The morning after the Championships before

Monday in our Team Hotel was a weird experience, and no doubt it was the same in the other one too. By the time we went to breakfast at 8am, some rooms used as offices or other Championship facilities had already been cleared and returned to their normal state. At lunchtime, this was even more obvious, especially as the security guards had even started to disappear from the doors; and by the evening, 'ordinary people' were checking into the hotel. Some athletes had left over the last few days anyway, once their events were over, either because they needed or wanted to get home or because they had other competitions to go on to; but the main bulk of the athletes left during Monday. As the athletes disappeared, so did the facilities provided by the Championship organisers - which is why there has been a delay in updating the blog since Monday morning - the athletes' internet lounge which I'd been using disappeared sometime after 9am on Monday. And it was not just facilities that disappeared but also the security guards, police, photographers, and autograph hunters that either gathered or were posted outside all the doors. Both Team Hotels and certain parts of the Stadium were secure areas. The chaplaincy team were fortunate and also extremely grateful that the organisers had granted us such a wide accreditation - there were very few relevant places that we could not go to. However, there were occasions when I felt very sorry for the more well-known athletes who were faced with the hassle of autograph hunters and photographers every time they got off a shuttle bus. I obviously had to walk through them too but at least they weren't in the slightest bit interested in me so I had a fairly free passage each time. The freedom that having security guards and police outside the hotels was greatly appreciated by athletes. It also meant that startling things happened occasionally, such as the evening when I walked through an exuberant gathering of Jamaicans and others in one of the public areas and realised later that I'd wandered through Usain Bolt's birthday party! All humans need personal space occasionally and it's hard for sportspeople to get this sometimes whilst on the competition circuit.

Although the Championships had finished, chaplains were still around if needed, although we had a much freer space ourselves. In the morning I went to meet a lady in the former eastern half of Berlin who my husband and I had stayed with in 1989 before the Berlin Wall finally came down totally. It was a moving experience to hear her stories of the last almost 20 years since full reunification, and to enjoy a visit to her church knowing that I was able to do so without being watched, which would have been the situation last time we visited. In the afternoon, I revisited some of the famous sites to see how they'd changed in the same period, as well as going to the Jewish memorial which is new since the last time I was in Berlin. In the evening, the remaining chaplains got together for a meal before we all left the following morning.

Finals Day

Sunday saw the finals of the remaining events. It was also a day of endings for many people and, for some, a day of new beginnings. Endings came as the final events took place, as people said goodbye to each other, and as the organisers and others began the task of packing up. New beginnings were heralded as people prepared for going home, with or without their targets and expectations having been met, and contemplating questions such as "where to now?" and "how do I put this experience into perspective and use it for the future?". The chaplaincy team experienced all of these themselves, as well as with athletes we were still in contact with.
We had a final chaplains' service at noon on Sunday, during which we all shared our experiences of the Championships and gave thanks to God for all that had gone on.
Then I headed off to be on duty in the Stadium Chapel for the final athletics events, and what a session it was! I had thought anyway, how apt it was that having been on duty there for the first morning of athletics, and experienced the initial 'teething problems' of working in such close proximity to the media who seemed to see our presence as slightly strange even if not contradictory to their presence, that I was also on duty for the final session. Although I knew that our presence was much more accepted by this stage in the Championships, I hadn't anticipated such a positive ending. As it was finals day and so the number of athletes competing was smaller, it is harder to share the full flavour of the stories without giving identities away but I shall try:

• Our first visitor was a photographer who said he'd passed the chapel several times a day but never been in. I showed him round and explained that the words on the walls were various verses of Scripture in different languages, and started with the back wall which has the Lord's Prayer on it. His response was "Sorry, I'm an atheist". We talked very gently and after asking if he could play the organ (but I couldn't find the switch) he took a leaflet about the chapel away with him.
• Similarly, one of the staff came in saying that he thought he ought to take a look having walked past so many times. He too chatted for a while and took a booklet about the chapel that he said he would like to discuss with one of his family who is a faithful churchgoer.
• At least 6 athletes called into chapel to pray or to talk. One prayed on her own; 2 asked for either my colleague or myself to pray with them; 1 from a country where to be a Christian isn't easy simply wanted to say hello to 2 chaplains; and 2 who I'd had several conversations with during the Championship stopped to talk with me.
• The team manager from the predominantly non-Christian country who we served on Wednesday evening came into the mixed zone, stopped at the chapel, and said "thank you for your help last time I saw you".
• One television crew asked was filming allowed in the chapel. Not knowing the 'official answer', I took a leap of faith and said yes. They filmed various aspects and then asked "can we stay for a while so that we can get a shot with athletes walking past the door because for the last week we've sometimes filmed athletes giving interviews with the chapel in the background and it'd be good to now film the chapel with athletes in the background". After that, they filmed a short interview with me about what sports chaplaincy really is. As they were from Eurovision, who supply sports, news and people stories to a large number of broadcasters, I have no idea when (or even if) the footage will be used, but pray that it will help sports chaplaincy to be both better known and more accepted.

