olympic games organizing committees: what are they and how do they work?

Milena M. Parent, Ph.D.Associate Professor

School of Human Kinetics, uOttawaNorwegian School of Sport Sciences

Colby-Sawyer College, March 26, 2012

Olympic Games Organizing Committees: What are They and

How Do They Work?

M. M. Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 2012-03-26

Overview

• The world of sports event• Games timeline and lifecycle• The organizing committee (OC)

– Issues & strategies– Stakeholders– Knowledge management and transfer

• My experience at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games• How my experience is informing my research• Summary

Sports EventsSport events can come in many forms (Getz, 2005):

• Regularly scheduled, as in tied to league play (professional or amateur), plus championships• One-time exhibitions or invitationals• Sport “festivals”

– They place an emphasis on celebration• Multi-sport events

– They package different sports together (e.g., Olympic Games; Masters Games)

• Sports events can be spectator, participant, and/or media oriented


(Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

Major Sports Events Typology

Special Events(Planned)

Minor Sports Events

(Local/community level with

relatively low attendance or

media attention)

Festivals(Community-

based)

Major Sports Events

(High attendance, media attention)

Hallmark Events

(Recurring; tied to a place)

Large-Scale Sports Events

(One-off or recurring)

Mega Sports Events(One-off)

Major Games Organizations

(e.g., IPC)

(Single) Sport Federations(e.g., FIFA)

Other Sport Associations &

Assemblies(e.g., WADA,)

Other Associations, Assemblies &

Orgs. (e.g., UN)

Int’l / Cont’l

Major Games / Championships OCs (e.g., LOCOG)

Nat’l Games Organizations(e.g., USOC)

Nat’l Sport Organizations(e.g., USSF)

Multi-Sport Service Org.

(e.g., USADA )

Gov’t Sport Dept’s

(e.g., Sport Canada)

National

State / Local

National Games / Championships OCs(e.g., US Figure Skating Championships)

Sport Organizations

and Clubs

Schools, Colleges,

Universities

Multi-Sport Service

Organizations

Government Sport

Departments

Games / Championships OCs

Sponsors, Media, G

eneral Public The World of Sports Events & OC

(Adapted from Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

M Parent, Colby-Sawyer College, 20120326

Olympic Games Organizing Committee (OCOG) Timeline

Bid

Planning

Implementation

Wrap-Up

1-3 years 3 years 3 years 6-12 months

Time

Transition

6-8months

Theoretical Olympic Timeline

(Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

OC Lifecycle (Parent, 2008)

• Planning Mode– Bid– Business plan– Operational plan– Divisional plans, work packages

• Implementation Mode– Venuization– Games-time

• Wrap-up Mode– Reports, evaluations, closing the books– Managing the legacies


(Parent, 2008; 2010)

OC Issues and Strategies over Time

Mode Main issues Main strategies Decision-making factor

Planning Politics, organizing, financial, visibility, relationships, human resources, operations, infrastructure, interdependence

-Use of experts-Communication-Proactive

Context & resources

Implemen-tation

Interdependence, sport, operations, human resources, participation, infrastructure, media, politics

-Coordination-Communication-Reactive

Resources and (lack of) time

Wrap-Up Legacy, operations, human resources

-Proactive Resources

OCOG Stakeholders

OCBoard of Directors

Governments

OrganizingCommittee

Community

SportsOrganizations

Delegations

MediaSponsors

Volunteers

Staff

NationalState

Municipal

Int’l

Cont’l

Nat’l

Reg’l

RadioTV

PrintInternet

Residents & Local

businesses

Groups &Schools

Activists

SupportStaff

Athletes

Nat’l

Int’l

OthersEvents

INGOs

ProLeagues

Consultants

(Adapted from Parent & Smith-Swan, forthcoming)

Stakeholder Sub-Group Network

Density: 0.193

Olympic Knowledge Management & Transfer Process

InformationCreation

InformationRetention, Knowledge

Use & Application

Knowledge Transfer

External

Internal

Knowledge Tools & Storage

Knowledge Tools & Storage

Knowledge Management System Knowledge Transfer

KnowledgeNeed



MY EXPERIENCE2010 Olympic Winter Games


The 2010 Olympic Winter Games: The Numbers

• 17 days of competition• 15 sport disciplines• 9 competition venues, 3 Olympic training facilities• 86 medal competitions• 82 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs)

• 96,409 people accredited for the Games, including:– 6,500 athletes and team officials (2,632 registered

athletes)– 50,000 workforce members– 10,800 media representatives

(Source: VANOC, 2010)


• 3.5 billion worldwide television viewers

• 50,000 hours of total broadcast hours of the Games across all media platforms around the world, including 6,000 hours of coverage worldwide on mobile platforms

• More than 3.3 million pairs of Vancouver 2010 Red Mittens sold

(Source: VANOC, 2010)

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games: The Numbers


My Role(s)

• 4-month secondment with the International Client Services (ICS) function in VANOC

• Doing research


My Role(s): Manager of Protocol and Language Services

• Hosting national/international dignitaries, TOP sponsors, heads of international federations– Lounge & seating area

• Providing interpretation services for the venue– Media (interviews, mixed zone, press

conferences)– Medical, anti-doping process– Any other function needing assistance (e.g.,

event services, security)


My Role(s)

• Managed 13 volunteers at my own venue (UBC Thunderbird Arena)

• Managed Zone 6 access, lounge, and seating• Liaised with all other functions of venue

My Role(s)

• Represented the ICS function and presented on its behalf at the IOC’s venue press managers’ workshop

• Responsible for creating ICS daily reporting system to build the knowledge management and transfer process for the function


My Role(s)

• In charge of the US delegation (Vice-President Biden and Secretary of State for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano) for the opening and closing ceremonies


My Role(s)

• Assisted/replaced my colleagues at other venues: Main Press Centre & Canada Hockey Place


Benefits of Secondment to my Research

• Network of contacts

• Deeper appreciation of stakeholder interactions and centrality of key stakeholder groups (e.g., media)

• Importance of knowledge management, transfer, learning

• Impact of national, local, and organizational culture on sport event management


Benefits of Secondment to my Research

• Other under-examined areas and the interconnectedness of functions– Function examples: venue management, sport, sport

production, security, transportation and protocol– Change is the only constant!– Reflections on

• The true impact of “weak” links in the organization• The need for flexible, adaptable people (role flexibility)

• In other words: appreciation of the complexity of organizing events and all the areas that need to be studied!


Summary

• Major sports events have a complex network in which they work

• Planning, implementing and wrapping-up an Olympic Games takes about 10 years

• Multiple issues to deal with, which vary in importance over time

• Knowledge management and transfer system is an important aspect of an OCOG’s activities

• Working for a major sports events opens doors and offers avenues for potential research


THANK YOU! QUESTIONS?

Email: [email protected]


References

• Getz, D. (2005). Event management & event tourism (2nd ed.). Elmsford, NY: Cognizant Communication Corp.

• Parent, M. M. (2008). Evolution and Issue Patterns for Major-Sport-Event Organizing Committees and Their Stakeholders. Journal of Sport Management, 22(2), 135-164.

• Parent, M. M. (2010). Decision making in major sport events over time: Parameters, drivers, and strategies. Journal of Sport Management, 24(3), 291-318.

• Parent, M. M., & Smith-Swan, S. (forthcoming). Managing Major Sports Events: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge.

• The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (2010, February 28). The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games: By the numbers Retrieved November 15, 2010, from http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/the-vancouver-2010-olympic-winter-games-by-the-numbers_297556Ko.html

olympic games organizing committees: what are they and how do they work?

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