IOC Debriefing sees NOCs transfer knowledge on athlete experience
Responsible for ensuring a seamless athlete experience for their delegations at the Games, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) work in close cooperation with the Organising Committees. Their contribution during the IOC Debriefing of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is then key emphasises IOC Executive Board member and Secretary General of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), Gunilla Lindberg.
Overseeing all the logistics related to the athletes from uniforms, equipment, transport to accommodation at the Olympic Games is no mean feat. “It’s a really challenging job,” states Gunilla Lindberg, who has also served as Secretary General of the Swedish NOC since 1989. “The role of the NOCs is to work on preparations for the athlete experience for many years prior to the Olympic Games to ensure that when the athletes arrive, they have the optimum conditions.”
For the ANOC Secretary General, the debriefing is not about finding negative points, but more an occasion to learn “for the future, to improve preparations”. “We have some proposals for the future, which also include the IOC and the International Sports Federations, on various topics such as qualification systems and accreditation.”
Lindberg underlines, however, that the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games “worked very well”, and following the positive feedback from the Olympians this winter and their great sporting achievements, they have been described by IOC President Thomas Bach as “the athletes’ Games.”
“I think each host country should deliver Games according to their culture, and you should never copy,” concludes Lindberg who, as Chair of the PyeongChang 2018 Coordination Commission, is in a prime position to value the NOCs’ contributions to the next Olympic Winter Games. “You should take the experiences and the good advice, but you should also make the Games your own.”
Under the key messages of inspire, manage, engage, empower and deliver, the IOC Debriefing of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games successfully concluded this week in PyeongChang, Republic of Korea.
In total, over 360 representatives of future host cities heard invaluable advice about Games management best practices, as well as the real-life Sochi experiences of 65 top leaders of February’s highly successful edition of the Olympic Winter Games.
Learn more about the IOC Debriefing of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games