This week, our CRI correspondent Peter Koveos tells us about what it was like working in Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympics. If you have any questions about China, just Ask Pete!

What was it like working in China during the Olympics?

The Olympics were a blast. It was really interesting to see how the city reacted and everyone was excited. Some of the interesting things I remember seeing was seeing my coworkers jump up and down when China was doing well and me and some of my Canadian coworkers obviously kept tab of how Canada was doing. So just that, whether it be Americans or Brits or whoever, just everyone sort of enjoying it, that's one of the best things about the Olympics. It's for everybody, it's not just for the host nation or the nation that's doing well.

What was your work task during the Olympics?

Work was busy. I got off the plane August 2nd, started work August 4th, and basically I was on the air the next day, so the 5th. I was basically co-hosting a show. We had Olympic reports, we were updating scores, medals, everything and sometimes we played a song in between and if something was happening, we would cut right in and update the listeners about China winning another medal or that another world record was just broken. It was busy because we were the sort of hub of everything so we had reporters in Qingdao where the boat races were going on and we had some reports from Shanghai where some of the other events were going on. We coordinated a lot of stuff here and had to make sure everything was going on and that everything was up to date. There was one time I was actually able to report from the international broadcast center, which I really liked. It really gave me an opportunity to check everything out and see how things were being run. So that was kind of a cool thing.

Did everything function well technically?

I don't recall any problems. Sometimes, you know what it's like with a cell phone, there can be static, and maybe one or two times we had to call people back. But for the most part everything seemed to go okay and at times we would take the scene of the television team of CCTV, and we would go with what they were talking about when there was an event or something going on where there was a medal at stake. But technically, I don't recall any problems at all.

Were the workdays long?

The workdays were long. I left my house at 7:30 in the morning and sometimes I wouldn't get home until 7:30 at night. But it's understandable, I mean, this is the Olympics. You're not going to get another opportunity to do the Olympics in the country you live in. Some people will, but I don't see myself doing it unless I go back for 2010. So there's that option there. But it was fine, because there was adrenalin too, because there was something new every time and when we went home, we would all talk about what happened... We were looking forward to seeing the US play China in basketball... So there was always something to look forward to.

Had you ever been to a similar sports event before?

The closest thing... Nothing really compares to the Olympics, but back home in Vancouver we covered world junior hockey championships, there's PGA events, NHL playoffs. I also covered NBA, but nothing to the degree of the Olympics. […] And the world junior hockey championships would be a bigger deal to us than they would be to you... It's like religion back home – so it was a huge event.

What did you think of China's hosting the Games?

I think China did a really good job. I remember I came here when I was seven, (so) now there were little things like more subway lines available, which makes it a lot easier to get around, and they took a bunch of cars off the roads, so things like that made it easier to get around. So I thought in that instance they did a good job.

How was life in Beijing during the Games?

Life in Beijing was cool during the Games cause a lot times when you would go out, you would see athletes or diplomats, and that was what everyone talked about and that's what was on TV. It was an interesting time to be here. I remember one time we were doing a restaurant review of a French and Vietnamese restaurant and as we were there, someone from the French relay team that lost to Phelps came in with his silver medal. So, it was kind of cool and there were various instances of that throughout the Games, but that's one I remember because that was the race where Phelps and, I can't remember the name of the anchor, were behind by like a half length and he came and then they just won. So it was something that people were talking about and then this gentleman walks in with his medal..

How did the locals react to the Olympics?

The local people were ecstatic with the Olympics. I don't speak much Mandarin, but even the people that spoke a little English were mentioning the Olympics, just even around my complex they seemed to have Olympic hats or shirts or little flags. They were excited when the opening ceremonies were on – We went to a park and saw it on a big screen there and went to a couple of places. Everyone was so happy to see it and they were beaming with pride.

Could you name a personal highlight of working at the Games?

I guess just broadcasting from the IBC to see how everything that was going. And then I got tickets to the handball semi-finals, which was cool. I actually wished I had had more opportunities to see more events, but because I got here so late, most of the tickets were sold, and I was still jet-lagged and working so much, so... If I had got here a few weeks earlier, I would have been able to find a few more tickets. But that was sort of the highlight, and just hanging here with friends of mine, just watching most of the events. So, it was a cool time.

Did you watch the opening and closing ceremonies?

I actually saw the opening ceremonies, the closing ceremonies I didn't because I didn't have cable TV and it was the end of two weeks (of work) and I was exhausted, so I thought I can just relax. So I didn't see it, but I saw some highlights when I came to work the next day. I remember looking over to the left from my apartment, I saw a bunch of fireworks and I assumed that was the fireworks from the Bird's Nest. But I'm not as close to the Bird's Nest as I thought, so that was actually fireworks from the Tiananmen Square, they were having a little celebration. So, I just sat there in my apartment watching that and that was just cool and it put a smile on myself. (I thought) 'Hey, I can just hang here and watch this on my own. I don't necessarily need to watch it on TV.' Later, a friend of mine said 'actually, that wasn't the Bird's Nest, that was Tiananmen.' But it was still cool, and then I saw highlights of the closing ceremonies the next day, so it was a neat experience. For my first two weeks, that's all I experienced, just Olympics.

Are there any visible remains of the Games left in the city?

There's a lot of things still left from the Games. You see a lot of stores that still have the Fuwa, the five mascots, and various other Olympic key chains and stuff like that. There's a store in the mall right near where I live that sells only Olympic stuff. There's still quite a few things left. And now, because the Games are over, you can get them for a discounted price. I bought a few things for Christmas to send back home, so my nephew and niece and mom and dad got a few things. Even still at times on the subway you'll see some Olympic videos circulating.

Do you know about what the Olympic venues will be used for in the future?

As far as I know, there haven't had a lot of events at the Bird's Nest. I do know the Italian, I'm trying to remember the name, the series opening game will be at the Bird's Nest. The Water Cube they do want to open up so it's going to become sort of like a rec center where people in Beijing can go and actually use it to swim and stuff. But as far as the Bird's Nest, I don't think there's been much going on there. The only event that I'm aware of is the opening game of the Italian league, which is in August.

Is there anything else you would like to add about the Olympics?

No, it was just a good experience, I'm glad I did it. I thought I would have to wait till 2010 in Vancouver back home to experience an Olympics and obviously Summer Games is a much larger experience than the Winter Games because there's less events and stuff. But, I'm glad I came. I learned a lot, I learned about just even myself, you know, hosting a radio show, that I didn't get an opportunity to do back home. So, I picked up some skills I didn't have before. I'm just glad I came here for that time.

And what's your favorite sport?

My all-time favorite sport is not an Olympic event, it's football. Not soccer, not NFL, it's Canadian football, we have a similar league at home. I'm a huge CFL fan, I love NFL football, I love US college football, but that's not an Olympic sport. Hockey is a very close second. I'm also a huge basketball fan, and I love shooting hoops – so, many, many sports...

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