High demand events

As accredited members of the media at the Olympics, our accreditation gets us in to almost all of the venues and events. This year, with COVID a major factor in things, the amount of space at each venue for media has been reduced, so we have to request access to the venue in advance.

I have made all my requests for the time I am here and so far I have not had a single request denied, which I must say was kind of surprising. The fact that the stadiums have no fans has probably made things easier for us, since they have seemingly expanded the press tribune area to include more regular seats as needed.

However, there are also events that are called "high demand events." This list includes all gymnastics medal events, all evening sessions for track and field, all medal sessions for swimming, tennis quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, men's basketball final, the handball semis and finals and the opening and closing ceremonies. In the Winter Olympics that I've been to, figure skating was the main high demand event.

However, over the course of the first two Olympics, I have only made a request for one high demand event and that was the opening ceremonies in PyeongChang. I did receive permission, but once I spoke to the USOPC (media apply for these tickets through the National Organizing Committee of their home country), realized I would not make it there in time and cancelled my ticket.

This year, I really wanted to see some gymnastics action, in particular, I thought it would be great to see Simone Biles compete. The session that worked best for the schedule I put together was this coming Monday night when the women compete in the floor exercise and the men compete in vault and in rings.

So, I made my request through the USOPC and surprisingly, I was granted a ticket for the gymnastics event on Monday. I picked up my ticket at the USOPC office in the media center yesterday and will have to present that, along with my accreditation, when I get to the Ariake Gymnastics Center tomorrow afternoon.

Of course, my hope of seeing Simone Biles will not happen, as it was announced today that she would not be competing in the floor exercise. That is disappointing on my end, but obviously her well-being is more important than my disappointment. I did get to see one GOAT in my time here (Ledecky) and that in and of itself is a win.

My ticket to the gymnastics arena on Monday.

All the places to go

Today I took a ride out to the shooting venue here at the Tokyo Olympics, Asaka Shooting Range. It was a little less than an hour ride out to the range. I didn't really go there to cover anything in particular, but rather to see the venue, see a unique sport and maybe see some parts of Japan that I hadn't seen yet.

So far in the week that I've been here and in the five-plus days that I have been allowed to leave my hotel room, I have seen a number of venues and events. I've checked out the one that probably gets the most play back in the United States on NBC, the Tokyo Aquatics Center, where I saw some swimming on my first night and some diving the next night. Until last night, when I went back to Yokohama Stadium to see baseball (same venue as softball gold medal game), it was the only venue I had been to twice.

My first trip out was to Odaiba Marine Park for the triathlon on Monday, I also hit up the historic Nippon Budokan for some judo and Shiokaze Park for beach volleyball. I went to both of the "urban sports parks" for events, with a trip to Aomi Urban Sports Park for the 3X3 basketball finals (sport climbing is also being held there) and to the Ariake Sports Park for BMX racing (skateboarding is also held there). I took in volleyball at the Ariake Arena, which along with the sports park, gymnastics arena and tennis park, are located in a small area near the media center and made a trip a bit further for weightlifting at the Tokyo International Forum, which had to be the most confusing venue I've been to in all three of my Olympic experiences. 

I saw rugby at Tokyo Stadium, which was a bit of a trip from the Main Press Center and visited the Sea Forest Waterway to watch rowing, which was a bit shorter trip. And yesterday I got to see the Kasai Canoe Slalom Center, which was a cool venue that I pass by every morning on the way from the hotel but had not been to.

In my Winter Olympics experiences, I have been able to visit almost every venue, but in the Summer Olympics, that is just not possible. First and foremost, most of the soccer games are played in far flung locations from Tokyo, with the marathon and race walking happening on a totally different island. The mountain biking, road cycling and track cycling are near the Fuji Speedway, while sailing is also a bit of a trip away. I made the decision to not go to surfing simply because it was such a long trip and would likely eat up most of the day and there was no guarantee they would even compete on the day you go because, obviously, surfing is weather-dependent. Unfortunately,  it is just not feasible to see all the cool places that these events take place.

