Last night we arrived into Sochi about 8pm. It was an amazing view flying in over the Black Sea, seeing all the stadiums on the coast lit up. I still don't think it had really sunk in until we were landing that yes, we are going to the Olympics!
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| Ready to hit the Olympics! |
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| On board the flight from Munich to Sochi |
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| The rings outside Sochi Airport |
When we landed, we were greeted at the airport by the Australian Team Chef de Mission and other officials and were handed our athlete accreditation and team jackets. We put them on, grabbed our bags and were rushed out into the arrivals hall where the media was waiting to photograph and interview us. From there our bags were loaded into a van and we hopped on a bus to go off to security and processing. There are so many officials, and all I can remember is that I wasn't allowed to do anything. If I tried to pick up a bag, someone came rushing over to tell me that they would do everything for us. Baggage screening was pretty chaotic, but we seemed to get through pretty smoothly and were soon on a bus on our way up to the Mountain Village - about a 1hr bus ride from the Coastal Village.
We arrived at the Mountain Village around 11pm, and unloaded all our gear and familiarised ourselves with "Australia House". The house is amazing, - it's a 5 story building and we either have a single or double room. It's also right in the middle of the village and is clearly visible from anywhere in the village thanks to the giant BK flag hanging from it!
Also awaiting us in our rooms were 2 huge suitcases and a box full of team gear. The kit is unreal and naturally we had to have a mini fashion parade before we headed to bed. We were just too excited!
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| Australia House |
Also awaiting us in our rooms were 2 huge suitcases and a box full of team gear. The kit is unreal and naturally we had to have a mini fashion parade before we headed to bed. We were just too excited!
Today has been full on! This morning we had a team welcome meeting, before headed up in our formal gear to the Australian flag official welcome ceremony and flag raising in the town plaza. We all sang the national anthem as the flag was raised - a really special moment for the team.
Immediately after the flag raising, we popped into the dining hall for a quick bite to eat, before heading down to the town on the gondola for our official team reception. A wonderful afternoon, which was broadcasted live on Channel 10. We were each announced on stage and presented with our official Olympic team plaques. The flag bearer for tomorrow night's Opening Ceremony was also announced. Congrats to Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin. He will be fantastic and really represents the youth and character of this amazing team.
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| BoarderX athlete Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin will carry the flag at the Opening Ceremony! |
Following the team reception, I headed back up the village to get in a quick gym session. I'm having an early night tonight, because tomorrow is going to be a huge day! Training Slalom in the morning, then Em and I are having a quick press conference to model the Opening Ceremony uniforms to the media. Then we will hop on the bus to go down to the Coastal Village at about 5pm for the big show! I'm so excited. Can't wait to walk out into the stadium when Australia is called!
Stay tuned for more updates and pics. I will try as hard as I can to keep you all updated. I know I'm going to get busy, but I will endeavour to update here or on my Facebook athlete fan page at least every second day. For those with Facebook - here is the link.
With love,
Lav xoxo
