Let the games begin!

As the date of the first puck drop draws closer, the excitement continues.  Just a few more planning and administrative tasks and then the games can truly get under way!

Ice Practice

Friday morning was our first ice practice as a team.  At IIHF tournaments every team is provided with ice practice times throughout the day. The officials generally have the first practice in the morning at the crack of dawn or if we are lucky just a little bit after!  Our ice practice is generally used to make sure the officials are comfortable on the ice and get to stretch their legs after their journey.  We also run all the officials through the IIHF officiating skating tests and report the times back to the IIHF for their records.  However, at an Olympics the ice practice is slightly different.  Of course, the officials still need to stretch their legs and feel the ice, but the focus for the ice practice is on procedures and practicing the use of them – the referees focused on the use of the wireless announcement devices and how to operate and get used to announcing directly to the crowd.  The linesman focused on the face-off procedure which has a new emphasis from the IIHF.  As a supervisor I obviously won’t get to skate any games, but to skate on the ice even for a few moments during the practice was a fantastic experience.  The ice was crisp and smooth and as I heard it crunch under my skates as the blades cut through it with precision I took a second to look up at the Olympic venue I find myself in.  Hockey has been good to me – these experiences and these memories will last a lifetime.  However, I couldn’t take too long to reflect as the ice practice was over and our next task as referee supervisors was to attend the first IIHF directorate meeting for the tournament.

Directorate Meeting

The IIHF run directorate meetings for every tournament.  They happen every 2-3 days throughout the tournament and bring together the General Managers for each of the participating teams, the IIHF staff, the local organising committee, along with the medical supervisor, referee supervisor, officials statisticians and anyone else that has a role in making the tournament run successfully.  They are chaired by an IIHF Council member who is assigned as the Chair of the tournament.  At the Olympics the directorate meeting to kick off the tournament is attended by a number of IIHF council members and the President of the IIHF Rene Fasel.  The meeting covers the arrangements for the tournament and information for the teams on media protocols, IOC protocols, disciplinary procedures and a whole host of other logistical information.  For me this is the longest Directorate meeting I have attended and I’m struck that we are about to experience something very special.  The Olympics of course has many events and sports involved, however there seems to be a lot of attention and interest in ice hockey.  The North Korean and South Korean female ice hockey teams have united to enter as one for the female ice hockey tournament.  This embodies the Olympic values of peace and unity and will see us all witness and be a part of history.  It really is a privilege to be here.  As the meeting draws to a close the anticipation and frustrated energy is clear … everyone just wants the first puck to drop and the tournament to get under way now!

Opening Ceremony

Gifts given to us at the opening ceremony

Friday evening is the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics.  As officials we are not here representing our countries.  We are here working for the International Federation, and so we don’t walk out with the teams as part of the ceremony.  We are however fortunate enough to be able to attend and be a part of the ceremony in the crowd.  We are warned that it will be very cold, and we need to dress appropriately.  By very cold they were predicting it to be -2 but with a wind chill of up to -15.  I appreciate for some of my friends across the world this is not really that cold at all – but for me this is extreme!  I wore 5 layers in preparation and Kim had purchased a battery operated thermal jacket which he brought with him specifically for the opening ceremony.  We came prepared!  Luckily the organiser also helped us all manage with the cold by providing some much-needed gifts for all attendees for the ceremony.  When we got to our seats they had a gift bag on and this included a warm blanket, a hat, and hand, feet and seat warmers were amongst a number of other gifts that were to be used as part of the ceremony (such as a mini Olympic flame torch).

Our officials all proudly wearing their Olympic hats

The opening ceremony for any Olympics is special.  It is a chance for the world to come together and for the athletes to begin living their dream.  However, this ceremony was extra special.  It showed a North and South Korean unity as the teams from both walked out together with an athlete from each walking together as the flag bearer.  Again, it feels an honour to witness and be part of history.

One of the addictive things about the Olympics is that it unites people from all over the world, bringing them together for a shared passion.  However, it somehow still manages to have the ability to recognise difference and allow people to identify and be proud of their nationality and the country they come from.  Each and every person attending the Olympics does so with national pride from where they come from but with respect and openness for being part of something far bigger than themselves or their country.  The Olympics unites and encourages patriotism and unity in a way that no other event achieves.

Proudly wearing my GB hat

The opening ceremony provides a platform for those values to be shared with the world and I always enjoy seeing how the host country share their culture with the rest of the world.  This ceremony did not disappoint and from the very beginning it was an unbelievable experience.  The ceremony started with a huge people operated puppet of a white tiger entering the stage.  The mascot for the Olympics is a white tiger and this animal is symbolic in South Korean culture.  It is considered to be the guardian animal and the mascot for the Olympics is therefore meant to protect all of the athletes, fans, officials and coaches who are taking part.  As the people operate the legs of the tiger he looks to be sprinting across the stage and it was a majestic opening to the ceremony.

Whilst the opening ceremony for each Olympics will differ from country to country and Olympics to Olympics, there are some Olympic customs and traditions that always happen.  The athletes have to enter the stadium, the host country flag and the Olympic flag have to be raised and the Olympic flame has to be lit to symbolise the opening of the games.

The moment the GB Team walked in

I love watching the athletes enter the stadium and one of my favourite parts of this Olympic ceremony was the music used throughout.  The process of announcing all the countries and having athletes walk in takes well over an hour, and so during this time a lot of different songs are played.  The one that made me smile the most was “Gangnam Style”.  As soon as it started the volunteers and everyone in the stadium went crazy.  As most of you will recall, this song was a phenomenon around the world, but it originates from South Korea, so it was a truly awesome experience to see it used to get everyone up and dancing as the athletes walked in.  Later in the ceremony we were treated to a performance of the John Lennon song “Imagine” performed by a number of Korean artists.  Listening to the words really struck a chord in terms of what we are about to experience in this Olympics … unity and history in the making, as John Lennon would say “Imagine all the people … living life in peace”.

As I mentioned, I love seeing the athletes walk in and I love sharing this experience with the officiating team.  Whilst we are all there representing the IIHF and as neutrals, the opening ceremony is a place where we can feel proud of our country and where we come from.  It is nice to see as a team when a country is announced where we have an official from, that official cheers and jumps up from her seat and the rest of the officials all cheer for her.  I jumped from my seat as Team GB walked in and switched my hat quickly – for one quick moment I was able to be patriotic and cheer my countrymen and women to have an amazing Olympics.

The Olympic flame is lit

The lighting of the Olympic flame was amazing, and it was followed by an outrageous number of fireworks.  I have seen a lot of firework displays and I have to say that this one was captivating and insane.  There were fireworks outside of the stadium flying up and over us – there were fireworks inside the stadium flying around the stage area and there were fireworks shooting off of people and performers on the stage as they skated round on roller blades … I was so awestruck that I didn’t manage to take any photographs of it!  Everywhere you looked there was fireworks and you didn’t know where to look to see the best ones – they seemed to be everywhere!

The Olympic games are officially open and now it is time for the first puck drop!