This blog
has generally come alive around the Winter Olympics. Or at least when the
credential applications and approvals for the Winter Olympics come into play.
However, as
we sit in December of 2018, the next Winter Olympics, in Beijing, China in
2022, are a long way away. And the credential process is still more than a year
and a half away. However, here we sit with a new post on the Olympics.
That’s
because for the first time, I applied for credentials for the Summer Olympics,
which will be held in the summer of 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Having talked to many
journalists who’ve covered multiple Olympics, the summer games not only feature
more athletes and more events, but more journalists as well. Going into the
process, I was not terribly high on my chances to receive credentials, but I
figured just putting my name out there wouldn’t be a bad thing and if I didn’t
get them, that was fine too.
A little
more than a month ago I got a call on my office phone from Matt Pepin, the
Boston Globe Sports Editor. I had the pleasure of meeting Matt in PyeongChang
over the course of the Winter Olympics. He was truly one of the nicest guys you
could possibly meet and he helped me make a few connections with local athletes
that I wasn’t even aware of.
Anyway, Matt
was calling to conduct my interview for the credential process. Prior to Sochi,
my first Olympic experience in 2014, I was interviewed by a journalist from a
newspaper in Buffalo. The idea is that experienced journalists do the
interviews and pass along recommendations to the US Olympic Committee, which in
turn assigns the credentials to members of the media. I spent some time talking
to Matt and explained to him my situation and my plans. I was happy that Matt
was my interviewer, since he had seen the work and hours I put in while in
Korea and surely could convey that to the powers that be.
At the same
time, I also made sure to tell him that I completely understood if I didn’t get
credentials, since weekly newspapers are low on the list of priority for the
credentials. He told me I’d hear by the end of the year.
Sure enough,
just last week I received an e-mail from Peggy Manter of the US Olympic
Committee, letting me know that the USOC had approved one credential for Salmon
Press, meaning if I want it, I can be in Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
I am excited
for the opportunity, something that’s a little bit different. Instead of cold
and windy, I have been told to expect hot and humid in Tokyo in July and
August. But at the same time, there are a number of differences to deal with,
something I learned when I downloaded the media manuals.
The first
two Olympics I attended were in relatively “small” cities but this one will be
in a huge metropolis. There will be no media village in which we all live,
instead media will be housed in regular hotels around Tokyo. There will be the
normal media transportation buses, but we will also get transit cards to use on
the subway and trains, which from all accounts, are quite nice.
There is a
little trepidation on my part, simply because I know the expense of attending
the Olympics can be a bit much. However, I am also eager to see something
totally different and to check out the Summer Olympics for once.
And I
promise, if all goes as planned and I make the trip to Tokyo in 2020, I will
take everyone along with me through stories, columns, blogs and photos.
