Charlotte Cox

On the evening of Saturday 25th June all of the teams gathered outside the Panathenaic Stadium in central Atens for the opening Ceremony of the 2011 Special Olympic World Summer Games. The ceremony started at 8pm with some music then the Presidential Guards paraded into the areana for the arrival of the Karolos Papoulias the President of the Hellenic Republic of Greece.

It was then the turn of all the athletes to parade proudly into the arena.

When we had all entered the arena we enjoyed some wonderful music by the legendary Stevie Wonder, our Coach Tony really enjoyed this and was dancing away to the music.

There was some wonderful dancing telling a Greek “odyssey”. This was followed by the raising of the Special Olympic Flag, the saying of the oath…………

Let me win! But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt!

The final part of the opening ceremony was the arrival of the flame, which was delivered into the arena on a winged chariot, and the lighting of the Special Olympic torch. The final part of the evening was a spectacular firework display.

Unfortunately a number of the countries, including Great Britain have been struck down with a tummy bug. So far I’m okay but not sure what affect it will have on the games. I start my competition on Tuesday with the long jump.

It seems a long time ago that we were all sitting in the village social club raising funds to go to Athens and now the time has arrived. I’ve been packed for days and excited about going to Greece. In the build up to the weekend dad did an interview for Heart Radio in Peterborough earlier in the week and dad and I both did a telephone interview with Nick Fairbairn of BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

We set off for Heathrow Terminal 1 at 2pm to meet the rest of the team at 5pm. We arrived in good time and immediately found the small contingent of athletes that had already arrived – the distinctive kit helped. We waited for all the team to arrive and then split into our regional travelling groups. We were issued with our games passes then we waited for boarding.

Mum, dad, Harriet and William left at about 5.30pm then we waited for our Aegeon Airways flight at 8.25pm. We were delayed taking off, finally departing at 9.05pm. Our flight arrived at 2.30am local time and then it was a four hour coach ride a two hour boat ride to the island of Skiathos – our home for the next four days.

We stay on the Mama Mia island of Skiathos until 24th June then we return to Athens for the competition.

You can follow what we are doing on you tube, as Coca Cola are doing 3 videos which are on you tube, here is the first

This morning 7 athletes from the Special Olympics Squad were invited to go to Downing Street and meet the Prime Minister.

So Mum dropped us off at Royston Railway station and we made our way into London, we had to wear our GB kit and Dad bought a new tie!

We arrived at Downing Street and did all the security checks, as it was raining they let us in early so we had quite abit of time to wander around the top floor, I got to sit in the PM’s Chair in the cabinet room.   David Cameron then came and met us, asking us all a different questions , when he heard I would be doing the relay he said I hope you dont drop the baton at that point Darren Campbell hid.   It was a really lovely day both Darren and Beth Tweddle came to support us.   We had lots of photos and then left.

In the evening we were invited to the Greek Embassy the Ambassador gave a receiption for us, I had Champagne!

Here are some of the photos:

 

You can also see me and team as we get ready for Athens on the Coca Cola site:

I am very proud to have been chosen by Coca Cola to present 3 video interviews over the next few weeks in the build up to our team going out to Athens and one of them will be when we are in Athens.

I want to share the first interview I did with you so please check it out

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyKVsh8zgeA

Big thank you to Jen & Sacha for helping me with this and also my coach Bryn and all my team mates at Cambridge and Coleridge AC.

Keep watching we need your support

Charlotte XXX

This was our last training camp for the whole team, we trained on Saturday, had a disco in the evening and then on Sunday we had team photographs.

Everybody is really excited and wants to do there best for GB.   I am a little nervous but looking forward to seeing all the team  in Athens.

Although this was our last “Team” training session I am still doing my three weekly training sessions with my coaches Bryn and James at Cambridge and Coleridge AC.

Friday 25 April saw Mum, Harriet and I travel up to Runcorn for another athletics training session.  Some of the team were unwell so only a few of us made it.  My room mate Anne was suffering from a cold so I had a lonely room to myself.

Saturday we spent the day at the track training doing sprint and long jump exercises.

Earlier in the week my kit arrived – it now seems very real and not too far away.

On Friday 14 May 2010 I went to Runcorn to join the Special Olympics GB squad for a weekend training camp for the World Games in Athens 2011.

I met the squad and the rest of the athletics team.  The girls in the team are Anne, Vicky and Hannah and our coaches names are Tony and Lesley.  I got measured for my GB kit and had a training session to improve my techniques at running and long jump.

While I was working hard Mum, Dad and Will walked around historic Chester.

On the 25 March 2010 I received a letter telling me I have been selected to represent GB at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens from 19th June to the 5th July 2011.

Check out the official web site at: www.athens2011.org/en

Here you will find details about my sporting activities, and the run up to my trip to Mexico in September 2010 to represent Great Britain at the First World Games for Athletes with Down Syndrome. 

Check out the official web site at www.iaads.info