Sydney Olympic Park and Blue Mountains Hike

Today we visited the Sydney Olympic Park, where the 2000 Summer Games were held.  We walked amongst many totems with the names of every Olympic volunteer inscribed.  The volunteer masses were a significant part of hosting the Olympics.  We learned about Cathy Freeman, an Aboriginal who ran the last leg of the Olympic torch relay across the country, lit the final cauldron, and won the gold for Australia in the 400 meter sprint.  I always enjoy watching the Olympics, and I can almost feel the pride all of Australia felt when Cathy Freeman won the gold medal. 

The Spectrum water feature at Sydney Olympic Park. 

The Olympic precinct was carefully planned in order to be environmentally friendly.  For example, the Olympic Village was built for the athletes and their families during the weeks of the games, but after the Olympics, the housing was bought and it has become an environmentally friendly suburb.  In another example, even the rainwater on the roofs of the buildings and arenas is collected and recycled.   I was quite impressed with the logistics that went into the planning and preparing to make both the Olympics run smoothly and the entire facilities to be utilized far into the future. 

The Olympic Park is still used in many ways today.   Shelly mentioned that the Atlanta, Georgia Olympic Park sits quiet after their Games were done.  However, many events are still held throughout the Sydney complex annually.  This has a positive impact upon the tourism sector of Sydney’s economy because of the many visitors that come to Sydney to attend the events at Olympic Park.  In Tourism Australia’s 2010 – 2013 Corporate Plan, one of Tourism Australia’s (government agency responsible for making Australia a travel destination) key priorities is to ensure that potential visitors will view the country as a place where they can be changed by Australia’s land and people.  Sporting events are important to the people of Sydney, and visitors will be made aware of this and influenced by this when they visit the Olympic Park. 

Throughout all of the Olympic Games, Australia showcased itself as a country.  In Jill Haynes’ article about the economic impact of the Games, she said that once tourists arrive in Sydney to visit the Park, they also travel throughout other states of the country.  This not only enhances Sydney’s economy, but also the rest of Australia.  Because of the Games, approximately 1.6 million international visitors where expected to visit during 1997 and 2004.  Referring to Globalization 1.0 (see previous blog), Australia showcased itself as a global player in the economy because of the success of the Games.  In my opinion, Australia is often marginalized and forgotten about, but the world was reminded of its importance and power after the conclusion of the 2000 Olympic Games. 

First glimpses of the Blue Mountains.