Author: hattarm

I was first introduced to the Olympics Games back in the summer of 2008 during the Beijing Olympics when I was only 8 years old. These were the first Olympics I can consciously remember watching, and they were one of my favorite Games ever. Following the legendary performance of Michael Phelps, a fellow Marylander, like me, was simply incredible; and I remember being so excited as a little boy watching him win gold medal after gold medal. Being only 8 years old at the time, I did not understand what the games were truly about, but over the years I started to gain a better understanding of how special this event is and how much work goes into making it a reality. The Olympic Games are like no other event in the world. People from across the globe banding together every 4 years to celebrate sport and humanity is simply a beautiful thing. I am so grateful I was able to witness the Olympic Games here in Paris this summer, and I can’t wait to be a part of future games.

Having the opportunity to be a member of this class in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games has been a dream come true, and I feel honored to have been a part of this experience. Getting to hear from the people who help make the Olympics possible was remarkable, and I am looking forward to taking what I have learned with me as I pursue a career in sports upon graduation from the GW MSSM program this Fall. It has been such a privilege to be a part of these Olympics, and I feel immense gratitude to those who have helped me get to this point so far. Being able to deepen my understanding of the Olympic Movement over the course of this experience has been so rewarding and I can’t wait to learn even more about the Olympic Games in the future. The 2024 Paris Olympic Games were simply unforgettable, and being able to share this moment in history with everyone was extremely special. As the world grapples with forces trying to divide us, the Olympics teaches us an important lesson that when we come together, we can accomplish anything.  Thank you to everyone for making my first Olympic Games so wonderful, and I hope to see everyone in Los Angeles in 2028!

As the Olympics have now come to an end, I have been able to reflect on my time in Paris and am proud to say this has been one of the best and most memorable experiences of my life. In the almost 25 years I have been on this planet, I never witnessed something so magical like the Olympics; and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of my time in France. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games had a special element to it that is not easy to describe, and I could feel the energy people had regarding the Olympics everywhere I went. People from all over the globe were so thrilled to be a part of these Olympics in Paris.

While volunteering, I was able to talk to current and former Olympians as well as guests who all shared a collective love and admiration for these Olympic Games. As someone who has now volunteered at the Olympics as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, I find myself in a unique and fortunate position. I am not sure how many people have had this special opportunity to volunteer at both events, so I am extremely grateful to have been a part of both in a span of less than two years.

Having the opportunity to explore different parts of the world while actively contributing to these various sporting events has been so amazing and I am so happy to have had these experiences so far in life. In my opinion, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will go down as one of the best in history and I think the Olympic Movement is well-positioned going into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

I want to thank Dr. Lisa Neirotti, Professor Terrence Burns and Lisa Chazanovitz for not only the knowledge they have instilled in me throughout this course but also for the immense amount of hard work and planning that went into this. They have been so supportive throughout this process and are truly incredible people. Without their efforts, this course would not be possible. I am extremely thankful to have shared this experience with all my classmates as well and I hope to stay connected with everyone. All of you are amazing people and I am glad to have been in Paris with you during this special moment in history.

Being here in Paris for the Olympics has simply been a dream come true, and I have had a great experience so far. Listening to the various guest speakers we have had the opportunity to hear from has been so incredible, and I have learned so much from them. I was especially fond of hearing Karen Webb speak to our class and I enjoyed learning about her career. Her life story and career trek were so fascinating to hear about. From starting her career as a journalist to then eventually becoming the Olympic Advisor to Boris Johnson, Karen showed our class what it takes to become successful in this industry.

With hard work, hands on experience and sometimes a bit of good fortune, Karen demonstrated what it takes to become a success story in the sports world. Learning about how she moved to Qatar for 6.5 years for work was so incredible. As someone who has been to Qatar for a brief period while volunteering at the World Cup in 2022, it was amazing to hear about Karen’s willingness and desire to contribute to growing the sports industry there. Moving across the world cannot be easy and she showed us some of the decisions and sacrifices people make in this industry to be great. Having the opportunity to ask Karen about her firsthand thoughts on sports washing and how Qatar handles some of the criticism it faces was amazing and offered a relevant perspective on this topic which will help me with my term paper.

