Saturday was set to be a day of relaxing and chilling out after a jam-packed first week of the session. After working so hard every day so far, the students had certainly earned a day off from classes!

The morning was entirely free for the students and they spread out across campus and the city playing sports, doing homework, or hunting for the best souvenir.

The ORA Olympics had been scheduled for the afternoon and even though some of the other cohorts were put off by the turn the weather had made, Balliol certainly weren’t! Nothing was going to stop our cohort from turning up and winning as many races as possible.

From the traditional running races to more unusual, British competitions like the Egg and Spoon race and the Wellie Tossing, our cohort really gave their all in the Olympics. Though the competition was fierce, what really made the afternoon special was seeing our students all supporting each other so relentlessly and so ready to laugh off a defeat. It really was a wonderful day of sportsmanship and friendship for both cohorts.

Although Queen’s won the day overall, our female athletes completely ran away with the first place spots in the running races. The cohorts parted on good terms with promises to see each other again today at the Great Debate where Balliol would have a chance to even the score!

Unsurprisingly after such an active day, most of our students spent the evening inside, working on homework or settling down to watch a film. By the time curfew rolled around, their beds were a welcome sight for our tired students!