It was certainly an amazing time of duty. After the athletes from the last event has passed the chapel, I dashed to get the shuttle back to the Team Hotel where I'm staying. I had originally planned to try and get a seat in the stadium for the Closing Ceremony, but we chaplains had been surprised to get an invitation to attend the Athletes' Banquet that evening, along with some of the other volunteers. This was a real privilege although, as it was held in a huge, dark warehouse-type arena with lots of loud music and at least a couple of thousand people, there was little chance of meeting up with anyone. I was glad to go though, and was pleased to be there for the final 3 Medal Ceremonies of the Championships. It was unusual for these not to happen in the Stadium, and some felt it wasn't fair on the athletes in these ceremonies, so it was good to be able to cheer loudly when the GB men's 4x400m team got their Silver medal. (As I was still on duty in the chapel I hadn't been able to cheer when Lisa Dobrisky got her silver medal in the Stadium earlier on.)

Marathon Day dawns

Saturday dawned brightly but cooler, much better conditions for running marathons the first of those - the men's - was this morning. Both marathons take an approximately 10km lap course and so passed each spot 4 times. One corner of the course was within 5 minutes walk of our hotel so I went down to watch - but was only able to see the first 3 laps. But in each was able to shout encouragement to one athlete who'd visited our Oasis most mornings. Before going to do this, I'd spent some time helping prepare for and attend a special Service of Thanksgiving that a few of us had planned. This was aimed specifically at some Afro-Caribbean teams but it was, of course, open to all. Although not so many people came as had said they would, it was still an uplifting service, especially the singing and an interactive way of telling a Bible story.

After watching the 3 laps of the marathon, I dashed off to the shuttle bus for the other hotel. Whilst here, I did speak to some people I hadn't met before, but it was really a time of making sure that I said farewell and tied loose ends with some of the people I've met since arriving. Then it was on to the stadium, where I got an amazing seat by the long jump that felt like I was almost in the sandpit itself. This was such a privilege, but also enabled me to speak again with a coach I've had several conversations with. It was also great to be in the stadium to see a Loughborough student gain a medal with the relay team.

And then the rain came falling down

After the heat of Thursday, waking up to dark clouds, heavy rain, thunder and lightening wasn't surprising. I did feel for those in the 50km walk though, as it may have made their final pre-race preparations more uncomfortable than is desirable - although at least the cooler temperatures will have been welcomed and made the actual race more comfortable. My first duty of the day was the 7-10am slot in our hotel's Oasis, so apart from going to the staff canteen for breakfast I didn't have to go out in the rain. Several people called in during that time, one who has been attending most mornings. The next couple of hours was spent supporting a fellow chaplain for whom today was difficult, doing some admin, as well as the 2 main tasks of the morning: Firstly, having finally managed to acquire a New Testament in French, I spent time tracking down the Team Official who'd requested one a few days ago. Eventually, I was able to give it to their team attache along with a letter for him, although I put it in a sealed bag for reasons of both personal confidentiality and also possible religious sensitivities in the country concerned. Secondly, I wanted to leave a message for the English-speaking Team Coach I chatted to a few days ago as one of her athletes had done well the previous evening and I wanted to follow up our conversation. She was actually in her room and although pleased about that athlete was still feeling very much under pressure, and said she was very pleased to see me. We had a chat. I then went over to the other hotel to 'loiter with intent' for an hour or so, during which I managed to speak with an athlete I wanted to see, before heading off to the stadium.
Soon after arrival, the rains came down again big-style. I didn't get too wet but it was sad to sit in the stadium and watch both athletes and officials getting wetter and wetter by the second. It must have been hard for those in the second group trying to qualify for the Javelin final who had much worse weather conditions than those in the first group who'd competed earlier. Then, as those of you who watched it on TV will know, throwing and jumping events were suspended for safety reasons, and the start of the track events was delayed. That too adds a stress onto athletes as their preparation is aimed at a certain time and then they have to hang around for an uncertain length of time before being able to compete - a bit like what happens at Wimbledon in a rainy English summer! Thankfully, once the rain stopped, competition was able to resume and was all scheduled events were completed, albeit later than expected.