There's still some venues on my list in the next week-plus. Tonight I am heading to Saitama Super Arena for basketball, I have wrestling at Makuhari Messe Hall and gymnastics at Ariake Gymnastics Center on my list (the latter is a 'hope to cover' event, since I need special tickets). There's also the Olympic Stadium where former UNH standout Elle Purrier will compete on Monday and the Oi Hockey Stadium. I'm hoping to see the Equestrian Park and some water polo at Tatsumi Water Polo Center and maybe some table tennis at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

There are plenty of great places to go and only so much time to go there. Unfortunately.

Kasai Canoe Slalom Center is just one of the many venues hosting Olympic contests around Tokyo.

The local connection

Today's post comes from the venue media center at Ariake Urban Sports Park. After a long bus ride back to the hotel from the arena just down the street last night (in which us passengers had to tell the driver how to find the hotel), it was back at it this morning with the hope of seeing a little BMX racing.

However, Mother Nature is currently dealing us a bit of a curve ball, as it has been raining for a while and the 10 a.m. scheduled start for the racing semifinals was bumped until at least 10:45 a.m. Obviously, as a creature of habit, this throws off my planned schedule, but I will hang out in the media center and hopefully see some action on the track in a little while.

Another reason to get to the track is to catch up with Alton's Dr. Tamara Lovelace, who is here as a doctor with the US Cycling Team, working at the BMX track. This is her first Olympic experience, though she has spent a few years now working for the tour traveling to various locations around the world. She also recently got added to the medical staff for Team USA for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics coming up in February.

I am always looking for the local connections to any sport. Earlier in the week I caught up with Hilary Gehman of Wolfeboro, a two-time Olympian herself who is now coaching the women's quads scull for Team USA and is in her first Olympics as a coach. I also got to chat via e-mail with three-time Olympian Gevvie Stone, who calls Massachusetts home, but has a great love for Camp Onaway on Newfound Lake. She spoke glowingly of her time at the camp, where she was a camper, a counselor and now teaches rowing and other water sports when she can.

Then there was another New Hampshire connection in Jessica Parratto of Dover, who came home with a strong silver medal performance with her partner in the 10M synchronized platform diving event earlier in the week. I was happy I got the chance to see that, as I entered the venue not expecting a medal performance and got to witness a great moment for the US team.

Coming up next week, more New Hampshire connections with St. Thomas graduate Rachel Schneider racing in the 5,000 meters and UNH star Elle Purrier St. Pierre racing in the 1,500 meters. I'm also planning on seeing the US men's basketball team take on the Czech Republic, a team that includes Brewster graduate Blake Schilb. Fellow Brewster alum Avi Schafer plays for the Japanese hoop team.

Thanks to everyone who has provided me with updates on any local connections to these Olympics, it helps to make them a little more interesting for me.

And, I've also been to a number of events that have no local connections. Softball, judo, weightlifting, volleyball, beach volleyball, swimming and more. It's fun just to see some sports that I may not see on a regular basis.

Now, if we could just get the rain to stop, that would be helpful.

Ariake Urban Sports Park is ready for some BMX racing action, though Mother Nature is proving difficult this morning.

Well-deserved shoutouts

It’s 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Tokyo. Lightning is flashing around the area, yet I am sitting on a metal press stand waiting for the start of the inaugural 3X3 basketball medal games. This unique basketball is new to the Olympics this year and the US women are playing in the finals. It should be an exciting evening, even if it has been a long day.

Speaking of long days, I’ve been covering events for three days now, I’ve been to nine different events in eight different venues. And over that time, there has been a few people (or things) that I think deserve a little bit of a shout out and credit for what they’ve been doing.

