By Tony Nezianya 14 hours 56 minutes ago
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As the London Games formally opened on Thursday, confusion resulting from the influx of delegations, journalists and other participants and Games tourists were very much in the air.
While there had been many volunteers around to assist, a few have not been helpful as they appeared to have little or no information to offer some visitors.
Some of them appear as blank as the people making enquiries.
It took some journalists not less than three hours to locate the right accreditation centres to re-validate their cards, unlike the situation in the Beijing Games during which all entry points had Accreditation Validations Centres.
Whereas, London Gatwick, Heathrow had accreditation validation centres, the London City Airport did not have. It is likely that Luton and Stanstead would not have such centres.
Without accreditation, it is difficult trying to manoeuvre the cities traffic jams.
But radio and television broadcasts have been helpful in getting people who have no urgent need to be out to stay off the roads, railways and other means of transportation.
It has been hard to find delegations that are not complaining about traffic gridlock, road blocks, getting to accreditation centres, identifying the route to their accommodation centres.
Reliance on documents like AZ of London and the GPRS had either helped those making enquires to solve their problems or increase their confusion.
Members of the volunteer corps to the London 2012 Games appear to be mind readers as an appreciable number of them are quick to offer apologies to thousands of Olympic visitors.
``We are having to cope with a lot of pressures; just do understand, things will smoothen out in the days ahead,’’ a volunteer, Dawn Fruger, said at the London City Airport, one of the airports handling visitors to the Games.
On why they are quick to offer apologies, the volunteer said it was not hard to determine whoever was facing hard times because you could see that from their faces and ``we want them to have good time at the Games.’’
Some of the volunteer drivers involved in running the Olympic Games are also first-time visitors to the Games. They rely on the city’s deployed General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) navigation system to get passengers to their destinations.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that even the electronic navigation systems have their own problems as they may be frustrating to a driver, who has taken pains to reach a destination only for the road to be blocked.
Nigeria's lone athlete for the Kayak 1 Slalom Canoeing, Jonathan Akinyemi, is facing frustrating time trying to get an Olympic ticket for his father to enable him to watch his event.
``I will feel bad if I am unable to get a ticket for him to be able to watch my event.
``He (my father) provided all the financial support to get me to qualify for the Games,’’ the athlete said.
``I just hope a miracle happens and I am able to get him a ticket,’’ he said, adding that he was told that he could not be considered.
The Media Officer to Team Nigeria, Tony Ubani, said there would be tickets in the days to come but that the technical officials would be given priority. (NAN)
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