On another note, going to Lille on two separate occasions to watch the best basketball players in the world assemble for Team USA in hopes to win another gold medal was one of the best experiences of my life. Being able to watch a team with LeBron, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant among several other legends go out there and play the game I love was so incredible. The best part of this experience was seeing people from all around the world come together to celebrate the game of basketball. Fans from all over were wearing a wide array of NBA jerseys and it was amazing watching the game with everyone. Being here in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games has been such an amazing experience and I am so grateful to be here.

My trip to Paris had a few obstacles along the way which included some delays to the United flight I was on, but in the end, I made it here and have been having a great time thus far. At first glance, Paris struck me as a very diverse and beautiful place to live and I am a big fan of the City of Light. Being here during the Olympics is a dream come true and the experience has been wonderful to say the least. Getting to visit the Arc de Triomphe was something I have always wanted to do ever since I was a little kid, and I really enjoyed seeing it for myself the other day.

My first day volunteering at the Team USA House was also a great experience and I was lucky enough to work as a Brand Activation Ambassador tasked with guarding and watching over the Olympic Torch. Part of my role also involved taking photos of guests with the torch. In this role, I had the opportunity to interact with guests and talk with them about Team USA. I was able to hear their thoughts about the Olympics so far and they explained to me how excited they are to be in Paris. Most guests had a lot of positive things to say about the Paris Olympic Games and they expressed how they were amazed by the Palais Brongniart. I could sense the excitement of USA fans in the Team USA House, and it was a very rewarding feeling being able to have conversations with fans about their time in Paris and how much they are loving it here. It was nice being able to listen to various Olympians talk as guest speakers during my shift at the Team USA House today. Also, it was very awesome working alongside American rower and former Olympian Karen McCloskey. She is a class act, and it was nice speaking with her and learning from her during my shift.

I have been extremely impressed how the city of Paris has handled the Olympics so far and I can sense the amount of work that went into this monumental event. I am super excited to make my way over to Lille this Wednesday 7/31 to watch Team USA Basketball take on South Sudan and I am hoping to see Team USA Basketball win their second consecutive game!

Fewer than five days remain until the 2024 Paris Olympics commence, and I could not be more excited to visit Paris and experience all it has to offer! I am looking forward to this whole experience, and I am extremely proud to be representing GWU while volunteering with Team USA. As someone who aspires to work in the sports industry, I believe this will be a great opportunity to learn and grow as I approach graduation this Fall from the MS in Sport Management program at GWU.

Ever since I can remember, I have been extremely fascinated by sports’ innate ability to bring people together, and the Olympics is a prime example of this in action. I can’t wait to look back on this experience and share with everyone how awesome this will be. This will not be my first time attending or volunteering at a global sporting event, and I am hoping it won’t be my last. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar, I had the opportunity to join Dr. Lisa Neirotti and fellow GWU students as FIFA volunteers. While in Qatar, I was a Spectator Services volunteer, and I had the opportunity to guide and help assist fans during matches. This was a super memorable trip which exposed me to people from all around the globe, and I am extremely grateful to have experienced this.

While in Paris, I am looking forward to meeting with various guest speakers who work in the sports industry and hearing about what they do and how they became involved in the Olympic Movement. However, I am most excited to attend Team USA basketball games and witness one of the best teams on paper ever assembled play the game I love. The group-stage games will be held at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, which is 1.5 hours away from Paris by train, so I am looking forward to visiting other areas in France while abroad. As an avid fan of basketball and the global game that it is, I cannot wait to watch LeBron and others represent the USA vs South Sudan and USA vs Puerto Rico!

LeBron James and Kevin Durant at the gold medal match during the 2012 London Olympics