“The First Ball”….

Dennis Davis-Tournament Director-eagerly awaiting the “first ball”

Working at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, I remember clearly the chaos before the games began.

Competition Managers Neil Harwood and Zladko Cordas were looking very stressed, things werent going as planned, newspapers predicted shame for Australia, the train and bus drivers were threatening to strike on the eve of the games, ………and then the first ball was struck.

“The best Olympic Games ever” lauded everyone from Samaranch himself to the participants to the spectators.

Arriving yesterday, I saw the same stressed looks on the Tournament Director Dennis Davis and Competition Managers, Raul Calin and Karl Jindrak. Things that, as first time World Championships organisers you  cannot possibly predict the need for, are required; coaches, managers, umpires all demanding information at the same time and immediately…..

It is a scene repeated at most major championships.

And so it is with great eagerness that all await the “first ball” in approximately 1 hour. After the first ball, most of the stresses disapate and the focus is once again rightly on the players and the matches.

To the first ball……