From Buenos Aires To Brisbane – Thomas Bach’s Olympic Journey Continues To Redefine The Games Agenda In Turbulent Times

The nomination of a new Olympic host city and election of an IOC president are among the biggest decisions in world sport and attract global interest and attention. Olympic Games advisor Michael Pirrie looks at the critical success factors behind Brisbane’s nomination as 2032 Games host city, and Thomas Bach’s reelection and legacy.

The art of calling an Olympic Games host city contest or presidential campaign can seem an inexact science on occasions; the outcomes can sometimes be cloaked in mystery and uncertainty – like picking the winning lottery numbers or interpreting the first wisps of white smoke signalling a new Pope. 

The cost of getting such selections wrong can be high – the Olympic Movement ultimately depends on choosing the right cities and presidents.

“Bach’s vision for reform was much more than a marketing strap line to get him through his premier pitch for president.”

The most recent choice of Brisbane as preferred host city for 2032 and re-election of Thomas Bach as IOC president will help to secure and stabilise the Olympic movement in the current era.  

BACH’S LEGACY 

Bach’s journey as president from Buenos Aires to Brisbane has been pivotal to the durability of the Olympic Movement in ways not imagined when he arrived in the Argentine capital for the first presidential election in 2013. 

Bach left the session as new leader with a powerful mandate and powerpoint presentation of his plan for the movement on a USB in his top pocket – the prototype of the forward looking, forward thinking Olympic master plan for the future: Agenda 2020.

Bach’s vision for reform was much more than a marketing strap line to get him through his premier pitch for president.

The plan has proven providential, sustaining the movement through enormous geopolitical, institutional, logistical and cultural challenges.

These have included high-risk detours for Games in Sochi and Rio when other cities were available and better prepared and positioned to host the global event.

The future and fortunes of the Olympic movement rely on the future of the Games and integrity its host city selection process. 

Bach’s legacy is already profound even before he officially starts his new term, based on Olympic host city selection decisions and arrangements put in place so far.

These will be further strengthened by Bach’s re-election and new Agenda 2020 plus probity, independence and accountability measures to help manage the Games in the constantly changing world of Covid-19.

Brisbane is an important part of this new agenda and approach, and the city’s confirmation as 2032 host will be one of the first priorities of Bach’s new term as president.

The Olympic movement needs an extended line up of quality cities to deliver successive Games. 

Brisbane’s likely selection for 2032 will build out the vital pipeline of host cities developed on Bach’s watch. This is paramount. 

OLYMPIIC SUPERPOWER

The Olympic Movement is the world’s sporting superpower. 

Like all superpowers, the movement inevitably, is in constant flux as the sprawling Olympic empire and its outposts attempt to respond and adapt to constantly changing international conditions.

Global and continental instability can dramatically deplete the pool of cities available and capable of delivering quality Games.

Brisbane 2032 builds on Bach’s historic joint 2017 announcement of Paris and Los Angeles as consecutive hosts for the 2024 and ‘28 summer Games.

With its promise of warm coastal city beach and surf conditions, Brisbane however is more than a continuation of sunny LA.

The Queensland capital is the first nominated host city of the Covid era.

Brisbane reflects the new politics and priorities of science, safety and stability influencing locations for major international events in wake of the pandemic.

The climate of change, uncertainty and fear that has engulfed the world and Olympic movement in wake of Covid and postponement of Tokyo was central to the broad base of support for Brisbane.

The IOC faced a make or break decision as the new year dawned with the next two Olympic cities in Tokyo and Beijing again in the grip of Covid.

Preparations for Games later in the decade in Paris and Los Angeles also were under challenge as Covid continued to ravage France and US.

This was creating deep uncertainty and anxiety within the movement over future prospects and options for the Games.

“As the 2032 city nomination approached, EB support coalesced around Brisbane as the city that could best provide some certainty and stability around sport and the virus.”

The IOC needed to determine where the Olympics belonged in a world of rapidly growing social, economic and political unrest.