First and foremost, the many volunteers/employees who make the Olympics go. There are countless traffic control folks, security guards, arena staff, bus drivers, venue staff, military members running screening areas, Main Press Center workers and more. Many of those people have to work outside all day and in the case of some of them, they are in full dress uniform that must be absolutely brutally hot. So, kudos to all of them for what they’re doing.

Kudos also to all the photographers out there. These men and women are lugging around piles and piles of equipment. This equipment is not light and they are lugging it up and down stairs, on and off of buses and all around venues to the various photo stands. And they are doing this in the blazing sun and stifling humidity. I am soaked in sweat after walking up a couple flights of stairs carrying just my backpack, I can’t imagine lugging everything that they have to and not having a heart attack. Many of the folks doing that are in the same shape that I am, meaning not great.

Shoutout also to the photographer who helped me navigate one of the most confusing venues I’ve experienced in my Olympic trips. While he also had no idea where he was going, he was fluent in Japanese and English, so was able to communicate with all the security and volunteers and with me as we found our way through the Tokyo International Forum to watch some weightlifting. The venue was really strange and not easy to get around.

Shoutout to Brett Johnson, the communication director for US Rowing. He has been helping me set up interviews with Hilary Gehman of Wolfeboro and Gevvie Stone, who is a longtime camper/counselor at Camp Onaway on Newfound Lake. Weather changed the schedule on our originally scheduled days, but he kept me up to date and got me everything I needed. Press officers are a huge help to all press working events like the Olympics.

Shoutout to whoever makes the delicious rice that they serve at my hotel for breakfast. The breakfast choices are not spectacular, but they aren’t bad either. There’s always a couple of different types of rice and bread, along with fruit and some meats and eggs, though the eggs haven’t looked great and I haven’t braved them yet. However, the one rice that they make appears to be something like fried rice, though made in a rice cooker. It has a good taste and if I am in my hotel for breakfast, I always get a solid portion.

Shoutout to the general store in the Main Press Center. It is not big, but I went in today for the first time and they have just about everything you could imagine, including meals you can heat up, a number of different kinds of fried chicken, salads, fruit and more. I had a couple of salads today along with some pineapple and some chicken/cheese bites. It was a quick, easy meal and probably not as bad for me as visiting the creatively named “Tokyo 2020 Pizza and Burger Restaurant.” 

The Tokyo International Forum was a unique and cool venue, but it was not an easy place to navigate.

Of buses and rain

The last blog post dealt with the issues of traffic. This one will be a bit related, as it is dealing with buses.

In Sochi back in 2014, I remember being incredibly impressed with how the buses managed to navigate the narrow mountain roads that led to the venues and in both Sochi and PyeongChang I was impressed by how the buses maintained a very consistent schedule, leaving on time and usually arriving on time as well.

Here in Tokyo, it has been hit and miss with that whole timing thing. The buses leave the venues and the Main Transport Mall right on time. There is no doubt that they strive to be on time. However, the traffic has proven to be a problem in a lot of ways, as the buses almost never arrive on time and in some cases, like this morning, they don’t arrive at all.

This morning, after checking the bus schedule, I left the hotel in the rain to go to the bus stop around the corner. The media bus was scheduled to arrive at 7:08 a.m. A group of us waited and waited with no luck. However, around 7:30 a.m., a bus did arrive. We got on and proceeded to drive around in circles for about half an hour, before finally getting out of the neighborhood and on our way to the main transport mall. It seems that many of the drivers who drive the buses, at least to our hotel area, don’t really know the area or the route they’re supposed to take.

However, much like in Sochi, I do have to admire the way that they are able to navigate the very narrow streets around my hotel and also navigate their way into many of the venues, which in many cases, are locations not usually meant to have large buses driving in and out of them. The beach volleyball venue was on my way to triathlon yesterday morning and I couldn’t believe how little space we had to get in and out of there.

