News & Analysis
Bolt from the blue: my Olympics photo album
Peter Clarke
8/5/2012 11:32 AM EDT
We had to apply about 18 months ago but my wife and I were lucky enough to get a ticket each for the morning track and field session on Saturday, August 4 at the London 2012 Olympics. The good news is that the main Olympic park is within three miles and walking distance of our London abode, so no need to worry about where to park the car.
Click on image to enlarge.
Here's my ticket.
We were warned that security would be like an airport and we should arrive at the Olympic campus 2 hours 30 minutes before our session in the athletics stadium would begin. So that is 7:30am for the 10am to 2pm session...ouch.
So it is an early start and off we go.
Click on image to enlarge.
Click on image to enlarge.
Things seemed pretty quiet as walked to towards the Olympic park. The only people we met were these bobbies.
Next: In the Olympic park
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junko.yoshida
8/5/2012 4:43 PM EDT
Wow, really cool, Peter! I was wondering how your Saturday at the Stadium went... I love the pix of the radio-controlled mini. Clever!
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anne-francoise.pele
8/6/2012 5:04 AM EDT
Great pictures. Great slideshow. I can sense the atmosphere... Thanks, Peter!
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hm
8/6/2012 12:28 PM EDT
London looks so cosy and crowd is even better. Nice pix.
PS: Some of Canadian TV channels are not allowed to publish picture and video clips due to copyrights. Peter do you need to take permission to publish these pix?
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peter.clarke
8/6/2012 1:08 PM EDT
I did not seek permission and I should say the majority of 300,000 people who visited the Olympic park on Saturday August 4 had a camera.
It may be that BBC has been chartered as a monopoly supplier of broadcast quality video from the games. So if TV stations don't pay they can't use BBC copyrighted video.
But there were scores of "snappers" running around getting their own stills for the papers of the world.
The International Olympic Committee and the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) have not complained as yet.
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IDontUseTheForumSoWhyAmIForcedToMakeANickname
8/9/2012 10:00 AM EDT
As a media veteran of 4 olympic games, I will clarify how it works.
LOCOG supplies an unbiased world feed which is available to all the various world tv rights holders. Individual rights holders can then pay LOCOG to be allowed additional cameras into the events. These generally concentrate on their home nations athletes for follow up interviews, etc.
Each venue's world video feed is directed by a different nations camera crew. BBC generally covers the main stadium, the Swiss will produce the rowing, Japan will get gymnastics, etc.
I'm not quite clear on the "snappers" but there was always lots of them representing the various news agencies.
For those not wanting to see my shameless self promotion ... best to stop reading now :)
Fastest man beaten by my fastest camera (Track camera Atlanta 1996)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUN60PWyn58
NBC didn't want Japanese cameramen on the finals so I got to step in and shoot it. This is the controversial vault that was 3 inches too high in the preliminaries. I stole the final shot of the segment (track camera Sydney 2000)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVk43rQDLi0&feature=channel&list=UL
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goafrit
8/6/2012 12:37 PM EDT
Enjoy the show. London is a great city.
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dblaza1
8/6/2012 2:15 PM EDT
Peter, fascinating ground level view and I laughed out loud at your towel comment!
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Johnwalko
8/6/2012 3:04 PM EDT
Lucky you Peter-- I applied for three lots in the Olympics Park but drew blank in the lottery -- still , heading for football semi-final tomorrow at Wembley.
Great Pix -- fun comments
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peter.clarke
8/7/2012 7:55 AM EDT
Thanks John.
Enjoy the soccer even though Britain choked on penalties.
Also email me.
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Brian Fuller2
8/6/2012 6:29 PM EDT
Excellent perspective, Peter. I was especially struck by your shot of Pistorius , who looms so large on TV coverage but is seen in a completely different light through your lens.
Wish I was there!
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peter.clarke
8/7/2012 7:57 AM EDT
Actually Helen's iPhone lens. I missed the shot.
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jackOfManyTrades
8/7/2012 3:10 AM EDT
Thanks for these - it's nice to see a non-media view of the games. But surely by "track and field", you mean "athletics"? :-) I've got tickets for the Men's Modern Pentathalon on Saturday. Come on Team GB!
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peter.clarke
8/7/2012 8:06 AM EDT
Indeed, I do mean "athletics."
Enjoy the day Jack.
Watch out for (slightly) high food and drink prices inside the Olympic Park.
£8.50 for fish and chips and £1.50 for mushy peas on the side...and the portion was small in a cardboard tray.
Elsewhere we joined a lot of people in line for a sausage sandwich...only to be told no sausage....but we did get a nice bacon sandwich for about £5.00.
All slightly overpriced which is probably why they tell you to be there 2 hours 30 minutes early...just like at an airport they want to sell to you while you waiting.
You can take sandwiches in, but not liquids....so sponsor Coca Cola wins but sponsor MacDonalds misses out.
One of the biggest buildings in the Olympic part was the MacDonalds. Samsung, Acer, Panasonic had pavilions all with big lines to get inside.
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MillwallMick
8/7/2012 1:06 PM EDT
Peter, Thanks for the brilliant pix, its great to get a fan's eye view. Looks like you had a great day. As a born and bred Londoner, very proud of how the city is staging these games, and of course thrilled with our excellent Team GB. Loved the towels comment too, Cheers, Mick
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