Maria’s Olympic Experience
Thu, 23 August 2012
Tameside College Sports tutor, Maria Cacia, celebrates after spending ten action packed days as part of the official London Olympics Medical Team.
Volunteers have been integral to the Olympic Games since they were used for the first time at London 1948. So in 2012, the volunteer programme came home to the place where it all began, and Maria proudly put her name forward, offering her years of experience and knowledge of the Sports Industry.
The recruitment process began in September 2010, with over 240,000 applicants, out of which only 70,000 were selected as official ‘Games Maker’ volunteers.
The Games Makers took on a wide variety of roles across the various venues, from transporting athletes, to helping out behind the scenes. Maria was selected to be part of the Medical Team as a Sports Massage Practitioner and her skills were utilised in the ‘field of play’, at Redbridge training camp and during the Wrestling and Judo competitions at the Olympic host venue, ExCel London.
Maria said, “It was an amazing experience and an absolute honour to work with such a highly professional team. It was a massive privilege to be able to work ring side, and treat the Olympians as they were competing. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity”.
In recognition of Maria’s commitment, enthusiasm and hard work, she, along with all of the Games Makers, were given an engraved relay baton as a symbol of teamwork and trust.
Lord Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said, “Whether you display your baton as a trophy or even race with it, we hope it will be treasured and admired by all as a unique souvenir of the London 2012 Games”.