With one year to go until the start of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, much of the world’s sporting attention continues to focus on Tokyo 2020, but just six months after the curtain comes down in Tokyo the 24th edition of the Winter Games will get underway.
May saw the historic announcement of Georgie Harland as Team GB’s first ever female Olympic Chef de Mission for Beijing 2022 and, despite also being Deputy Chef de Mission for Tokyo 2020, Harland has one eye firmly on what needs to be done in the next year to ensure the team is prepared.
“There are three main areas we are focusing on at the moment,” explained Harland. “The first is the three clusters – typically at a Winter Games you have a coastal cluster and a mountain cluster, but we’ve got three to manage in Beijing. We’re looking at how we deploy our staff and operations to best support the athletes and sports throughout their time in Beijing.
“The second is our footprint around the core Organising Committee which includes things like accommodation for non-accredited officials and pre-Games training sites where athletes can go prior to entering the Olympic Village.
“Thirdly is how we manage the unprecedented situation where we have two Olympic Games within six months of each other and making sure that Beijing is at the forefront of everybody’s minds.”
The Summer and Winter Games have been staggered two years apart ever since 1992 when they were held in the same year but due to the current global pandemic, the Games will be in very close proximity for the first time in 20 years.
“In the past it used to be the case that we’d deliver two Olympic Games within the space of six months, but what’s different now is our footprint and our deliverables, which are a lot wider than they used to be. It is a different situation that we find ourselves in, however we’ve got a dedicated team at the BOA that are working on Beijing, so that is their focus. We’ve also brought some of our planning forward compared to our usual timings to make sure we have as much as we can in place before Tokyo.”
After winning five medals in PyeongChang, following five medals in Sochi also, Harland is excited about the team’s prospects next February but for the moment the pride is coming from how the athletes are acquitting themselves during the difficult times society is currently facing.
“I’m really looking forward to is seeing the athletes competing. Despite not being able to be on the ground in Beijing due to the pandemic, Harland and her team continue to work closely with the local organising committee and the British Embassy to ensure they have up-to-date intel and preparations in the three clusters continue at pace.
“We have monthly calls with the Beijing Organising Committee and the latest information is that all the venue construction is proceeding as scheduled. We know that Beijing will have some amazing venues across all three clusters, and we remain in close contact with them regarding the test events due to take place.”
Despite Tokyo 2020 looming large, Harland and her team are working tirelessly to deliver the best possible platform for the athletes to represent their country in one year’s time.