Whittington Health staff and the Olympic Games
Wendy Martinson OBE - Joint Head of Nutrition and Dietetics
It was a privilege for me to be appointed by the British Olympic Association to work as a sports dietitian during the London 2012 Olympic Games to support both rowing and canoe sprint.
The team was based out at Eton Dorney in the Oakley Court Hotel and I lived there with the teams for three weeks supporting the athletes and working with the head chef to design menus that were optimal for performance.
I have worked with the Great Britain rowing team for seven years and over the last few years nutrition strategies had been practised and fine tuned so that the athletes were well prepared for the Games. Their hard work and dedication paid off and the end result was a fantastic haul of nine medals including four gold medals, two silver medals and three bronze medals for the rowing team. The canoe sprint team also had a fantastic Olympic Games winning one gold medal and one bronze medal.
It was an emotional few days watching the team perform to the largest crowds I have ever heard or seen. I feel proud to have been involved in a home Games that saw Team GB perform outstandingly well finishing third in the medal table.
The team was based out at Eton Dorney in the Oakley Court Hotel and I lived there with the teams for three weeks supporting the athletes and working with the head chef to design menus that were optimal for performance.
I have worked with the Great Britain rowing team for seven years and over the last few years nutrition strategies had been practised and fine tuned so that the athletes were well prepared for the Games. Their hard work and dedication paid off and the end result was a fantastic haul of nine medals including four gold medals, two silver medals and three bronze medals for the rowing team. The canoe sprint team also had a fantastic Olympic Games winning one gold medal and one bronze medal.
It was an emotional few days watching the team perform to the largest crowds I have ever heard or seen. I feel proud to have been involved in a home Games that saw Team GB perform outstandingly well finishing third in the medal table.
Kyri Shiamtanis - Joint Head of Nutrition and Dietetics
My whole journey as a volunteer Games Maker started two years ago with over 240,000 other applicants. A total of 100,000 of us were selected for interview and finally 70,000 were appointed. We were asked to attend three training days prior to the games so we were clear of our duties and well versed in security and health and safety procedures.
I was lucky enough to be based in the Olympic park and my role was to welcome, guide and support the spectators. I attended a briefing each day so I knew exactly what events were going on and which area of the park I would be working in. Although I didn’t get to see many events I feel fortunate to have met many athletes from all over the world including some of our outstanding athletes from Team GB.
I feel honoured to have been selected from so many applicants and to have had the opportunity to have worked with many fantastic people including the armed forces, the police and other Games Makers.
I was lucky enough to be based in the Olympic park and my role was to welcome, guide and support the spectators. I attended a briefing each day so I knew exactly what events were going on and which area of the park I would be working in. Although I didn’t get to see many events I feel fortunate to have met many athletes from all over the world including some of our outstanding athletes from Team GB.
I feel honoured to have been selected from so many applicants and to have had the opportunity to have worked with many fantastic people including the armed forces, the police and other Games Makers.
We would love to hear from all Whittington Health staff who have done their bit to help the Olympic and Paralympic Games be a success. If you have made a contribution and would like to be recognised on this page, please email communications.whitthealth@nhs.net explaining your London 2012 experience.
Michael Nwosu - Payroll Team Leader
I worked at the Olympic Park for the duration of the Games, and was based at The Copper Box, The River Bank Arena and The Basketball Arena. During my time there I was privileged to witness two sports that I had never watched before, namely handball and hockey. I was amazed at the high level of skill and excitement that both games produced.
I was also lucky enough to witness Team GB’s men and women compete at hockey and I was blown away by the atmosphere and support they were given by the fans. Finally, I was able to witness three finals and three medal ceremonies, one of which included a bronze for Team GB’s women's hockey team.
This was truly a once in a life time experience that puts into perspective how big and diverse the world we live in actually is. Interacting with a myriad of fans from all over the world and watching them all support the Olympians from their respective countries was awe inspiring, as was the scale of the Olympic Park and all of the work that would have been done to get London ready for the 2012 Olympics.
No matter what country people were from or who they were supporting they sat side by side, spoke together, ate together and had an overwhelming respect for each other's cultures and the Olympians competing.
For me, the Games illustrated the power of sport as the greatest medium for uniting people from all walks of life and from all nations.
I was also lucky enough to witness Team GB’s men and women compete at hockey and I was blown away by the atmosphere and support they were given by the fans. Finally, I was able to witness three finals and three medal ceremonies, one of which included a bronze for Team GB’s women's hockey team.
This was truly a once in a life time experience that puts into perspective how big and diverse the world we live in actually is. Interacting with a myriad of fans from all over the world and watching them all support the Olympians from their respective countries was awe inspiring, as was the scale of the Olympic Park and all of the work that would have been done to get London ready for the 2012 Olympics.
No matter what country people were from or who they were supporting they sat side by side, spoke together, ate together and had an overwhelming respect for each other's cultures and the Olympians competing.
For me, the Games illustrated the power of sport as the greatest medium for uniting people from all walks of life and from all nations.
Elizabeth Thomas - Cognitive Behaviour Therapist
Elizabeth Thomas, Cognitive Behaviour Therapist for Whittington Health, played her part to make the Games a success by being a Games Maker based at the Olympic Park. Elizabeth was part of the events services team, and was fortunate enough to work in the Olympic Stadium during the Games. Her role was to help people get around the Park by answering people’s questions, giving directions and generally ensuring that the thousands of visitors were looked after.
As we are all aware, the atmosphere during the Olympics was electric, partly due to the fantastic achievements of Team GB. Elizabeth was fortunate enough to experience this first hand saying; “It was all incredibly exciting, it was wonderful to be a part of this amazing sporting event.”
In order to be at the Park early enough for the morning shifts, Elizabeth was getting up at 4am, however the early starts were more than worth it for the memories that she has collected this summer. Elizabeth recalls, “I saw Mo Farah running in his 10,000 meter heats, and we all know how well he went on to do. I was also lucky enough to be working in the stadium when Jessica Ennis was going through her heats in the Heptathlon, so I was really lucky this summer.”
Mr Panos Thomas - Orthopaedic surgeon
Mr Panos Thomas, an Orthpaedic surgeon from Whittington Health was selected as one of six specialists to be involved in the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympics Games. As a member of the London Deanery Training Committee, Mr Thomas was invited as a specialist for the games by the Medical Organising Committee for the Olympics and was involved in the initial planning to assist with the Sports and Exercise Medicine Speciality design.
Mr Thomas volunteered his time and skill base at the games and was on-call for certain days, and if an athlete needed to be treated by him, they were taken to the Olympic village polyclinic and other venues. In the case the patient required surgical management; they would have been transferred to the Whittington Hospital for appropriate treatment and care.
Mr Panos Thomas said ‘I feel honoured to have been invited to contribute and even more so to carry the 'Whittington flag' to the games!’
As well as having one of our surgeons involved in the Olympics, the Whittington Hospital is one of the few sites across London and the country who are training specialty registrars for sport and exercise medicine. The Whittington is one of the first hospital sites approved to train sports doctors and has been doing so since 2008.
Dr Justin Yeoh, a current trainee in sport and exercise medicine, worked as a venue doctor during the Olympics and will also work throughout the Paralympics based at the Aquatic Centre.
Have you played your part in London 2012?
If you are a part of Whittington Health and have been involoved in the Olympic or Paralympic Games this summer, why not share your experiences and photos of these historic sporting events?
Please email the communications team at communications.whitthealth@nhs.net who will be delighted to add your story to this catalogue of achievement.
Last updated29 Aug 2012