Volunteering at London 2012

It started more than two years ago when I saw an ad on TV calling people to volunteer for the Olympics and I, along with 200,000 other people, filled in an online application form. Since then, I had one interview, three training sessions, many emails and all of a sudden it was my first day as a team member of the protocol team at Olympics tennis at Wimbledon!

I was nervous and excited when I first arrived at Wimbledon. My shift started at 9.45, but I arrived a bit earlier, just in time to see the hawks finishing their flight over the grounds to scare away the pigeons. As I arrived at the protocol team office, I heard ‘Stewards, open the gates’. This was real!

There were around 80 volunteers with the protocol team at Wimbledon, covering   18 shifts of 24 positions each, over  the 9 days of competition.  We were responsible for managing the Olympic Family drop off zones, stands and lounge. The Olympic family comprises members of international (tennis) federations, national and international Olympic committees and government dignitaries.  Our guests could come and go any time they wanted and, while at the preliminary matches we had many empty seats, as we got to the end of the competition we had to manage VIP queues to the allocated seats at Court 1 and Centre Court.  Of course we were told when a very high profile person (Internationally Protected Person) was coming to Wimbledon and we would reserve seats for them. While I was there we had visits from Michelle Obama, Theresa May, Bill Gates, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, aka Kate , to name some of the most famous.

Although athletes and their families were not our guests, we shared some of our restricted areas with them and I managed to see, open doors and say ‘Welcome to Wimbledon’, ‘Good luck’ and ‘Congratulations’ to most of them. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures or ask for autographs. We had a rotation system and I was lucky to be on Court 1 and Centre Court (inside the royal box!) during some great matches.  I was also allowed to stay on the grounds after my shift and watch matches either on the Hill or at one of the free seating courts.

I was so tired at the end but also glad I did it! It was an amazing experience.

The London 2012 volunteers (or Games Makers) came from a variety of backgrounds;  many were retired, many were students, many were foreigners that came to London just for the Games. What we all had in common was a passion for this fantastic sport event, we saw this as a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ and we all wanted London 2012 to be a great and unforgettable event. If you have been to any of the London 2012 events and have seen the volunteers, I am sure you will agree with me that we made it!

by Ana Beatriz Alencar

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