This included growing international support for a boycott of next year’s Beijing winter Olympics amid mounting concerns over human rights violations; also initial notification of human-to-human transmission of Covid as the new virus began its global killing spree. 

COVID CIRCUIT BREAKER

Brisbane is an answer to that anxiety about where the Games belongs amid current global instability; it is a much needed circuit breaker. 

Olympic Games success depends on certainty, reliability and predictability in timing and implementation of planning. 

 The key challenge for the IOC Executive Board was to know which of the 2032 cities offered most stability for the global Olympic Games event in a decade of looming turbulence.

As the 2032 city nomination approached, EB support coalesced around Brisbane as the city that could best provide some certainty and stability around sport and the virus.

Support was also forming for Brisbane among key EB influencers such as IFs, NOCs and Olympic stakeholders and partners.

These included athletes and NBC, that Brisbane offered the safest and most secure environment for Olympic sport and a rich global broadcast and digital experience of the Games. 

Speaking at the recent Australian Open Grand Slam, tennis superstar, Rafael Nadal said: “The country is doing great with the pandemic. Australia is probably one of the best examples in the world with how they react to these very challenging times.”

Sweeping early border closures, lockdowns, extensive testing, contact tracing and quarantine flattened the curve and the virus in Australia.

This placed Brisbane in a position to plan and grow its economic recovery, profile and future through the Olympic Games as a project of national and international significance.

NEW GAMES ERA 

The message from Brisbane’s nomination is clear: the Olympic Movement and IOC are in a deep consolidation phase; a time for prudence and risk minimisation in the selection of host cities.

The era of expansion and experimentation that led to Rio and Sochi is over.

The migration of the Olympic Games further along the east coast of Australia to Brisbane is a journey towards safety and stability. 

Brisbane follows Olympic Games stop overs in Melbourne and Sydney in a nation with some of the worlds best domestic sports venues and support services located in the nearby former Olympic coastal cities.

“Australia also rests in geopolitically stable Oceania, distant from most volatile world regions that can threaten major international events.”

These will support Olympic training and qualifying for Brisbane and provide enormous redundancy as potential reserve venues if necessary.  

THE BRISBANE BUBBLE 

 Brisbane offers something unique to the Olympic movement: an Olympic oasis in a nation that has so far controlled the virus, and possesses a collection of world class venues, and a deep reservoir of proven sports events expertise and experience for  the Games.

Australia also rests in geopolitically stable Oceania, distant from most volatile world regions that can threaten major international events.

Brisbane and Australia currently offer the best chance to deliver an Olympic event as close and familiar as possible to the pre-pandemic Olympic Games experience.

FUTURE PROOFING THE GAMES 

Olympic organising committees are often cautioned that preparing for the Games over seven long years is more like a marathon than a sprint. 

From my OCOG experience, Games planning and delivery is actually more like a marathon sprint. 

The longer 11- year lead in for Brisbane provides a security buffer to help adapt to sudden threats in the countdown to 2032.

The expanded four-year timeline for Brisbane enables an emergency Plan B hybrid Games model to be developed in parallel with the master plan to cover a worst case scenario.

RISE OF SECOND CITIES  

With so much virus still circulating in the world’s super cities and sports capitals from London and New York to Moscow, Brisbane opens up a new tier of second or mid sized cities to follow in the footsteps of Barcelona’s spectacular success as a smaller Olympic city. 

 Brisbane’s regional Games model also will help to pave the way for Budapest and Doha and other smaller cities as alternatives to traditional major cities in globally troubled times

Brisbane’s nomination for 2032 was as much about successful delivery of the Games as securing the Games. 

While the Brisbane blueprint was born of a new era with a new focus, the city shares many of the same factors that have underpinned previously successful Olympic Games.

These include, most recently, the universally acclaimed London 2012 Games.

The success of the 2012 Games was based on London’s innovative vision and successful 3 year global media and marketing campaign against an unprecedented cavalcade of super cities, including New York, Paris, Moscow, and Madrid along with London.

