Games delivery in the spotlight
An important part of the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 for the Olympic Games is Games Management 2020, which comes out of Recommendation 12. This project looks at the actual delivery of the Games, and is being worked on by a steering committee led by IOC Vice-President John Coates and composed of representatives of International Federations, National Olympic Committees and athletes. Games Management 2020 will look at three areas: offering better support to cities to deliver the Games, reducing Games-related costs, and enhancing Games governance.
Under offering better support to cities to deliver the Games, the IOC will look to help streamline the organisational planning cycle, which, according to Christophe Dubi, the IOC’s Olympic Games Executive Director, will mean that, for example, some organisational tasks will be pushed back to four years out from the Games, thus reducing workforce costs. There will also be reinforced assistance from the IOC to Games organisers and better use of the technical expertise of International Federations and National Olympic Committees. The IOC will also, in specific areas of Games organisation, look to provide Games organisers with “turnkey solutions” – ready-made solutions for Games activities that reduce complexity and cost for organisers.
For Games-related costs, the focus will be on reviewing venue requirements and capacities, and maximising sharing opportunities. It will also mean reducing the venue rental periods and looking to adapt service levels to actual needs and use. Some of this work is being undertaken based on data collected in Sochi and Rio, which is allowing the IOC to better understand actual Games needs.
Finally, enhancing Games governance will be based on creating stronger models of collaboration between the IOC, stakeholders and each Organising Committee from the very start of the project. A whole range of measures linked to these three themes will be presented to the IOC Executive Board this December, before being presented to the IOC Session in PyeongChang next February. A phased implementation will follow, with some current Games hosts already able to take advantage of the outcomes.