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Success From Start to Finish at the Vancouver 2010 Games

Logistics Delivers Success for Team GB from Start to Finish at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games

When British luger A.J. Rosen crashed in October 2009 during training for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, injuries sent him home. In February, Rosen was back on his sled, fully healed and a qualifier for Great Britain’s luge team, ultimately finishing 16th among the world’s best athletes.

Hurtling down a track to qualify for the Olympic Winter Games, the last thing on an athlete’s mind is the logistics involved to get him or her there. UPS had Rosen’s back, however, and his sled. After his accident, we packed, shipped and returned Rosen’s luge, reuniting athlete and sled for eventual qualification and Olympic competition.

Logistical details like these are often taken for granted, but without sweating them, performance can suffer for the athletes and their teams.

Time trials

No one knows this better than Louise Whitehead, the British Olympic Association’s Olympic Operations Manager. Preparing and moving teams is a massive logistics undertaking, sticking with planned procedures yet being able to adapt to unforeseen changes. “From the operations point of view, we cover everything,” Whitehead said. Luckily, so does UPS.

Chosen by the British Olympic Association (BOA) and British Paralympic Association (BPA) as the logistics provider for their teams for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, UPS was there to help every step of the way. Over the next six months, we would move materials for 52 Team GB athletes, as well as more than 60 coaches and staff for training, qualifying, competition and the trip home again.

Timing was critical. Items such as massage tables and sports drinks could be shipped out early. Late qualifying and training in multiple locations, however, meant much equipment required last-minute delivery to Vancouver. In addition, the accommodations in the two Athletes’ Villages had to be ready for their arrival, complete with furniture and televisions.

Teamwork pays off

With our reliable worldwide network and unmatched experience, UPS was the natural teammate to optimise logistics for the BOA and BPA. For those items not needed for at least 30 days, we offered our cost-effective ocean freight. UPS sourced, hired and shipped a 20-foot container and worked closely with Canadian authorities to help ensure smooth customs clearance.

UPS air freight took over when quick turnarounds and fast delivery were needed. Whether getting clothing from the Chinese manufacturer to the kit-out in London or moving bobsleighs from England to U.S. training facilities to the Olympic venue, we matched the teams zig for zag. “UPS was very flexible and worked with us and delivered with no issues at all,” according to Whitehead.

Once on the ground in Vancouver, UPS provided transportation between venues as well as on-site support. For all materials purchased locally to furnish apartments and living areas, we supplied storage, a team of UPS workers to assemble furniture, and delivery to the villages. “It was a seamless operation,” Whitehead said. “They made it very easy for us.”

Of course, whatever was shipped in had to go back out again. UPS coordinated the repacking and shipping of all returning items. For the locally sourced materials for the athletes’ villages, the BOA donated nearly $40,000 worth of these items to charity, which we packed, collected and delivered.

“UPS gave us peace of mind, allowing us to focus on our athletes and the Games to ensure ‘Better Never Stops,’” stated Hugh Chambers, Chief Commercial Officer BOA/Team GB.

Going the distance

UPS handled more than 27 metric tonnes of cargo for Great Britain’s teams in Vancouver, but that’s just a sprint compared to the marathon UPS will take on as the Official Logistics and Express Delivery Supporter of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Yet, the aim will be no different in London than it was in Vancouver — focus on logistics so the teams can focus on the Games.

Article Highlights

Handled more than 27 metric tonnes of cargo using a combination of air and ocean freight and UPS Express^® services
Provided essential ground transportation between venues as well as on-site support