Boris Becker Wants You to Visit Britain

Boris Becker's resume includes many accolades: Olympic gold medalist (men's doubles tennis in Barcelona 1992), Olympian at Los Angeles, Seoul and Barcelona, Wimbledon champion (1985, 1986, 1989), and winner of the Australian Open (1991, 1996) and U.S. Open (1989).

Now a London-based businessman who set up house (one of many in several nations) a few blocks from Wimbledon, Becker now wants you to Visit Britain.

Today in London, Becker took part in a Visit Britain press conference announcing his role as an Ambassador for the organization charged with generating tourism. Becker joins Olympic boxing champion Lennox Lewis and golfer Colin Montgomerie as part of Visit Britain's "GREAT Britain, You're Invited" campaign.

With about 25 reporters in attendance, media viewed Becker's short campaign film then Becker took questions about his many connections to London and Great Britain. For instance, two of his children are in school here, he resides near Centre Court at Wimbledon, and his company and many business interests are in the city Becker describes as among the most cosmopolitan in the world. He also joked that he is one German who British love.

When I asked Becker to detail his many Olympic experiences, he answered describing Olympic tennis as a demonstration sport at the Los Angeles 1984 Games, and brief details about his part in the 1988 and 1992 German teams at Seoul and Barcelona, respectively. From a 1992 New York Times article I knew Becker resided in the Olympic Villages, and he shared details in the video response (the aforementioned article also talks about a very long men's tennis match played in Barcelona Olympic competition, much like today's lengthy men's singles semifinal match for London Olympic tennis players Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro (Federer won).


Becker also answered questions about his role in the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, stating he got the call and invitation to participate about three days ahead of its arrival in the London suburbs.

He said winning at Wimbledon on July 7, 1985, was like being born again or "a second birthday" and that winning the Olympic gold with his tennis nemesis-turned-doubles-partner Michael Stich was another life-changing experience.

"Carrying the torch was a near-life changing [experience]," said Becker.

The one glitch of the Visit Britain press event came from a German news outlet who posed questions about Becker's personal life and recent reports he was in default on property in Majorca (a question on the heels of a tourism trade reporter's inquiry about Becker's British holiday wish list for which Becker claimed not to be a beach person). Becker cringed but took the high road and politely moved on to answering other questions (though Becker apparently had a stern word or two for the German reporter immediately after the press conference). Schadenfreude!

Visit Britain has a lot of cool stuff going on so be sure to check out their site www.VisitBritain.org for some very cool stuff, including the Becker video.

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver, except the torch relay photo via LOCOG

Hitting the Olympic Wall

It happens every Games. Its nickname: The Wall

And it's a bummer! Lots of it going around, sadly.

"The Wall" of the Olympic world is, of course, sheer Games fatigue that sets in after one's second or third week of nights with fewer than four hours of sleep.

This is the antithesis of "Olympic Fever" when folks who are otherwise Olympic fanatics start to pick mundane activities such as laundry or household chores as "a welcome break" from Olympic activities.

What is sad is that, in a few weeks or months (or even years), looking back at the Games, many will kick themselves asking "why was I worried about laundry when I could have been at an Olympic event?!"

For the first-timers enjoying their premiere Olympics, a.k.a rookies, "The Wall" during Vancouver (and past Games) started to show up in conversations around February 17-18.

Sophomore class Wall conversations in VanCity started popping up on February 20-21.

Senior class wall (for those at their third, fourth or more Games) is dropping in right about now (Feb. 24). And tomorrow brings "the final stretch" to the Closing for everyone (for the brave veterans, could mean little or no sleep for 2-3 days to tap the Games for every last bit of fun).

It's a marathon, not a sprint. Bell lap comes around on Saturday.

Two "walls" for me this Games struck thus far ... first, I hit a brick wall when my laptop crashed last Friday, costing me about three hours of precious work. The second wall came yesterday, after about the third instance of slapping myself across the face to stay awake! I also sold a couple of tickets to figure skating on the street, and accidentally left my Feb. 24 speedskating ticket in the envelope handed to a complete stranger (a $200 mistake -- DOH!)

Fortunately last night I got a few more hours of rest. Today was OK. But the rain makes me tired. Can hardly believe this time next week I'll be back in Atlanta, and a week after that in Dallas and Oklahoma City!

Lots of very, very cool experiences have not yet been written for the blog. I hope there won't be another "wall" and to post the interviews with Carl Lewis, Kristi Yamaguchi, B.C. Premiere Gordon Campbell (press conference) and visits to hotspots including USA House, Visit Britain's media night, the B.C. to Sochi mayor's handover presser, speedskating, pin trading, condo dwelling and new friends made.

Here are a few activities that are highly recommended for the home stretch:

-- Check out the Swiss House on Granville Island.

-- Pop into the Panasonic pavilion at LiveCity Yaletown (both the pavilion and LiveCity are clients of Edelman, the P.R. firm where I work). Be certain to view the video of Sarah Brightman created just for the Vancouver Games.

-- Head over to False Creek for the very fun Saskatchewan House (a pleasant, very laid back pavilion that had some great home-province musicians and one of my favorite Olympic pins for the Games).

-- Find a way into Sochi House, the preview pavilion for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. I really hope to get there (the only "access denied" venue for yours truly at the Vancouver Games ... but I will get in!).

-- Walk around B.C. Place to view the Olympic-colored lights installed around the base of the inflated dome (a nice touch).

-- Count the Canada flags on the high rise apartment buildings. On one tower alone near Yaletown and the Marina, there are more than 30 Maple Leaf emblems on display.

-- Take the bus through East Vancouver to the Pacific Coliseum, and be sure to view the statue celebrating the two runners who completed the perfect mile in the same race.

-- Snap some photos of the Allstate U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame chalk artwork, visible from the corner windows of USA House (on Seymour across the street from Irish House).

Hoping to make it to one of the mountain events on Saturday. Tickets, anyone?

Thank you for reading the blog.