London Calling

13 days. Less than two weeks to go until the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. I've been fortunate enough to experience Olympic Games of varying sizes. But this one should take the cake, or biscuit, or whatever they eat in England. The Games will mark my return to London after I spent a semester abroad there in Spring 2008. It will mark the culmination of two years of covering canoe/kayak for the U.S., after reporting on dozens of events from my couch and one from the actual venue. It will be the first time I meet five of the seven 2012 Olympic paddlers, whose names I've written about a thousand times.

I'll be staying in a dorm room at the University of East London campus in the Docklands. The industrial area of town adjacent to the Canary Wharf business district has been transformed into an Olympic wonderland for the Games. But I won't be spending much time there. Each morning I'll make the long commute to the faraway canoe/kayak venues. The first week is whitewater slalom racing at the brand new Lee Valley Whitewater Center in Broxbourne, just north of London. After that is flatwater sprint racing at the historic Eton Dorney venue near Windsor Castle, just west of London. I'm hoping to have one day off in between the two events, so that I may experience some other Olympic sports. I'm thinking tennis at Wimbledon or beach volleyball near Buckingham Palace or table tennis.

What sport do you think I should try to see on my day off?

Click HERE to read a feature on 2012 U.S. Olympic sprint team coach Stein Jorgensen.

Follow my adventure on Twitter @nickolivier and @usacanoekayak.