While today didn’t start out great on the bus front and with the rain, I was able to get out to rugby for a few hours and as I write this I am in the Tokyo Aquatics Center ready for Dover’s Jessica Parrotto to go in the women’s synchronized 10m platform finals. So, the day hasn’t been a waste.

It was a rainy (and long) wait for the bus this morning near the hotel.

The traffic Olympics

After a few hours out of my hotel room, I have determined that these Olympics are going to be the Olympics of traffic.

I went from my hotel to the Media Transport Mall, where buses pick up and drop off to all venues, very early this morning. While it wasn’t a perfect ride, it went relatively smoothly. From there, I went to Odaiba Marine Park for the men’s triathlon. And it was also still really early in the morning, so the ride wasn’t that bad.

However, leaving the triathlon and heading back to the Media Transport Mall took much longer than our transportation app said it should and while I was able to immediately catch a bus to go to the venue I hoped to go to next, we have been sitting on that bus now for 25 minutes and we are still within sight of the MTM (or at least the entrance to the MTM). We are just sitting in traffic, moving a few hundred feet at a time and getting nowhere.

When I was planning, I took into account the times that were anticipated getting from venue to venue, but I have a feeling I am going to need to add time on to all of those, particularly going anywhere during the day. 

I am pretty sure, without getting out an official calculator and adding it up, that I have spent more time sitting in traffic today than I did the entire two weeks that I was in PyeongChang. I imagine this is what 2028 is going to look like when the Olympics come to Los Angeles.

The good news is, the bus has wifi, so I can write this and post it and kill a few minutes, but in the time it has taken me to write it, we have not moved. 

So far today, there's been a lot of this ... sitting in traffic.

Random observations from the hotel room

As the final (hopefully) day of quarantine in Tokyo begins, here's a few observations from the hotel room.

I have slept more in the last three days than I have in the previous three months, or so it seems. The issue is that the hotel room is small, so there is nowhere to sit except for the hard desk chair or the bed. And if I get on the bed, I'm likely to fall asleep. I get up fairly early, but there's definitely been long mid-afternoon naps and since there's nothing to do, I don't really fight it too hard. I suppose I might as well get the sleep while I can.

Speaking of the hotel room, the bathroom has to be the smallest I've ever seen that is not located in a moving vehicle. There's barely room to turn around. And weirdly, I have to step up to get into the bathroom and then step down when I leave the bathroom. I am sure that the weird step is going to cause some sort of injury to me at some point. And, they also ask that when we use the shower, we keep the door closed because "the steam could trigger the fire alarm." Getting out of the shower it is like a sauna in that tiny little room.

One of the many differences with this Olympics is the fact that we must reserve spots in the media centers at the venues if we wish to cover an event. I wasn't allowed to make my requests until a day after my credentials were verified at the airport. I put in a lot of requests and so far, just one of them has been approved, so the good news is that I have at least one thing I can cover (assuming the COVID tests come back as they should). I am hoping that some more of those requests get approved, otherwise it might be a lot of sitting in the media center watching events and that's not something I'm terribly interested in doing.

In researching where I want to go and where I can possibly go, I have been using an app that Tokyo 2020 provided us that gives us all the transportation options from one location to another. It is incredibly helpful in planning if I can make it from one location to another in the amount of time I have to get there. Of course, that's all depending on how my applications for venue seating turn out.

A few things that have kept me occupied while I am sitting in my hotel room are the Red Sox games on the radio (SiriusXM app) and working on memorizing my lines for Laughing Stock, which is slated to open the weekend after I return to the US at the Village Players Theater. I've spent a lot of time browsing the internet, which is truly exciting and have been watching the Japanese broadcasts of the Olympics as well, which is also interesting.

I took my first COVID test since the airport yesterday. Tokyo 2020 staffers came right to the hotel and waited while I provided my saliva sample and registered it. They then took it and left me with a few more tests for the next two days. There's definitely a lot to these Olympics that wouldn't normally show up.

An Olympics just like the others?

