8/07/2008

Netherlands welcoming ceremony, and our first practice in Beijing

Today was the official welcoming ceremony for the Dutch Olympic team. It was pretty cool. Here is the group of about 325 athletes and coaches making our way to the 'international zone' where the ceremony took place.


Here’s whole Netherlands team finding spots to sit in the place that I think was specially designed for this event. We were welcomed along with Jordan, Ecuador, some country I had never heard of with about 9 athletes, and Georgia (not the state, a country right by Iraq). The dude in the bottom middle is Diegomar Markwell, he’s a pitcher on our team, and also plays on the same club team as myself, Neptunus, in Rotterdam. His birthday is tomorrow, the 8th of august. He was born 08/08/80, and has 3 names each with 8 letters in it. Tomorrow the opening ceremonies begin at 8:08 pm, on 08/08/08… I think he’s bound to have an amazing tournament or something.


A bunch of the baseball players at the ceremony…


Us saluting the raising of another countries flag. Lots of media there and a very well run ceremony.


Yea, that’s me. I’m doing a little posing in from of the main wall by the Olympic Village. That random lady sitting on the bottom right was a Russian, there were tons of people getting pictures by this at the same time… couldn’t cut out all the people


The team getting on the bus to go to our first practice at Wukesong stadium. It was very nice, great field, and a nice area minus the smog. Stupid thing is, we normally go to practice is our uniforms, but we aren’t allowed to since we all signed a letter with our sponsor Asics (which no one is fond of) that we will where their shwag everywhere in the Olympic village. So… we get to the field and change there. Old school.


The birds nest… not sure of the real name of the stadium yet, but we’re heading there for the opening ceremonies tomorrow. It is absolutely huge…


Couple of the guys preparing for our first practice at Wukesong. Very interesting backdrop, I’m not sure what the building is, but it’s super massive.


L->R Loek Van Mil, Martijn Meeuwis, Pim Walsma, posing like models for some odd reason.


L->R Sidney de Jong, Mike Duursma, Diego Markwell, Me. Before practice on the Wukesong C field. It was about 33 degrees, and freaking awesome. I like to sweat when I’m on the field, and I hadn’t done anything by this point but was already dripping…

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, it looks like an amazing place!!
Dad, your sis and I are hanging in our hotel in Banff, watching the evening news, listening to a little pre-Olympic talk on the smog, and they are showing footage of a bus going by with the baseball team in it, and you [with shades on]clearly visible by the window...so neat!
Only 5 hours now to the opening ceremonies...enjoy it all.
Good luck with your games against Canada.

Anonymous said...

Lee,
Will you congratulate Diego for me? With a b-day date like his and the official opening on 08-08 at 8 past 8, it must be his greatest tournament ever. No doubt about it!

Grtz, yr cuz