Serving athletes (and others)

Thursday's main activities included a noon-2pm duty in the Oasis in the other hotel, and an evening trip to the stadium, although I only went to watch the long jump - both to watch the 2 British entrants but also an athlete related to contacts made in the last few days. It was a very hot day and the temperature was still 31degrees C when I left the stadium at 8:30pm, and so I wanted both to cool down and get back to the hotel in time for supper. However, in this post I want to list a number of occasions in the last 48hours which show different ways in which chaplaincy serves athletes and others:

• On the way back from the stadium on Tuesday evening I chatted to a coach from an English-speaking nation who admitted that the team was suffering low morale due to not doing so well as expected. We talked and she took my contact details saying that she'd like to get in touch if/when she thought that others in the team might like to talk.
• Whilst in the Stadium Chapel on Wednesday evening a runner came in after her event, sat for a while, and then asked me to pray with her.
• Another incident on Wednesday evening resulted from an athlete hurt in a fall (not on the track) being taken through the mixed zone outside the chapel to a medical room. Not long afterwards 3 anxious team officials arrived. Despite being from a predominantly non-Christian country, they reacted kindly to the offer of sitting quietly in the chapel rather than standing in the bustle of the mixed zone. I was also able to respond to their requests for water to drink and later for tissues to wipe their worried faces. Although not sharing the same faith, they expressed their gratitude at these examples of Christian service.
• On Thursday in the Oasis of Silence at the other Team Hotel, I led a Bible reflection but first had to call two other chaplains to come to help with translation. I led the reflection in English, the Bible reading was in German whilst the 1 team official and the 1 athlete followed in French and Spanish bibles respectively, and my words were likewise simultaneously translated into French and Spanish. In the following time of prayer, each person was invited to pray in their own mother tongue, which actually added a 5th language!
• Whilst in that hotel, I was able to have a brief meeting with someone from the Japanese delegation to help equip me for the times when Japanese athletes will be at Loughborough, and also responded to a German volunteer who said to me "You're a chaplain? Can I talk with you?"

I'm aware that the anonymity of some of the stories in my blog might seem a bit too vague for some readers, but I hope you will understand that this is essential to maintain confidentiality, trust and integrity - and I had cause to say something similar to some media people in the mixed zone on Wednesday evening who during a conversation with them ask if athletes really did come into the chapel and if so were they famous ones.......

The long day

Wednesday was another day not according to what I thought might be my usual pattern - that'll teach me to think one was possible! It turned out to be the longest working day yet, starting at 7am with a 3 hour duty in the Oasis of Silence in the hotel I'm staying in. I shared this with a female chaplain from Germany and, although our first visitor spoke English and so her Bible reflection was okay in English, our second visitor was a Team Official from a French speaking country, a language which neither of us speak well enough to lead devotions in. We managed to chat and also promised to try to find him a New Testament in French as he doesn't have one and would like one. I then went to the other hotel to see who was around there, and hopefully set up a meeting with someone from the Japanese team. I spoke with a few people who're now used to seeing us around.
I then set off to the stadium an hour early so that I could grab some 'free time' before my duty in the Stadium chapel. One of my colleagues discovered a while ago that volunteers at the Championships are allowed to use the swimming pool which was built as part of the stadium complex for the 1936 Olympics. It is open-air and on a hot day like today swimmers are watched with slight envy by those gathering to watch the evening's athletics - so it is probably the only time I'll ever swim in a 50m Olympic pool with an audience! Then it was off to the Stadium chapel for 1745 for what turned out to be an almost 5 hour duty. This was partly because the athletics was due to go on a bit later this evening, but mostly because the decathlon went on much later than envisaged as so many of them kept going in the high jump. I finally left the chapel at 2235 and headed off to catch the last Championship shuttle bus back to the hotel. Various things happened during this stint in chapel but more of that in my next post........

