Arriving in South Korea ... first impressions

Packing for an Olympics

I regard myself as a pretty decent packer when it comes to going on holiday.  I always manage to somehow fit an unthinkable amount of clothes into what seems to be a tiny suitcase which is always bursting at the seams.  However, hockey tournaments are a whole different challenge and I’ve been trying to learn over the years to be economical with my packing and to prioritise the essentials.  I still take more than I need to, however I have honed the skill of packing for tournaments in the last few years and instead of utter panic and mayhem I am pleased to say there is now some kind of a method to the packing. 

In the main when I was on the ice my priority was my kit bag.  I would focus on making sure I had my skates (freshly laced of course), my helmet, my referee jersey and my whistle.  Outside of that (and my passport of course), I came to the conclusion that anything else I forgot was non-essential and could be worked around.  Now I am off the ice and working as a supervisor my list of essentials has changed a bit.  I still need to bring my skates as there is likely to be an ice practice which I would be responsible for managing for the officials.  However, the essentials now include laptop, cables. portable projector, print-outs, memory sticks, flash drives and anything else involving technology or that may aid me with my administrative duties. 

Packing the essentials to take with me

I also tend to prioritise food snacks, such as protein bars, as when you travel to other countries it is good to have some food you know you can eat on the go.  Working as a supervisor the days can be long without having time for a proper meal. 

Officials do not stay in the Olympic Village and from previous experience at tournaments there is not always a gym in the hotel, however, I always bring my gym kit with me.  Some of my friends find it a bit strange that I train as hard (if not harder) now than when I was on the ice.  For me, the gym is an important part of my life and I enjoy training.  It helps me focus, gives me thinking time and in many ways relaxes me and helps me get rid of excess energy or stress.  I like to try to train when I’m at tournament as it gives me focus and helps keep me feeling like me.  As I don’t know if the hotel we are staying in has a gym I packed my skipping rope as I promised myself and my trainer that I wouldn’t be lazy while I was away!

So, after the packing exercise I find myself with 2 large suitcases, a small carry on suitcase, a backpack and a handbag … perhaps I still need to work on prioritising the essentials!

Travel Schedule

I am part of a supervisor team of four: I am working alongside, Pavel from Czech Republic, Bianca from Germany and Kim from Denmark.  Our officiating team is made up of 19 officials (10 referees and 9 linesman), from across the world.  In Sochi we all met in Zurich and then took a chartered flight to Sochi as a team of officials.  This was quite unusual and also quite novel to travel somewhere as a team given for most tournaments we fly in separately from different locations around the world.  For this Olympics, with good flight connections from around the world into Seoul, the decision was made for the officiating team to fly their own route and to meet at the hotel.  Many of the officials have connecting flights which can make their journey seem even longer than it is.  I am lucky to live in a city with a direct flight to Seoul.  It is a long journey to do alone but it’s an easy one when you know the excitement that awaits at the other end.  It is also made a lot easier by getting to fly business class which the IIHF book for us for the Olympics when flying over a certain distance!

Arriving in Seoul

My flight was 11 hours from London.  On arrival into Seoul I walked through the arrivals hall and followed the signs for the Olympic accreditation station.  This is where I validated my accreditation and received my lanyard.  For the next 3 weeks this lanyard is as important as my passport and is my access to everything.  I should have it with me at all times. 

Arriving after a long flight

The airport was full of Olympic excitement.  One of the most amazing aspects of the Olympics is being part of something where the whole world is involved.  For a few weeks you get to feel very humble as you find your place in the world and you get to meet people from different cultures and beliefs.  When you visit a country during an Olympics you are to an extent in a bubble and given a tourist view as you are whisked from venue to venue to and from different meetings and events, rarely catching a glimpse of what the place is like.  Even when you do it is full of thousands of people from around the world who wouldn’t normally be there.  However, despite the Olympic bubble, you do get to experience the culture of the country you visit and how they react to hosting a major multi-sport event and this window on their country is part of the excitement. 

Welcoming party in traditional outfits

Throughout the airport there were volunteers wearing the Olympic logo buzzing around and waiting to help with each task.  They seemed untied by a huge sense of pride and excited by the opportunity to welcome the world into their lives and their country for a few weeks.  A group of volunteers dressed in traditional outfits were waiting outside of the baggage claim to help point people in the right direction.  More volunteers at the transport transfer desk, more at the train platform … and so on.  There seemed to be happy and helpful volunteers at every corner ready to assist.  They all couldn’t have been happier to greet and help people.  In reality the role they are doing is a small part of the Olympics, and perhaps not the most glamourous part.  They won’t get to see the sports and will likely be in the airport for very long hours as they welcome and say goodbye to people from around the world travelling in and out each day.  However, it is probably one of the most important roles.  They are responsible for the first impression of the country for many of us … and I have to say, they nailed it! 

I was given a train ticket and helped onto the train which took 2 hour and 40 minutes to travel from the airport to Gangneung.  Gangneung is a city in Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea and where the ice hockey event is taking place.  Again, I felt very humble on the train.  Usually when you travel for an IIHF event you arrive at an airport and the ice hockey is the only event taking place and so everything is set-up for the people arriving for that tournament.  At an Olympics the ice hockey is just one part of it and they are set-up to receive athletes from around the world from all different sports.  They greet us, find out who we are and what sport we are involved with and then send us on our separate journeys.  I am a small cog in a gigantic Olympic machine – just happy to play my part and help make the Olympics a success for our sport.  On arrival at Gangneung station I am helped off the train by yet more volunteers who then help me onto a shuttle bus to my hotel.  The hotel is a golf and beach resort which sits across a vast site.  It was already dark when I arrived but I am looking forward to exploring tomorrow and seeing what the beach is like … although I expect there will be no time for sun-bathing and given the cold temperatures that is probably not a bad thing!

Gifts from the hosts

After a good 14/15 hours of travelling I was pleased to arrive at the hotel where I met up with the other supervisors and the IIHF Officiating Managers.  I was looking forward to some sleep, but there were jobs to do first.  We had to unpack the officials apparel and make up packs for each of them with the correct sizes they had submitted to the IIHF office.  Over the years the apparel provided to officials by the IIHF has increased and improved in quality.  If I think back to my first few IIHF tournament and my first Olympics in Torino in 2006, the female officials were not long into the IIHF programme and we were given unisex/men’s clothing which invariably was too big, and it didn’t have any official logos on from the IIHF or from the tournament we were at.  This year for the Olympics the female officials are receiving a nice warm IIHF branded jacket which also has the Pyeongchang Olympic logo embroidered on the sleeve.  A nice memento for everyone to have from the Olympics and also very practical given the temperature here is -15. 

Gifts from the organisers

In addition to the apparel from the IIHF, when we arrived at the hotel the organiser presented each of us with a branded gift bag which contained a few other nice gifts, which again would come in handy given the cold temperatures here – some gloves, warm socks and ear protectors.

After a few hours of organising the officials apparel and preparing for the meetings with them tomorrow, we finally got to go to our rooms and unpack and get some sleep. 

Tomorrow starts at 8am and is a day full of preparation meetings with the officials and planning meetings as a referee supervisor team.  We also get to go to the rink for the first time and see our hockey home for the next few weeks.  I’ve heard the arena is amazing and I’m looking forward to seeing the facilities and soaking up the Olympic atmosphere.  In the evening we have a test game which will see us get back to the hotel for midnight and so a long day awaits …