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Diabo News

13 jun. 2008
2008 Olympic Games

Diabo accreditated for the 2008 Olympic Games

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It took me months of asking, hoping, persuading and persistence, but I am going to Qingdao. Today on June 12, I have received the final confirmation. The NSP (Dutch Sports Press Agency) and NOC*NSF allow me a press accreditation, which means that I will be able to report on the 2008 Olympic sailing competition. How exciting is that.

Over the last five years, I closely followed the Dutch Olympic sailors with great enthusiasm. I went to the ISAF Sailing Worlds in Cadiz (ESP) and Cascais (POR), worked for the Dutch Tornado Team Zwitserleven Booth/Nieuwenhuis, was the Press Officer of the Open Dutch Championships for Olympic Classes and the Delta Lloyd Regatta (only Dutch Grade 1 event). I was very much disappointed to find out that I wasn’t going to the Olympics for Zeilen, since I did most of the reporting for this Dutch sailing magazine. They considered me as their ‘dinghy racing expert’, but they gave priority to their own editor. That is fair enough, but it frustrated me. It felt like missing the Medal Race.

ISAF List of Recommendation
In January 2008, I was contacted by ISAF. They added me to their list of recommendation for the job of ‘Sports Specialist’. I was among ten international sailing journalists, from whom the Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) had to make a selection. The Sports Specialists are supposed to report on the Olympic sailing competition from the five courses. It took a while before the BOCOG decided on how many persons they would select and it went down from five people to only two. Unfortunately, I wasn’t among them, but I consider it as a huge accomplishment that my name was on that list. Especially, because I am Dutch and not native English.

Trying again
While reporting on and competing in the 2008 Hobie Tiger Worlds in South-Africa, I received an e-mail from Zwitserleven. As title sponsor of the Dutch Tornado representatives Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis, they were interested in my services on location during the Olympics. I decided to give it another try. Although the NSP already refused my application for a press accreditation a long time ago, I contacted them again. They gave me hope, by saying there was a little chance. However, I had to be patient and that was a challenge. Meanwhile, I found out that I had missed the boat everywhere. The editor in chief of Nautique, another Dutch nautical magazine, told me he had given his accreditation to a lady who organized her own trip. The spokesperson of the Dutch federation made it even worse, by telling me about his phone calls to media in the country…he thought I already had an accreditation! I have learned my lesson; always talk about your ambitions and make clear what you are aiming for. The whole situation made me very eager and determined. If there was a little chance, it belonged certainly to me.

Well, this time I succeeded and I have booked my flight. I am going to China! I will take care of the daily press releases and photography for Team Zwitserleven Booth/Nieuwenhuis. It is as shame, but it is likely to be the last Olympics for the spectacular and fast Tornado class. As a real passionate multihull sailor, I consider it as a special experience to witness this historical last battle for Olympic Tornado gold. Let’s hope the ‘boys’ will bring this medal home. In addition, I will write exclusive articles and interviews for http://www.catsanddinghies.nl/. So to everybody who read Dutch, check this website and mark it as your favourite.

I’ll keep you updated!
 
 
 
Photo: Eric van Staten