This is an Olympics unlike any other. 

But, in one small way, it is an Olympics just like the others I’ve attended.

That small way is the Opening Ceremonies and how I was not in attendance for any of the three Opening Ceremonies at Olympics I have attended.

Even though our credentials allow us access to the venues for most events, there are a number of events that are deemed High Demand Events and for those, we need tickets. We have to apply through the national organizing committee through which we got our original credentials, so for me, that would be the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

In both Russia and Korea in 2014 and 2018, I was not in the host city when the Opening Ceremonies started, so I was unable to get there. Wanting to possibly see them this time around, I made sure to book my flight and hotel for a day before the Opening Ceremonies so there was a chance I could see them in person. However, that was before the pandemic came along and changed up everyone’s plans. 

So, instead, I found myself sitting in my hotel room watching the television as the athletes paraded into a nearly-empty Olympic Stadium. It was weird to see the stands so empty for such a big event, but the reasoning behind it is sound and I understand it. 

Strangely enough, in the three Olympics I’ve been to, I’ve seen all three Opening Ceremonies, in one way or another, on television. In 2014, I was in an airport in Moscow waiting on my flight to Sochi while the Opening Ceremonies were taking place. In PyeongChang in 2018, I was in the check-in area at the media housing checking into my room while the Opening Ceremonies were on a television there. And this time, I was in my hotel room watching on Japanese television. I was also doing a couple of radio interviews back in the US during the Opening Ceremonies and the hosts were also watching the NBC feeds of the ceremonies. However, I was watching the Japanese feed, which was a little different.

After a long day of not being able to get any information on how to proceed in getting the COVID tests required while also not leaving my hotel, I was able to get through to someone and they are set to deliver my tests today (Saturday) so I can hopefully get out to see some events come Monday.

Watching the Opening Ceremonies on the television in my hotel room in Tokyo.

More frustration

I arrived at my hotel in Tokyo almost 10 hours ago. And still, nobody has been able to tell me how exactly I am supposed to get a COVID-19 test when I am not supposed to leave the hotel for three days.

We were told, as media, if we had to quarantine for three days and were the only member of our organization, we could call a number and they would arrange drop-off and pick-up of COVID-19 tests. I tried calling the number when I got in last night to no avail. The person at the front desk also tried calling the number for me, also to no avail. I've tried numerous times this morning, and still nothing.

I am not exactly sure what I am supposed to do at this point. I understand the quarantine rule, but if there is a rule in place, make it possible for people to follow the rule so they can do their jobs. There has been no communication whatsoever from anyone with knowledge of how to handle this situation. And that is incredibly frustrating for someone who is trying to plan things so I can do my job.

On a related note, got to the hotel last night around 11 p.m. and it was as I expected, small. That's not really a problem, since I wasn't planning on spending much time here, but now that I'm stuck here, it could get cramped. The bathroom is absolutely tiny and very weirdly, has a step up from the room into the bathroom. I am sure I will trip once or twice over the course of the next few weeks.

The breakfast choices this morning at the hotel weren't too bad. There were a couple different kinds of rice and bread, some meat, fruit, juice and some more lunch like items such as salads. I believe I am allowed to leave the hotel to get food, but have yet to determine just where I can go for that, finding a way to get my COVID test has been more of a priority.

The Opening Ceremonies are coming up tonight, I won't be there. Wolfeboro's Hilary Gehman is coaching her team in the women's quadruple sculls at Sea Forest Waterway in a few hours. I won't be there. And if I can't find someone to explain to me how I get my COVID test, I may not be anywhere.

So yeah, this is frustrating.

This is my room in Tokyo. It's small, but I don't need a ton of space.

Waiting... and waiting... and waiting...

It is currently 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 22, in Tokyo. I exited the plane from Toronto at approximately 4 p.m. and I am still in the airport. As Tom Petty once sang, “the waiting is the hardest part.”

