London fights the good fight

The world’s biggest event is changing sports for the better, but there are major operational challenges ahead. LOCOG’s Head of Sport spoke to Host City.

The Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games embraces more sports than any other event in the world. The 2012 edition will feature 26 different Olympic sports. Accommodating and managing such a diverse sports programme is a colossal challenge for the organising committee.

LOCOG’s Head of Sport Debbie Jevans spoke
exclusively to Host City at Excel

Rather than building countless new facilities to host all these events, London 2012 has set a new benchmark by placing greater emphasis on using existing facilities. One of the city’s ready assets, the 100-acre ExCeL Arena, is set to be transformed into one of the most important venues of the Games.

Host City was invited by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to visit ExCeL, just before the start of the public consultation about plans to convert the arena. During the Games this vast venue is expected to be bustling with around 40,000 visitors per day, but it was comparatively empty when a handful of the UK’s leading boxers accompanied former tennis champion and LOCOG’s Head of Sports Debbie Jevans to showcase the venue.

“Boxing has a fantastic tradition, not only as an Olympic sport but also in London, and one we’ve had great success at,” Jevans said.

The first equal Games
The sport has particular significance for London 2012, since the IOC ruled last year that women would be allowed to compete in the sport as well. This decision means that 2012 will be the first Olympic Games where men and women will compete in all sports. “It’s the first time that you’ve got equality between male athletes and female athletes, which is clearly a fantastic step,” said Jevans.

Olympic boxing hopeful Lesley Sackey said: “London 2012 is the perfect opportunity to showcase what female boxing is about. The fact that women’s boxing has been included as an event at the London 2012 Games has opened the door for amateur boxers – it’s absolutely massive.”

Not everyone agrees that this is good news. The inclusion of boxing in the Olympic programme – for either gender – has been called into question by the British Medical Association. Meanwhile, many people believe that women fighters are at a higher risk of injury. However, data from the International Boxing Federation (AIBA) over 15 years has shown that Olympic-style boxing is actually less risky for women than it is for men.

Jevans told Host City: “AIBA (the International Boxing Federation) has done an amazing job in looking at the safety of the athletes. There have been huge advances in the sport; it’s one that requires fitness, wonderful hand eye coordination and being fleet of foot. It’s just great to see these girls out here and I’m absolutely thrilled for them. And it’s great to have James DeGale here as a gold medallist supporting the Olympics and the sport.”

The multi-sports challenge
As well as boxing, ExCeL will be hosting fencing, judo, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling during the Olympics, as well as the Paralympic sports of boccia, judo, powerlifting, table tennis, volleyball and wheelchair fencing.

Host City asked Jevans about the logistical challenges of housing so many sports under one roof. “First of all we look at the competition schedule, because a lot revolves around that. For example, catering has to arrive when the spectators arrive, when the media arrive, when the athletes arrive. And then we will do a venue operational plan.

“The biggest challenge is the fact that you’ve got five arenas under one roof. You need to make sure that you schedule it so not all of the arenas are out of use at the same time. We will ensure that the schedule allows ease of access for spectators, while allowing us to do all the logistical operations.

“The Olympics is the biggest sporting event in the world so of course there are going to be challenges, but we welcome that.”

The search for a million items
Another challenge is procuring all the equipment required for all the sports required – not just for ExCeL but for all the venues. “We are procuring over a million pieces of sports kit, from major committee boats down to shuttlecocks.

We’ve started procurement of all the bigger things that we need. It’s a process that has begun already and will take place over the next couple of years. It’s a very fair process; everything goes out to tender on CompeteFor and it’s just a wonderful opportunity for business.”

Jevans singles out one particularly strong area of major demand. “We are looking at how we go about procuring things like surfaces for basketball courts, badminton courts, athletics tracks and training venues. We also need to have everything for the test events. It’s just bundles of stuff.”

Drugs: a loser’s game
During her former tenure at the International Tennis Federation, Jevans was responsible for the anti-doping programme. “To have drugs-free sport is absolutely paramount,” she said. “Working with the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency will ensure that we put in place the infrastructure that allows those tests to be carried out as they should be, but equally in such a way that doesn’t ruin the athletes’ day. You need to have the doping control stations in the right place.

“We will comply with the rules that the IOC puts in place. It lays down the rules; it determines the drugs that we will test for. Our role is to put in place the infrastructure to allow that testing to take place in an efficient and appropriate manner.”

Ultimately, it is all about the performers. “A key part of our operational planning is making sure that you have on-site care for the athletes, which includes medical facilities, physio rooms, changing rooms and an anti-doping suite,” Jevans told Host City. “The planning is progressing well.”