With the World Cup looming, I decided to publish an old blog post here on caparkinson.com that I wrote during the Beijing Olympics. My life was very different then but I hope it will give you a sense of what it’s like to cover a major International sporting event.
I figured if I was lucky I’d get to go to a club once during the Olympics. I was wrong, over the three weeks I was in beijing I managed to make some shapes on various dancefloors and really experience what I have come to regard as the best nightlife in the world. We were working hard but also making the most of a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The time difference between China and the UK was a killer, but on a long organized assignment like the Olympics your mindset is different. There’s not the adrenalin and fear that comes from an Embed with the military or following tribal violence in Africa. Instead you have this overwhelming urge to get out into town and experience the place.
My team was great and we had the perfect Chinese translator. J. was a local who’d lived in the States and knew the sort of good times we wanted to find. Her and her friends were great fun and took us to lots of Beijings most happening Clubs, Bars and Restaurants. There was “8-Block” which was so cool I would never have been allowed in if it had been in London, “The crazy world of Suzy Wongs” a fantastically cheesy meat market which could rival anything in Newcastle or Manchester and “Coco Bananas” with its impromptu firework displays at the bar.
A video I put together after the Games as a way to remember some of the emotions I felt
When you wanted to wind down there was the massage places which are on every corner. . I went twice to one just behind the media village where we were staying. After hard days of filming they were a great way to wind down and let the stress eb away. I can promise though there were no happy endings, I think the girls were on their best behavior!
The highlight of the games for me was the way the Chinese treat anyone tall and blonde like a movie star. I lost count of the number of people asking to have their picture taken with me. The funniest occasion was when I was having dinner with another cameraman who is neither tall nor blonde, while I became the centre of attention in the restaurant swapping email addresses with all at the next table and having my picture taken the whole time he was ignored and sat chewing his noodles in disgust.
I’ll miss China, the friendly people, the amazing food and clubs, the shopping and of course the huge array of beautiful, elegant women. Perhaps being at the Olympics gave a false impression of the place, but it has made a mark on my soul, a mark that I know will not leave in a hurry.
