The logistics of the 2012 summer sporting calendar involves many
specialists and experts away from the stadium who tackle complicated
logistics challenges to ensure the right people and right equipment get
to the correct locations.
In fact, it is the travel requirements
of athletes and their support teams that is one of the most important
elements of any competition schedule. Not only do the sporting
individuals have to make it to the training camp or competition venue,
but so must their valuable equipment, nutritionists, physiotherapists
and even food.
Managing the travel of one country’s Olympic team
athletes, support structure, sponsors and equipment for the London 2012
Games takes a team of over 30 people (which triples as the event
approaches), who have been working full time on the event since the host
city was announced by the IOC.
The 2012 Olympics might be just
around the corner, but we already have a team carrying out logistics and
site visits for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, the host city. Sports
events carry many considerations from finding accommodation that can
allow teams or athletes to bring their own food and chefs, to ensuring
high security protocols can be applied, for example, for international
football teams.
Major sporting events are also highly popular
opportunities for corporate entertainment, particularly from sponsors.
This means that as well as moving athletes safely and comfortably, the
travel, events and logistics activity must deliver first-class
experiences that bring together the values of a business with the sport
in question. The considerations are endless.
Considerations and requirements when planning, booking and making the travel logistics of a major sporting event work:
1. Up in the air
With international sporting events sometimes playing host to
hundreds of thousands of fans, media and corporate sponsors it takes a
true expert who can find the best possible seats at the best possible
price. As fans from all over the world converge on the host city in
question, finding a suitable flight for an entire sports team can often
prove a bit of a challenge and should be one of the first things taken
into consideration when planning. Top athletes require the best
treatment so for long haul flights, Business-class is nearly always a
must and that usually includes a team’s support staff of coaches,
assistants, medics and nutritionists. For short haul flights within
Europe, economy class is normally booked due to cost factors.
2. Would you like the window seat or the aisle?
Many athletes, particularly for sports like basketball, volleyball
or rugby are so big that they require special seating arrangements when
travelling. One of top rugby clubs we manage the travel for have a few
players who some might describe as “statuesque”. Some of these players
cannot physically sit next to each other in a standard economy seat so
it’s normal operating procedure to sit the large players next to the
smaller players. It’s our job to make sure the athletes in question
arrive at their destination refreshed and ready to compete.
3. What’s in your luggage
Luggage is often the most challenging aspect of moving professional
athletes to tournaments and events around the world. From dealing with
issues of shape (sports equipment, bikes, etc.) to volume (consider the
amount of kit the average football team requires – balls, medical
equipment, uniforms, physio equipment, etc.) to security risks (shooting
rifles, speed-skates, etc.) there is no one-size-fits-all approach to
transporting athletic luggage and organisers always need to be prepared
for the most obscure carry-on and baggage requests. To put it into
perspective, the average kit for a professional football team usually
comes in at around 2.5 tonnes. Due to sheer size, often the kit and
equipment travel separately in a special ‘kit van’ ahead of the team,
where possible. Going down this route provides a few advantages as often
you can fit more kit into a van or two compared to an aircraft hold.
And of course the savings on transportation costs can be a major factor.
4. Food glorious food
Nutrition is an essential part of day-to-day life for any athlete
and specialist food and supplements are often required at the hotel or
venue where they are staying. Due to fears of contamination many
athletes want to travel with their food and supplements, rather that it
arrive separately which raises challenges when working with the weight
restrictions for luggage across airlines. Each team will normally have a
standardised menu which the hotel chef will see and agree on prior to a
team’s arrival. Professional sports teams often travel with their own
chefs who will cook some of the food at the hotel but most of the time
will just oversee the operation and work alongside the hotel chefs. The
menu for a professional athlete’s diet commonly includes grilled foods
such as chicken, fish (never fried), salads, pastas, rice (high carbs),
fruit juices and smoothies.
5. Location, location, location
Whether it is the Radisson or The Ritz, finding the ‘right’ hotel in
the host city of an international sporting tournament is one of the
most important considerations when moving professional athletes.
Potential locations need to be evaluated in terms of whether the site
will allow for a good night’s sleep without a lot of distractions and
that the hotel is not in an area where there is absolutely nothing to
do. Care also needs to be taken to distance the team/athletes from rival
fans and press so as to allow the athletes to dedicate themselves
completely to the competition or event at hand.
6. If your name isn’t down…
Security for athletes and their equipment is very important, as is
the discretion of the hotel employees. Many teams travel with their own
security who will work hand-in-hand with the hotel or venues. In some
cases a destination might not be used to handling the accompanying press
and fans that this brings. For example, site visits for hotels for the
2012 European Championships in Poland and the Ukraine included adding in
how a security detail can work in a hotel that has never previously had
this consideration. Often officers from the local police force will
also travel with the team to ensure security and safety issues are
adhered to.
7. Last orders
Alcohol and athletes do not mix, and with some sports this is more
of a consideration that others. Some teams, or their sponsors, require
quite bold steps such as bars in a hotel to be closed, and mini bars to
be removed from rooms. Other sports teams simply want hotel staff to be
clearly briefed that alcohol is not to be served to anyone in their
group. At the team manager’s discretion, once the last match has been
played, the players and staff often relax in the hotel bar with a few
drinks to (depending on how they permed) celebrate or forget about
the tournament.
Any comments? Email conferencenews@mashmedia.net