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS : LIKE LONDON

Like the London bid, which was expertly counselled by the British Olympic Association chaired by senior IOC member Sir Craig Reedie, Brisbane was guided by the high performing Australian Olympic Committee.

“Coates’ involvement as Australia’s senior IOC member in the Brisbane Olympic project generated Coe-like confidence in Brisbane.”

 This was critical for Brisbane in order to understand what was important for NOCs, IFs and wider Olympic movement in planning for 2032.

Leadership was critical to both London and Brisbane.  

In London, along with Sir Keith Mills, a world leader in marketing with a deep belief in sport, we had Seb Coe, the highly decorated and respected world and Olympic running champion with a sharp and intuitive understanding of international sport and politics. 

 Coe’s reassuring presence generated credibility and confidence in London.

NEW GAMES FIT & FOCUS

Brisbane had highly respected IOC senior executive member and Games operations specialist John Coates, whose oversight in the redesign of the pandemic stricken Tokyo Games has made it possible for sports mission impossible to be modified and staged later this year.

Coates’ involvement as Australia’s senior IOC member in the Brisbane Olympic project generated Coe-like confidence in Brisbane.  

Brisbane also had veteran Olympic Games technical expert Craig McLatchey leading the vital 2032 master plan, based on new IOC funding arrangements and priorities for the Games.

These included fitting the Games footprint to the contours of the city, reducing new venue build and minimising costs through extensive temporary adaptation and co-sharing of existing venues and facilities.

Government and national support were highest success factors.

While London had highest level of central government support from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and dynamic Olympic bid minister, the late Dame Tessa Jowell, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also endorsed national government support for Brisbane. 

This included a strategically and symbolically important meeting with Thomas Bach late last year in which the Australian leader expressed full support for Brisbane. 

“A former tourism marketing executive, Prime Minister Morrison witnessed the significant sporting, economic, cultural and community uplift across Australia from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.”

Morrison reinforced that support in a recent video message to the IOC Session last week, stating that “every level of government is working together to deliver Brisbane 2032.”

A former tourism marketing executive, Prime Minister Morrison witnessed the significant sporting, economic, cultural and community uplift across Australia from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games – like Vancouver 2010 on Canada and London 2012 on the UK.

The Australian Prime Minster also leads the federal political party that supported the Sydney Games.

CONCLUSION – OLYMPIC OASIS

Brisbane provides a hub of stability where the Olympic Games can belong and adapt to current and new challenges in the decade ahead. 

Brisbane also provides a natural home for the Games in a nation with an almost mythical connection to sport.

A nation where the 115,000 capacity Sydney 2000 Olympic stadium, the biggest in Olympic history, sold out night after night.

A nation with an innovative and resilient indigenous sports culture merging with immigrants and visitors who have brought a love of sport from all corners of the world. In recent times these have included Usain Bolt seeking a post Olympic career in football.

Australia’s diverse contributions to science and technology, industry, and medicine have impacted the world. These range from the black box flight recorder, ultra sound imaging and medical application of penicillin to wifi advances and space shuttle heat shield.

The nation’s sporting heroes and attachment to sport however have long been integral to Australia’s global profile, popularity and soft power.  

In recent decades Brisbane and Queensland have been a production house for many of those household names. 

These include the proudly indigenous Catherine Freeman, star of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and Ashleigh Barty, women’s world number one ranked tennis player; Olympic gold medal swimmers Kieran Perkins and Grant Hackett, world and Olympic gold medal champion sprint hurdler Sally Pearson, and many others.

Australia has long basked in the glow of its goldfields gold rush, wheat farms, surf beaches, amber beer, coastal culture and Olympic gold medals.

In sport’s darkened outlook, Brisbane’s golden landscapes offer an oasis of light and hope for the Olympic Games.  

Michael Pirrie is an international communications strategy advisor and commentator on the Olympic Games and major events; a founding member of the London 2012 Olympic bid, Michaelwas also   executive adviser to the London Olympic Games organising committee and chair, Seb Coe.