I've arrived in Baku and have checked into the Absheron hotel, which is where the athletes and coaches are staying. It's a nice hotel and has Internet access on the 1st floor & the 10th floor, so I should be able to post updates throughout the World Championships.
One thing that jumped out at me was the security at the hotel. There is at least one policeman standing in front monitoring who enters the hotel, two more in the lobby and four standing guard on our floor (and I assume all of the other floors are likewise secured). Sure lets me know that this isn't just any old wrestling tournament in town!
I've already seen Pete Isais and Doc Bennett, and Mitch Hull was at the airport to get us through Customs and on the bus to our hotel. Mitch is being run a little ragged right now as he works to make sure that everything is running smoothly for Team USA. He said that things will settle down for him considerably once the competition begins, but he's expecting this to be a night where he's lucky if he gets one hour of sleep.
The Greco Roman and freestyle athletes are already here (although I haven't seen them yet) and the Women will be arriving on the 18th.
