SSES Lecturer Niki Koutrou attended the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne
Dr Niki Koutrou, Programme Director for our BA Sport Management, spent 9 days at the Winter Youth Olympic Games working with volunteers and asking about their experiences. The Games were held in both Switzerland and France in the area of Lausanne, the home of the International Olympic Committee. As well as giving athletes an opportunity to compete, the Youth Olympic Games also allow participants to learn and share skills. The event is gaining momentum with more competitors and more coverage.
The event was been promoted as a green event. Rather than having all athletes staying at the village at the same time, athletes would stay for the duration of their event then when they have finished competing they would return home allowing space for new athletes to stay in the same accommodation. These ‘waves’ allow more athletes to attend and compete over the whole competition. All visitors and athletes attending the event were also encouraged to use public transport to move between the different venues. This move towards greener events is part of the Olympic Agenda 2020 which includes recommendations on sustainability within the Olympic Games.
As well as volunteering herself, Niki spoke with other volunteers as part of her research into sports legacies. She observed that the volunteers had an international background with people travelling from different countries to attend the event. The majority of people she met were ‘career volunteers’; people who have a wealth of experience of volunteering at other events including previous Olympic events. A lot of the volunteers had links with the sports industry with involvement in sport management and sport science. There was a mix of ages amongst the volunteers including former employees of Olympic Committees within their own countries. Most of the volunteers had also applied to help at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
‘It was a great experience to not only enjoy and help the Games be a success , but also observe first-hand the management of volunteers at a mega-sport event, which would certainly inform my research on volunteer legacies in the future’, Dr Niki Koutrou concluded.
If you are interested in a career in Sport Management check out our undergraduate and postgraduate Sport Management courses.