Volunteer
Dan Lucca,
Environmental Health and Safety

Dateline: Nagano, Japan

You’ve just arrived at Nagano train station after a high-speed ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train), and you’re ready to enter the exciting world of the Olympics. Upon leaving the train station, your first view is one of people everywhere.

The first words you’ll hear are "Any tickets for sale?" Believe it or not, people are looking for tickets to any event. You’ve just experienced your first, but certainly not your last, encounter with ticket scalpers. Caution definitely needs to be exercised, and if somebody becomes persistent, just continue walking. If you sell or lose your tickets, they cannot be replaced.

After this interruption, you’re now ready to enter Nagano and have some fun. But, you’re still being approached by even more people, people from all over the world. These people, mostly very friendly, are here in Nagano conducting business in many ways. Most are doing pin trading, but some are doing pickpocketing. Yes, pickpocketing.

Remember, at any major sporting event, pickpocketing becomes the number one criminal activity. A good rule of thumb is to stay with your group and be aware of your surroundings at all times.

After arriving at your destination, you depart the bus and again you see even more people. You can feel the excitement everywhere. Everyone around you is preparing for his or her journey. But yet, another delay. Before entering a sporting venue or the Sponsor Hospitality Village, NAOC Security requires you to go through their "tight" security measures. This process includes verifying your hospitality pass (if applicable), having a valid event ticket, and last but not least, having your bags examined and having you pass through "magnetometers."

The biggest obstacle you could face is not being allowed access to the venue to watch the event, and participate in the excitement of the Olympics. So, come prepared, but only bring what you really need. For example, did you know that you cannot bring cans and bottles into any venue?

So, let’s recap: whether it’s at the train station, an event, or the Sponsor Hospitality Village, you need that constant state of readiness and must be aware of your surroundings. You need to always be prepared for the unknown. The bottom line is that you’re in a foreign country with people from all over the world, attending the world’s premier sporting event – "The XVIII Winter Olympics".