Talking Heads

I was at the Atlanta Games and went to a couple of events at the Salt Lake City Winter Games as my brother works with the US ski team.

But nothing compares with the opening ceremony that I saw here on August 8. I've had so many emails from family and friends in the US who had watched it on television and knew I was at the 'Bird's Nest' stadium. They were absolutely mesmerized by what they had seen and along with 91,000 others, I feel so lucky to have been there.

The Olympic Games in China are clearly history in the making. As for the Games, I'm finding watching some of the sports with which I am less familiar are pretty exciting. Take beach volleyball for instance-the stadium was intimate in size which made the sheer athleticism of the players that much more dramatic. Whereas I was simply a guest at previous Games, I've obviously come here this time with a more critical business eye to see how we are putting our experience from previous Games to good use. I'm thrilled to see how our Chinese management team is projecting the Visa brand through striking images on ATMs, information kiosks, billboards and buses around the city.