Inside & outside the stadium

Having said yesterday about setting a routine, Tuesday was totally different! It was the first day since I've been here that I didn't have a duty in either of the two Oases or the stadium chapel. I spent sometime after breakfast working on a document I'm writing about the religious culture in Japan. This is for the Sports Development Centre and the Chaplaincy at Loughborough University so that we can properly prepare and cater for the Japanese athletes who will be based there on various occasions between now and London 2012. Needless to say, I worked on this with one eye on the TV to keep up-to-date with events in the stadium. It was also good to be invited to do this in the general physio area of the hotel, as it gave me a chance to chat with them. There are so many groups of people involved in a major championship like this who all need to know that pastoral care is available. Lunch today was a treat as I ventured into the centre of the city and had lunch with a friend and colleague who is working here as a journalist. As well as enjoying lunch it was good to travel around the city by train and refresh my memories of German culture. Having lived in Germany some years ago, it's seemed a bit strange at times not to be interfacing very much with 'ordinary' day-to-day life here. This is something else that we chaplains have in common with the athletes (and various other professions) - athletes may travel around the world competing in different countries but they don't always get to experience much of the local culture. After lunch, I went off to the other Team Hotel and was pleased to be able to support another chaplain who was having a few practical problems. We went to the stadium together and I was privileged to see Phillips Idowu gain gold in the Triple Jump. Sad though that the other athlete I was looking out for didn't make it. I left after the Triple Jump as I wanted to make sure I got back to the hotel for supper - it is easy to miss that!

Meeting people

Today began by following what is beginning to feel like a kind of pattern - breakfast, preparation for the devotional time, before travelling to the other Team Hotel to do my duty there. One team official came to the Oasis but as he was a French-speaking country one of the other chaplains, who is himself from a French-speaking African country, led a Bible Study for him. My German colleague and I who were on duty listened and learned as much as we could! Lunch followed, when various people who're often around at the same time said hello and had brief chats - an important part of chaplaincy is dependant on building relationships so it's always an advantage (and quite amazing) when relationships can begin to be built so quickly. After lunch, my practice of 'loitering with intent' paid off as I was able to meet one athlete I'd spoken to 2 days ago (the day before her competition) and spend sometime chatting about how she felt about not doing as well as hoped/expected yesterday. Later on, I was also pleased to bump into an athlete connected with Loughborough whom I hadn't met before and introduce myself, before heading to the stadium to watch 2 other Loughborough athletes perform in their events. Once those events were over, I returned to the hotel just as our canteen was finishing serving food, and then did went to the Internet lounge to write this blog - and ended up in an interesting conversation with a team official from one the smaller nations of the world. On my final return to the room I share with 4 other chaplains and our administrator, we discovered that for the first time during waking hours since we've been here we were all 'at home' at the same time. We ended up having a good chat and really good laugh. I think all of us were nervous about sharing a room with so many other females but it's working out okay. This is a feeling shared by many athletes too, as like us they can end up sharing rooms with people they hardy know or don't know at all.

An athletic Sunday

It being Sunday, the chaplain I was on duty with in our hotel's Oasis and I decided to have a service rather than a simple devotional time, so part of the morning was spent preparing for this as I was doing a Bible reflection. Very few came, partly maybe as we were competing timewise with athletics events that people were watching, but the few that did come appreciated it. It was also good that we'd invited one of our chaplains who's a former international athlete herself to give a short testimony about how she combined her faith and her athletics and it fitted in very well with the athlete who was there.

I went to the stadium later for various admin things re the chapel there and for a meeting with someone who wanted a chat. Afterwards I stayed on for the athletics and what a night it was. It was a privilege to be there for Jessica Ennis's final events in the Heptathlon and to see her win Team GB's first gold medal (chaplains aren't always able to be totally impartial!), and then be there for Usain Bolt's gold medal and World Record. The noise in the stadium was deafening! I was sitting in the athlete's and team seating area, and it was amazing to be sitting behind numerous members of the Jamaican delegation with their flags whistles etc etc. There'd been a similar scene just before as we were near the shot putt area whilst the women's event was going on and the German coach was sitting in front of us´- surrounded by media watching his every move as his athletes competed - it's not just the athletes that feel the pressure of competition!

Into the stadium chapel

Although we went into the stadium for the chaplains' service on Friday, Saturday was my first time of duty there. In addition to the 'Oases of Silence' in each hotel we are also responsible for a chaplaincy presence in the stadium chapel, and I was on duty there for the first athletics events of this Championship. The work is similar to that in the Oases but more focussed on the athletes in competition. The two Oases are open from 7am - 10pm each day for people just to drop into for quietness or for prayer. There are Bibles in various languages available if people want them, and there is also water and biscuits available if people want to stay and be quiet for a while. Although there are some Christian symbols around, the Oases are open to those of all faiths and none. One or more chaplains are present from 7-10am, from 12-2pm, and from 9-10pm each day for people to talk to if they wish. During each of these periods there is at least one led devotional time. These are widely advertised, as is the chaplaincy hotline number, so that we are available 24 hours per day. Now that the Championships have started, the chapel in the stadium is open during all competition times, with 2 chaplains available. This is mainly for competing athletes as it is adjacent to the 'mixed zone' through which they all have to pass on their way back from the track or infield, but others whose security accreditation allows them there can use it too. Here chaplains are available for times of joy and times of difficulty - and there were both during my first duty there. I was very moved when an athlete came in after her event and honoured God in her own traditional way and then just left the chapel quietly with a small wave to me. There are tensions though due to our proximity to the visual media, some of whom find it very strange to have a chapel there and keep asking what viewers will think if they seeing a chapel in the background of an interview. Our prayer as chaplains is that we and the media can both do our respective jobs in a complementary way

