be given a chair on either side of the match arbiter.
Entry to the playing area is very limited only players, arbiters and team captains. Once a player has finished their game they are expected to leave the playing area. Spectators have tiered seats at one end of the arena only. Only the top games will therefore be visible without the use of binoculars! There is an area outside the main arena where spectators can go to see the ‘demo boards’.
Leaving the Scotland hotel other than by car can be quite an experience. If you turn left you quickly meet the main road which doesn’t have a footpath just at the point where two lanes narrow to one and a half. The small hotel wall at this point seems to have been recently rebuilt. Very reassuring regarding your safety.
Now that the teams have arrived the quality of the catering has deteriorated dramatically. The freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juice of the previous day has been replaced by diluted orange and apple squash. None of the team captains were able to have a proper evening meal last night if they attended both the Captains Meeting and the Opening Ceremony. Instead, on their return to the hotel at just after 11 they were met with a closed dining area. A packed lunch of a sandwich, an apple and a can of tea was all that was available. Some unhappy managers was the end result.
Prior to the Manager’s Meeting there was a Press Conference in which all the Turkish Teams were introduced. One of the local teams in the main event consists of players who are so young the Conference had to be suspended to allow nappies to be changed! A genuine interview with one of the players was quoted along the lines of …
“Now that you are European Champion do you want to become World Champion?” “No, I will be World Champion. My ambition is to have the name of Garry Kasparov wiped from the record books.” You can see this on the Olympiad website.
The Opening Ceremony was a celebration of traditional Turkish Dancing, a parade of the flags of all the competing nations (158, 161 or 162 depending on where you look or who you listen to) and some speeches. The Minister for Sport and Youth gave one which can best be described as unusual. His repeated mention of the curse and sin of terrorism was perhaps not the most reassuring message to convey to the assembled hoards.
Alex and/or Lara.
My Internet connection was painfully slow until I discovered that the reception in the bathroom is much better (don't ask).
Douglas has been sent the following for inclusion on the CS website. We'll try to keep you up to date on things.
Olympiad Diary Day 1
A mixed bag of arrival times for the teams and officials from Scotland. Heather was the first to arrive (a week early) to do some sight-seeing beforehand. Alex and Lara arrived at 00.45 on the 27th which is not as bad as it sounds because Turkey is two hours ahead of Britain. It was the hour and a quarter to get through passport control which was the killer. Alan, Ali and Alison also arrived a day early travelling from another tournament in Prague. The others all arrived in dribs and drabs thereafter.
The Prague contingent’s first priority was to get their clothes cleaned, the girls doing it themselves and Alan opting for a local laundry. Ali’s brother is playing in the under 16 Olympiad and she seemed uncharacteristically keen to see him until it was disclosed that he was bringing her fresh supplies from home.
Alex and Lara conducted an early tour of the playing hall for the main event (the U-16 Olympiad is in an adjacent hall). Every game will be broadcast live. All are hardwired – none use the Wi-Fi system of the Scottish sensory boards. It will be one arbiter per game so the hall is laid out accordingly with columns of 4 boards with a small arbiter’s table attached to the end. The team captains will be given a chair on either side of the match arbiter.
Entry to the playing area is very limited only players, arbiters and team captains. Once a player has finished their game they are expected to leave the playing area. Spectators have tiered seats at one end of the arena only. Only the top games will therefore be visible without the use of binoculars! There is an area outside the main arena where spectators can go to see the ‘demo boards’.
Leaving the Scotland hotel other than by car can be quite an experience. If you turn left you quickly meet the main road which doesn’t have a footpath just at the point where two lanes narrow to one and a half. The small hotel wall at this point seems to have been recently rebuilt. Very reassuring regarding your safety.
Now that the teams have arrived the quality of the catering has deteriorated dramatically. The freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juice of the previous day has been replaced by diluted orange and apple squash. None of the team captains were able to have a proper evening meal last night if they attended both the Captains Meeting and the Opening Ceremony. Instead, on their return to the hotel at just after 11 they were met with a closed dining area. A packed lunch of a sandwich, an apple and a can of tea was all that was available. Some unhappy managers was the end result.
Prior to the Manager’s Meeting there was a Press Conference in which all the Turkish Teams were introduced. One of the local teams in the main event consists of players who are so young the Conference had to be suspended to allow nappies to be changed! A genuine interview with one of the players was quoted along the lines of …
“Now that you are European Champion do you want to become World Champion?” “No, I will be World Champion. My ambition is to have the name of Garry Kasparov wiped from the record books.” You can see this on the Olympiad website.
The Opening Ceremony was a celebration of traditional Turkish Dancing, a parade of the flags of all the competing nations (158, 161 or 162 depending on where you look or who you listen to) and some speeches. The Minister for Sport and Youth gave one which can best be described as unusual. His repeated mention of the curse and sin of terrorism was perhaps not the most reassuring message to convey to the assembled hoards.
Alex and/or Lara.