In my last post, I complained about the food at these Olympic Games. Nowhere was the food more problematic than at the Copper Box. After walking a great deal around the arena, the only food options I could find were pretzels, calzones, and muffins. I grudgingly went with the calzone, and only at the end did I see a stand that had sandwiches and sushi.
The Copper Box was also the first venue where my problems with CoSport affected my ability to enjoy the game. As I noted in my first post, CoSport is the only Olympic Authorized Ticket Reseller permitted to sell in the United States. For the three of the four events that I used them, our seats weren’t together. For team handball, our seats were actually two sections apart.
The night before the team handball match, I finally got an e-mail from CoSport telling me that I could go to their office in Paddington, and they look into reseating me. They also said I should budget two hours to wait in their offices. I figured that it wasn’t worth it, hoping that my guest and I would just find two open seats together.
It seemed to work out until late in the first half, when a group of about 10 people wearing Cadbury polo shirts forced us to move. They also forced a separate group of Hungarians to sit near the small contingent of Croatian fans, which they did not want to do. I wound up watching the rest of the game two sections away from my guest. We opted not to stay for the second game between Great Britain and Argentina, and as we exited the building, our tickets were scanned so that individuals in that long line outside could take our seats.
As much fun as team handball was, it became clear to me why the sport hasn’t taken hold in the United States. While it’s an exciting sport, there’s a large semi-circle extending 6 meters (almost 20 feet) out from the goal box. Only the goalie is allowed in this area, and it really restricts the athleticism of the shooters. While in basketball players can drive to the basket, in team handball the sport devolves into a perimeter passing game. I don’t think that would be quite as entertaining on a regular basis.
Later that day I went to the USA House, which I was able to snag an invitation to through a special connection. If there’s one thing that our country does right, it’s hospitality. The USA House was extremely comfortable, offering the rare feeling of London air conditioning. Dozens of large screen TVs were visible in the cushy lounge area, and an all-day buffet offered an assortment of healthy quality food. I was proud to be an American. Most of the USOC officials and Olympic family members hanging out in the USA House seemed quite happy too.
