My May Day Experience

Guardians of Integrity: My May Day Diary as a Doping Control Escort

During this year's May Day holiday, I chose to stay in Nanchang to embark on an extraordinary journey as a doping control escort at the National Canoeing Championships held at Yaohu Lake. What began as a simple volunteer commitment unfolded into a poetic odyssey where competitive spirit danced with human warmth, transforming my holiday into a tapestry of unforgettable moments.

When I first arrived at Yaohu Lake, the morning sun fractured into countless golden shards upon the rippling water. In the distance, emerald mountain silhouettes mirrored on the lake’s surface, while nearby reed clusters swayed in the dawn breeze like brushstrokes in an ink-wash painting. Though nestled in the city’s outskirts with modest infrastructure, the lake’s raw beauty—untamed and unpolished—harmonized perfectly with the primal vitality of the athletes.

My badge labeled "Doping Control Escort" concealed the role’s quiet intensity. The crackle of the walkie-talkie would launch me into action: identifying target athletes the moment their canoes kissed the dock, delivering official notifications in calm professionalism, then shadowing them like a silent guardian. I still recall my first assignment—clutching the notification form behind the dock’s awning, watching steam rise from athletes fresh from competition. A sun-kissed female rower paused to dry her hands on a towel before accepting the document. "Thank you for safeguarding our sport’s integrity," she smiled, water droplets glinting on her lashes like liquid diamonds. In that moment, I glimpsed the purest essence of athletic honor.

Between duties, the volunteer lounge buzzed with camaraderie. We traded stories—the awards team grumbling about medal ribbons tangling in hairpins, the equipment crew boasting about adjusting footrests for world champions. But when the men’s doubles final commenced, the world stilled. Twenty canoes arrowed through the water, oars drumming in unison as dialect-shaded cheers erupted along the shore. Peering through the testing station window, I noticed athletes craning to check scores post-testing—a reminder that behind the rigor of protocols beat hearts pulsing with hope.

By closing ceremony, my notebook brimmed with observations: 17 testing procedures, 8 patterns of post-race emotions. As fireworks bloomed over Yaohu Lake, I realized a volunteer’s true glory lies not in witnessing victories, but in becoming the invisible thread weaving fairness into every athlete’s dream.