A global reality

Friday saw me head off again to the other Team Hotel in the morning, to prepare for my next duty in the 'Oasis of Silence' there. Before my duty, I spent time 'loitering with intent' ready to speak to people who might be around. During this time I spoke to 2 athletes whom I recognised from seeing them on TV. There was a good reminder that all famous (sports)people are individuals in their own right and none of us must forget that - after I'd introduced myself to them, they reciprocated - as we'd never met before this was a natural thing for them to do even though I obviously knew who they were. Back to the 'Oasis' and it was good when people arrived for the devotional time - a Team Attache from one country and a Team Manager from another. A chaplain from a third country read the Bible reading in his mother tongue, and I led the devotion in mine - a vivid reminder of the reality of a worldwide church. There was another reminder of this later in the afternoon when all the chaplains gathered for a service in the chapel in the Olympic Stadium - the 24 chaplains come from a total of 16 different countries, with every continent represented. The walls are also decorated with the Lord's Prayer and other Bible verses written in many different languages. The Olympic Park and Stadium itself is an awesome site, not because of its size alone but because of all the reminders of its 1930s origin which were retained in recent renovations. This blending of history and global reality was also present in the open Welcome Event staged around the Brandenburger Tor the same evening.

First full day

Yesterday was my 1st full day here in Berlin. What did I do? Well: familiarise myself with the Team Hotel that I'm staying in, have breakfast with some other chaplains; prepare my devotion time for the Oasis of Silence; and take one of the official shuttle buses across Berlin to the other Team Hotel, where I was on duty in the Oasis of Silence from 12-2pm. No athletes came, only one other chaplain from India that I'd not yet met, so we talked to introduce ourselves and prayed a bit. Then: over lunch, met another chaplain for the 1st time, from Switzerland; familiarisation time with this second hotel; catch trains to the Berliner Dom (Cathedral) to attend the special ecumenical service for the opening of the championships. It was a good service, mostly but not solely in German, although there were written English translations available of the introductory talk & sermon. I was pleasantly surprised as to how much German I could understand though, so that was also good. The sermon was insightful, much of it about the role of sport and things we can learn from it. It was also poignant in that it drew on the fact that it was 48 years ago to the day that the Berlin Wall was erected, and here we were celebrating the freedom of encounter of different cultures that a World Championship can bring...... The rest of the evening was spent travelling back to my hotel and eating supper with several other chaplains.

Arrived safely - straight to work

Arrived safely yesterday, although a delayed flight meant there was hardly time to draw breath before things needed doing. Transport from the airport was smooth, albeit via the house where a colleague is staying. On arrival at the official athletes' hotel where I'm staying, security meant I couldn't check-in without first going to accreditation. That was very slick although I don't think I look like my photo at all! Quickly checked in but didn't make it to the room before being whisked off to eat as the canteen was about to close. This was quickly followed by an orientation meeting for the 6 chaplains who'd arrived in the last 24 hours - from Germany, UK, USA and Portugal. Was just off to find my room when an athlete called into the Oasis of Silence asking how he could find a mosque and/or an imam. Thankfully, with my bit of German and the hotel receptionist's bit of English, we managed to find one, although once again I was reminded how context-specific vocabulary is - not knowing the German for mosque, I described what I was looking for and the receptionist said "ah, a church for Muslims!". I'm not sure all would agree with that term but maybe it says more positive things about interfaith relationships than we might imagine! Only after leaving a message with the required information for said athlete was I able to try to find my room.......

Final Preparations

Having applied last year to be a chaplain at this year's World Athletics Championships, the time has almost come. The packing's in progress, and just a few last minute things to buy, gather, etc. I also have to do the last bits of work here - some bits of parish administration plus a visit to my local ASDA store - as part of my parish-work, I'm also chaplain there, and they're due a visit today. It's quite hard to know what to pack and what to leave behind - a strange mixture of smart-ish work clothes, casual/sports clothes, possibly robes for wearing whilst taking services, and sports gear (in case I dare use the gym with all those athletes around us!), plus my Bible and other resources for the devotions I shall be leading in the various 'Oases of Silence'.