After we got off the plane, we were ushered to a row of seats where medical professionals, volunteers and officials would stop and check our paperwork. Every little while, we would all get up and move forward to the next set of seats. Eventually, we ended up at a table set up with people who checked us through the first checkpoint and sent us on to the COVID-19 testing.

After waiting in another line, we eventually got to a medical professional who scanned our passport and other information, gave us a vial and sent us to an area to fill it with saliva. We were told not to drink for at least a half-hour prior to taking the test, so I had not had anything to drink since I was on the plane and it took me a bit to produce enough saliva to fill the tube.

Once that was done, we were sent to another table, where they again checked our paperwork, checked my medication and then sent me into a lounge, where there were hundreds of numbered chairs set up. I sat in my assigned chair and that’s where I am sitting now, as we await the results of the COVID tests. We still have to pass through customs, pick up our baggage and get our credentials validated, all before we can leave the airport.

The flights over were uneventful, the first one just a short trip from Boston to Toronto. The Toronto airport was very quiet, but I was able to buy a couple bottles of water and some snacks for the 12+ hour trip ahead.

The flight from Toronto to Tokyo was fairly empty. In my row there were seven seats (2-3-2) and there was just one other person in the row. They served us a couple of meals plus a wrap and granola bar snack. I got some sleep, listened to some podcasts and basically zoned out to pass the time.

It’s now been close to three and a half hours since I left the plane. Not sure how much longer I will be in the airport, but the first part of the journey is now complete.

This was the scene three hours ago when we got off our flight from Toronto. We are still in the airport.

Whoops... Almost a very expensive mistake

The last few weeks and months have been a blur of paperwork, e-mails, medical tests and just about everything else you could think of in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. I filled out every single piece of paperwork requested of me and covered every single base that needs to be covered.

Well, except one that is.

I hopped in the car this morning and headed south towards Logan Airport. There was a little traffic, but mostly just cruised through and got to the airport in the expected time. Driving toward my usual parking garage (economy) I saw a flashing sign that said "economy closed" use central parking. After all the paperwork and research, I never even thought to check with the airport. So I turned into central parking and saw the sign that said 38 dollars a day. My quick math skills came out at almost 800 dollars to park for the time I will be in Tokyo. I just about had a heart attack.

So, I headed toward the exit cashier and asked her if there was anywhere else to park. She looked around and whispered to me, "take out your phone, Hampton Inn Revere, 11.95 a day. But you didn't hear that from me." After I had a good laugh, I remembered seeing the Hampton Inn sign on my way down on Route 1A. I quickly made the trip back, parked and went inside to pay and they said they were full, reservations only. The guy there recommended checking with a park and ride spot down the road.

Back in the car I went and drove down the road about a mile and pulled in. The nice woman at the counter said I didn't need reservations. The damage is closer to 300 dollars, which is about what I can expect at economy parking.

Crisis averted.

On to the airport, where after a lot of paperwork checking from the very nice Air Canada agent, I had about the quickest trip through security ever. I didn't even need to take things out of my bag like usual.

And now, I am sitting in Logan awaiting my flight to Toronto. Onward we go.

On an Olympic note, watched the first few innings of the softball game for Team USA last night and when I woke up, watched a little of the women's soccer game. Nice start for softball, not so much for soccer. I am on my way to Tokyo to comfort Alex Morgan after the loss. She's my Lindsey Vonn of Summer Olympics.

Gate B3 at Logan International Airport... Just waiting on a plane.

One week away and still up in the air

It is Friday, July 16, one week away from the opening ceremonies for the Tokyo Olympics. I am also five days away from my scheduled flight from Boston to Tokyo (with a stop in Toronto). And, to this date, I have yet to receive official confirmation that my activity plan has been accepted by the organizers, meaning it could be difficult for me to get into the country when the plane lands next Thursday.

