Legacies from the Sydney Games
By Andy Fryar
Introduction
The first I ever heard about the volunteer program associated with the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games actually occurred four years before the Games even began, at a conference in Launceston, Tasmania in 1996.
I still distinctly remember sitting in a presentation at the Australian National Conference of Volunteering and watching (in some awe), as David Brettel, the person who was responsible for overseeing the Sydney Olympic volunteer program, gave a presentation. His keynote address explained in significant detail, the plans of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) for the involvement of volunteers in the upcoming Games.
What I observed that day was a very succinct breakdown of exactly how the involvement of volunteers in the Games was going to be rolled out over the coming four-year period. Not only did David know exactly how many volunteers he would need, he was also able to explain exactly how they would be involved, in what order they would need to be recruited, the requirements of training and even the dates when all of these things would occur!
It was evident that no stone had been left unturned in the quest to create a fantastic program, and for the first time I realised just how much the success of the Sydney Olympics was dependant upon the volunteers who would deliver it. In many ways, their role was even more pivotal than that of the athletes!
I still remember David explaining to delegates that Australia and SOCOG were “not going to have a second chance to get it right the first time!”
A number of thoughts went through my mind as I left that conference:
Firstly, it was clear that in order to have the volunteer program mapped out so well as early as 1996, that the SOCOG team had obviously already been developing their plans for many months. The appreciation of the need for planning around the involvement of volunteers was clearly evident. In fact David Brettel has since been quoted as saying that Games volunteers had contributed some 200,000 hours before the Games even began! i
Secondly, the exceptional way that these plans were presented and explained, demonstrated to me a level of professionalism that I had not witnessed before in the world of volunteerism – at least not in Australia at that time.
I was left with a genuine sense of excitement and wondered what, if any, legacy such a program may leave for the Australian volunteering sector after it was all over.
The Marvellous Games
During September and October 2000, Sydney came alive with the hosting of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the eyes of the world focused on our wonderful country.
In all, 62,000 volunteers participated in the Games - 47,000 at the Olympics and another 15,000 with the Paralympics. This was by far the largest gathering of volunteers, in one place, in Australia’s post war history.
Of more importance, the SOCOG team achieved everything they set out to do with the Games being labelled as possibly the best ever. Significantly, it was the Game’s volunteers who received many accolades both nationally and internationally for the important role they played in making the Games so successful.
In fact the crowning comment came when, in his closing address, the CEO of the international Olympic body Juan Antonio Samaranch, labelled the volunteers ‘the most dedicated and wonderful Games volunteers ever’.
Lessons and legacies
As someone who was not directly involved in the planning or development of the Games, it was certainly interesting to be able to sit back and watch the development of the Olympic volunteer program.
So were there lasting lessons, or perhaps even legacies, that came about as a result of the hosting of the Games for the broader volunteering movement in Australia?
Well, pleasingly, I believe that the answer was yes and I believe that this occurred on many fronts and at many levels.
Recognition of volunteers
Like many countries, Australia had probably always been a little indifferent in their recognition of the role that volunteers played in creating the social fabric of our country. While we were quick to recognise groups like our country fire fighters, I think it is fair to say that, to some degree, there had never really been any great excitement generated about the role played by volunteers.
That all changed with the Sydney Games. Throughout the Games, and in the weeks that followed, there was a tangible pride felt around the nation about the contribution that those volunteers had made. In effect, there was a very real sense that the Game’s volunteers were representing us all.
This was highlighted by the fact that following the Games, the volunteers were presented with their own commemorative medals and even given tickertape parades around the nation – something quite unprecedented in our history.
This attention being placed on the Olympic volunteers created an adverse reaction by those volunteering in other fields of endeavour. Many objected to so much attention being heaped upon a group of people who had effectively given just a few weeks of service, while many of them had been toiling at less glamorous voluntary pursuits for many years with hardly a thank you!
Interestingly, from my point of view at least, rather than this argument having a divisive outcome, it actually offered an opportunity to promote the broader work of volunteers and the volunteer movement outside of the Games’ movement. The discussion and debate that followed resulted in a recognition of volunteering and, I believe, a change in the Australia psyche that simply had not been there before.
