ABU DHABI // A Canadian couple selected as Olympic volunteers after a two-year application process said their time in Rio has been memorable.
Abu Dhabi residents Susan Ward and Norman Labbe, both 59, were among the 10,000 non-Brazilians in the 50,000-strong volunteer contingent at the Games. After arriving in Rio de Janeiro, both were surprised not to see a significant security presence on the streets.
“Based on what we saw on TV footage we were expecting a huge security force to be in place, but that wasn’t the case,” said Mr Labbe.
To get to the Olympic venues, the couple had to walk and use public transportation but they said at no point did they feel unsafe.
“We have used all kinds of transport – train, bus, subway, light rail. Much of it is new but it all seems to be running smoothly,” said Ms Ward.
Their shortest journey was a 10-minute walk to Copacabana to watch the Olympic beach volleyball teams compete. There, they witnessed huge support for the Egyptian women’s team during their competition against the Germans.
Thanks to their experience in helping organise golf competitions in the UAE, the pair were part of the volunteer team to stage the tournament at the Olympic Golf Course on the outskirts of Rio – the first Olympic golf tournament in 112 years.
“We had to get up at 4.30am and take two metro lines, a bus and do a fair bit of walking to get there,” said Ms Ward.
The course was constructed for the Games in the Marapendi Natural Reserve.
“During our briefing we were made very aware about the animals, flora and fauna in the area and how to protect it,” said Ms Ward, who added there were demonstrators outside the course exit protesting the course’s existence.
As marshals, the couple’s main tasks included crowd control and ensuring the players could continue their game. This proved to be a challenge, with the culture of the game still new to many Brazilians.
“There was a lot of education of the fans,” said Mr Labbe.
“Some of the Brazilians were asking us, ‘Why are you asking us to be quiet? Normally in a sporting events we cheer like crazy’.”
Marshalling the tournament offered Mr Labbe an opportunity to reunite with his friend and Swedish pro golfer Henrik Stenson, whom he met in UAE more than 10 years ago during the first Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
Mr Labbe was able to congratulate the former Dubai resident, who won the silver medal.
Many of the top pro golfers withdrew from the competition because of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease that prompted travel warnings for Brazil. However, “due to the winds and the rains, there wasn’t one mosquito on that course”, said Ms Ward.
With the men’s competition wrapped up, Mr Labbe and Ms Ward devoted their time to the women’s edition of the tournament, which ended on Saturday.
Both said that despite the empty seats in some events and the protests, the Games’ legacy would be a positive one.
“We met so many Brazilians who travelled here at their own expense to volunteer,” said Mr Labbe. “They came here with belief this is for the good.”
tsubaihi@thenational.ae