This has not exactly been the easiest of situations for anyone, so I know I am not alone. The accredited press from the United States received an e-mail from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee earlier this week outlining the processes that we need to go through once we land in Japan. They advised to have copies of all your paperwork, showing when you sent it in, etc., just in case there are issues with the online forms. The USOPC e-mail also noted that the lack of communication from Tokyo has been frustrating for many, but it appears they are just overwhelmed by the lack of paperwork that is being required by the Japanese government.

My two previous Olympic trips required much less paperwork and resulted in much less stress, but I guess that is to be expected with the pandemic and things in Tokyo still not in a great situation. There is a lot of paperwork that has to be filed, approved and registered and it's not an easy task. 

I have also e-mailed with a couple members of The Boston Globe staff, one of whom I befriended in PyeongChang back in 2018 and another who is also dealing with the paperwork for this year and they said that their paperwork has still not been officially approved by the Japanese government, so I feel better in that I am not alone in these protocols causing stress and delays.

It also appears that I will have to spend the first three days of my trip in my hotel room, which is not exactly ideal. This means I will be missing the possibility of attending the opening ceremonies as well as missing some events that I was hoping to see in the first few days. This includes a boat coached by Wolfeboro's Hilary Gehman, which will be competing on Friday and Sunday, though I have arranged to hopefully see that boat in the finals on Tuesday. Adding to the fun is that my hotel, which I booked a couple of years ago not anticipating I would be spending much time there, doesn't appear to have a hotel or room service, so I am packing some prepackaged food into my luggage to hopefully get me through the first few days.

There's a lot going on. It hasn't been an easy process. But, on this day next week, I should be hanging in my hotel room, watching the Opening Ceremonies (airing in the morning in the US for the first time ever) on my computer (if the wi-fi works). This will be almost like Sochi (watched in an airport in Moscow) and PyeongChang (watched in the check-in process at my accommodations), where I was unable to get to the ceremonies.

Here's hoping anyway.

The Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremonies are a week from today. 

Two weeks to go?

The time is drawing near, with just two weeks to go until I leave for Tokyo. And I must say, the shear amount of paperwork has been overwhelming and as of this writing, my submitted activity plan has not been approved and it has me a bit nervous.

For those who don't know, all press attending the Olympics must submit an activity plan to the Tokyo Organizing Committee. These activity plans must include all the many destinations that we could possibly visit within our first 14 days in Japan. These destinations would include our accommodations, Olympic venues, the Main Press Center and other Olympic-related destinations. We are not allowed to travel outside of those areas in our first 14 days.

My first submission of an activity plan was rejected by the Japanese government, meaning I had to submit it again, which I did, making the corrections that were needed. I am still hopeful that the revised plan will be accepted, which will allow me to download the appropriate health-reporting app for my phone, which will in turn allow me to board the plane to Japan.

I have been telling people that there are pretty much three steps I need to get through. The first step is getting on the plane at Logan Airport in two weeks. The second step is being allowed to get off the plane in Tokyo the next day. The third step is being allowed to leave the airport and commence my Olympic experience.

All press have to take two COVID-19 tests prior to departing their home country and have the proper paperwork to support those. We also have to be tested when we land in Tokyo and then we get tested each of the first three days that we are there. From that point, if we continue to test negative, we will be tested every four days.

This Olympic experience has by far been more challenging and frustrating than either of the first two Olympic experiences I have had. The constant barrage of paperwork, information and restrictions has been overwhelming. And at this point, I know that there is still a chance that I may not even make it to Tokyo.

On a related note, the money that I sent to China for the Beijing Olympics next February was finally credited to my account after three different attempts to get it sent. So at least there is something positive going on in the Olympic front.

If you see me around after July 22, that means that something went wrong and I am watching the Olympics on television with the rest of the world. No offense, but here's hoping I don't see everyone for a few weeks.

There are some great views in Japan, but unfortunately we won't be able to see many sites around the country for most of our stay, assuming we can get there.