In my mind the volunteers in the London 2012 Olympics were the icing on the cake of what has turned out to be in the words of Lord Coe ‘the joyous games’. Karthi Srikanthan was one such volunteer; I asked her what it meant to be a part of the ‘greatest show on earth’?
‘I have been involved in athletics from a very young age and vividly recall watching Carl Lewis at the 1984 Olympics and more recently Kelly Holmes in 2004, thinking I wish I could be there. I knew I was not going to get there as a competitor! So when LOCOG began looking for 70,000 volunteers, the largest ever peace-time recruitment campaign in the UK, I was completely and utterly committed to the cause. I was overcome by tremendous pride when I found out that I had been selected to be a Games Maker at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Just one word describes my week as a Games Maker – AMAZING. I was a Games Maker at the Olympic Tennis at Wimbledon. Just being at Wimbledon, a quintessentially British venue, was fantastic in itself add to that being part of the Olympic Games – it was just unreal. It was just a fabulous week working at the gates scanning tickets and welcoming spectators. I also had the pleasure of working on Court 1, Court 2 and Centre Court helping spectators find their seats and being able to watch some fantastic matches. It was unreal walking past Murray, Federer, the Williams sisters and other top seeded tennis players. I also had the privilege of seeing Michelle Obama and Bill Gates. A week that I will never forget and proudly pass down the generations.
This past week has inspired me to not only continue with running but also try different sports like cycling or perhaps badminton. Being involved in sport whether it may be socially or competitively is extremely important for all of us. Sport increases agility, endurance, strength and overall physical and mental well-being. We are extremely lucky to have Sutton Park on our door step. So come on now get up and go for a little jog or walk’.