On the theme of recognition, there was another very important factor that helped to create a lasting legacy for volunteerism in Australia at that time, and that was that the timing of the Games coincided perfectly with the launch of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) in 2001. The two events dovetailed beautifully to keep volunteering a number one focus for many, many months.
While it is difficult to measure exactly what the longer term effects of this increased recognition may be as a result of the Games and the subsequent IYV celebrations, it is interesting to note that:
- Australia remains one of the few western countries in the world where the rate of volunteering continues to grow
- Many of the government-sponsored volunteer support programs that still operate today were given their birth as a result of that cycle
Cooperation and collaboration
I believe that another lasting, but perhaps more hidden legacy, was the involvement of the Australian volunteering sector in helping to plan the Games. Volunteering New South Wales, and to a lesser degree Volunteering Australia, were both involved in some of the strategic planning that took place around the Games. This meant that there was an enormous opportunity made available for the more established volunteer sector in Australia to have a seat around a different type of table for the first time. I am sure many lessons were learned from this experience and that many useful contacts were made.
I am quite certain that many of these lessons have been shared in the hosting of other subsequent major events in Australia since 2000 such as the Rugby World Cup and Masters Games.
It is interesting to note that those organising the London 2012 Games are already looking at how they link with, collaborate and learn from the established volunteer sector with a direct aim of creating lasting legacies beyond the Games. ii
New standards were set
Another enduring legacy appeared to have occurred within the Games movement itself as a result of the Sydney Games, in that I believe they set a new benchmark for volunteer involvement in both the Olympic movement itself, but also in other major events. To this day I believe the Sydney experience is still held up as the benchmark standard that others aspire to attain.
…and for Volunteer Program Management?
While I am not sure that there were any direct benefits for volunteer program management in Australia as a result of the hosting of the Games (other than the already discussed general increase in the focus on volunteering), I do believe that there are key lessons and principles that can be taken from the way the Olympic program was planned and run.
I actually wrote about these in a Hot Topic iii some time ago and share them again here.
They are:
- There is no compromise for planning – As discussed, the success of the Games in Sydney did not rely on 50,000 people showing up on time. Instead it was the result of many years of meticulous planning, and while our programs are not on the same scale we should never underestimate the need for planning and making time to plan.
- The involvement of volunteers in decision making – David Brettel could not do it all, and a key part of the planning that they undertook saw them firstly recruit & train key volunteer leaders. As volunteer program managers we are often great at telling others to create new and dynamic roles for our volunteer team but not so good at recruiting volunteers to help us directly in our roles in the support of other volunteers.
- The need to have volunteer ‘buy in’ or ownership – it’s critical! – When asked in an interview some years ago why the program was so successful, David Brettel answered “THE single most important reason lay in an important decision made by the great majority of the volunteers themselves - and that decision was to do whatever they needed to and whatever they could do to make it work. There was no way they would have accepted failure”. iv We need to continue to find ways to make a volunteer’s workplace something that is an intrinsic part of their belief system.
- The need to create a strong identity for our program is important – Volunteers like to be associated with strong and successful programs. Well managed and focused on making a change. This is true for the baby boomer generation and also Generations X & Y.
- Our programs need to be flexible – I am positive that the program David presented that day in Tasmania changed considerably over the following 4 years and the need of the program to be able to change and be flexible to the needs of the Games and the volunteers themselves would have been a paramount issue. Similarly we also need to continue to be flexible in the management of our programs.
Taking these principles into account will surely benefit any individual volunteer program, while thinking through the legacies you’d like to have as a result of the 2010 winter Games in beautiful Vancouver which will start to place the sector in Canada in a position where it can gain maximum benefit from this very rare opportunity.
About Andy Fryar
Andy is the Founder and Director of OzVPM (www.ozvpm.com), a specialist volunteerism company based in Adelaide, Australia. He is the immediate past President of Volunteering Australia and the current Chairperson of the International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day committee. Andy has visited Canada on a number of occasions.
