26 Jul 24
As an athlete setting out the dream of attending an Olympic Games, the journey comes in stages. From the months of training, to selection and then actually arriving in the Olympic village. We arrived as a squad in the village 7 days ago, and I am now sat here on the day of the opening ceremony, with the games well and truly about to begin. It is surreal to say the least!
The past week has been an incredible experience – we have explored all areas of the village, taken umpteen photos and trained very hard in the beautiful Stade Yves de Manoir (one of the only stadiums still a part of Paris 2024 from the Paris 1924 games), home to the hockey. The village itself is huge, with bikes and shuttle buses a needed form of transport to get around! Our Team GB block overlooks the river, on its own ‘island’. We are extremely fortunate to have such incredible support staff helping to make our GB block really feel like an extended family, and it’s even more special getting to know all the many athletes across all sports.
The main dining hall provides much entertainment for many different reasons! The carnage in the queues, clocking up 10,000 steps just to get around all the food stations and the place to be to spot your favourite athlete. This year, the addition of a village Boulangerie has proven extremely popular, especially as they have so far underestimated the volumes athletes eat!
In addition to exploring the village, all GB athletes were invited to join the British ambassador in Paris, attended by various members of royalty. It was an incredible experience and an evening we will all remember forever.
We have now completed our final practice games and will train for the final time tomorrow ahead of our first pool game vs Spain on Sunday 28th. The excitement is continuing to build and we are ready for the tournament to begin now!
