Update from Prof Ryan

I hope all who are following our Olympic Odyssey Blog are enjoying our exploits as much as the students appear to be enjoying the trip. After reviewing the blog posts it appeared to me that you may be thinking this is all fun and games. …yes I almost sent Eric to the hospital by telling him to stand up on an (non)-moving bus…how did I know that it would be the exact time the driver decided to try out for the NHRA. …And yes, I did make a new friend with the ticket taker at the Louvre….and yes it is not a good idea to ask 9 non-French speaking US students to sit through a 2+ hour tour of the Sorbonne to see 15 minutes of Olympic related material…did I mention the guide only spoke French…(why can’t the French learn English…how inconsiderate).
This blog sight is for the students to express anything they like…it is not intended to be necessarily academic related, and I want them to have fun with it, but I thought it would be time to update you on the educational side of the trip so far. I will also post some photos.
What we have experienced so far…
Wembley Stadium…site of the 1948 Olympic Games and host to the Finals of the 2012 Olympic Football match (soccer).
Guest speaker, Mike Gillespie… An Assistant Dean and representative of the UK Curling Federation.
Charlie Forman, Representing the government municipality hosting the 2012 Games and discussing the current and future impact the games will have on Hackney.
A tour of the construction site of the 2012 Olympic Games…
Paul Deighton, CEO, London 2012…yes this is the person ultimately responsible for managing all aspects of the 2012 Games, and thanks to Prof. Burton for making this happen. This was a big deal…a really BIG DEAL.
More in London…The British Museum (ancient Greek relics), Tower of London, and most of the request stops…
In Paris… The Louvre (ancient Olympia relics) and the student’s favorite the Paris-Sorbonne
In Switzerland…
The Olympic Museum and Olympic Research Center
WADA (World Anti Doping Agency)… represented by Amandine Bousigue
And our last stop today…a meeting at the IOC Headquarters with Timo Lumme, Managing Director; Christina Low, Head of Broadcast Services; and James Moy, Manager Business Development all with the IOCs Television & Marketing Services. (Thanks again Rick)
…well we will be taking on a FREE DAY on Saturday (yea), and who knows what adventures are in store for us. Sunday is a travel day none will enjoy, but we are looking forward to Greece….more later
Prof Ryan