The opening ceremony is yet to happen, but the action is already underway at the first ever European Games in Baku.
The women's water polo team flew the flag for Team GB on day one in the Azerbaijani capital but it was not a dream start for the side as they succumbed to a 20-2 loss to European champions Greece.
Sports Mole sat down with captain Izzy Dean and team coach Nick Buller afterwards to discuss the defeat and what's next in their prelim campaign.
How do you feel after that?
Dean: "I thought it went pretty well, considering that Greece were the reigning European champions. It was a really tough game. We created lots of opportunities and we didn't follow them through this time, but I think we can work on that and take a lot of confidence from that performance."
Buller: "It was a really tough game. We expected it to be tough, they're the defending champions at the Under-17 level. This is typical of the type of scores we've had in the past against Greece. So always disappointing to lose but I'm proud of the way the girls kept going against a very tough team."
So you were expecting to lose today?
Buller: "Yep. The Under-19s at the same age group lost by 19 goals to Greece so we actually did one better than that. There's a huge difference in terms of facilities and the availability of pools for water polo between Greece and Great Britain."
And you have no funding anymore...
Buller: "We've got zero funding, it's been taken away from us. The girls have had to pay their own way through baking cakes."
© Getty Images
Izzy, your game ended early in the third quarter after you suffered three exclusions in quite a short space of time. What happened there?
Dean: "I think I just got unlucky and caught on the wrong side. I can look back and watch the videos on that and see what I need to do differently. That was quite annoying, so hopefully that will change in the next game."
Are you glad to have got the toughest game out of the way first?
Dean: "In some senses yeah, in other senses it might have been good to start on one where we could have been more competitive. But we are going to have more tough opposition with Hungary and Netherlands, and the other games as well. So I think it's just important to get started, get stuck in, and then we can build on each performance."
Up tomorrow is Germany. How are you feeling about that?
Buller: "They're a strong team, we've been training with them in the past. They're very strong compared to ourselves. But yeah, we'll go for it, we'll go for the win and we're looking forward to it."
Between now and then is the opening ceremony. Will you be going to that?
Buller: "Yes, the girls are going to the ceremony. It's a learning curve. They want to go, and I think it's important that they experience everything about the Games, so we felt as staff that it was important they had that opportunity. So yes, they will go to the ceremony."
And how are you finding Baku so far, Izzy?
Dean: "It's amazing. Just the fact that we can live in the Athletes' Village among Olympians! Then having access to the food hall all the time and having the space in our rooms - the rooms are amazing - and all the staff are so helpful as well. It's just great."
Neil Wilkes
