They have the Olympic and Paralympic Games in their DNA. They are specialists in fields that many people do not even know exist, but which are essential for staging the world’s biggest sporting event. Once their mission is accomplished, they learn the first few words of a new language and begin the whole cycle again. They call themselves the ‘Olympic Gypsies’.

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee counts on the know-how of 84 of these modern-day nomads from different 19 countries. The continued success of the Games owes much to the experience of these professionals, who are instrumental in transferring knowledge from one host city to another. Some of them, like Todd Severson, have been in the business for decades.

“I met some Australians while I was working on the Atlanta 1996 Games, my first experience in this job,” said the American, who is now Games Services Manager at Rio 2016. “I moved to Australia in 1998 to work on the Sydney 2000 Games. I usually say that this was the beginning of the end for me. From then on, I worked on a series of Olympic projects – Salt Lake (2002), Athens (2004), Turin (2006), Beijing (2008), Vancouver (2010), London (2012), Sochi (2014) and finally Rio,” he said.

Todd Severson has accumulated many Olympic accreditations along the road to his 10th Games (Photo: Rio 2016)

Severson now manages a combination of complex operations and large-scale contracting covering accommodation, food and beverages, cleaning services, uniforms and client-specific services. “During my career, I have worked in ticketing, event services, security, facilities, workforce operations, and so on. I think that all this experience will help me do a good job here.”

Each project is a fresh experience for the ‘Olympic gypsies’, with new challenges and new solutions. For Anne-Maree Holland, Rio 2016’s Workforce Operations Manager from Australia, this cultural exchange is one of the main attractions. “It’s very exciting to see how the project unfolds in different ways in each place,” she said. “Each committee ends up creating its own personality and way of doing things.”

Pierre Leclerc, a licensing manager at Rio 2016,  was determined to work in sports events from an early age. “In 2003, I got a job at a football club in New York and have now worked on sports events in 11 countries,” said the Frenchman. “London 2012 was my first Olympic experience and the most different I have had so far. You really can’t get much more complex than the Games.”

Leclerc and his wife Mathilde Meurisse, who is a test events manager at Rio 2016, were also the first of the ‘Olympic gypsies’ in a trend that has swept the committee – having babies in Rio. Their daughter Jeanne was born in 2013 and since then five other foreign couples working at Rio 2016 have had children.

“When we decided to have a baby we did not know where we would be living, then I got the job in Rio so we moved here,” said Leclerc. “I think it would be challenge to have a baby anywhere, Including in your own country, but with the help and support the committee has given us, and with the quality of care we’ve had from the doctors, it has all been quite easy. At least much easier than I thought it would be. My daughter has a Brazilian visa, so who knows, maybe she will grow up and say ‘I’m a carioca’ and come back to live here.”

The couple, who have been together since their school days, have become a reference point for the others who have since had babies. “They have all come to us for advice and all went to the same hospital,” Leclerc said. “All the mothers talk to each other and share advice.”

Pierre, Mathilde and their daughter Jeanne while on holiday in Lençois Maranhenses in north east Brazil (Photo: Personal Archive)

Italian Lucia Montanarella, who has nine Olympic Games on her CV, started off covering the events as a journalist before moving into media operations within organising committees.  Now Rio 2016’s Head of Media Operations, she is responsible for ensuring the press have all they need to report on the event.

“With my experience in covering competitions, I know exactly what reporters need in order to work at their best,” she said. “My own experience is my guide. I know how important transport, accommodation and technology are in our line of work because I’ve actually experienced it.”

Lucia Montanarella at the Sydney 2000 Games, the first time she worked in media operations (Photo: Personal Archive)

Holland met her American husband, Craig Holland, currently the Rio 2016 Regional Planning Manager, at an interview for the Salt Lake City 2002 Games. “I met Craig in the US, he proposed to me in Australia and by the time we got married, we were already living in Athens,” she said. “Our daughter, Isabelle, was born in Vancouver, has three passports and, by the time she was five, had already lived in three countries. We consider ourselves very lucky to be able to share these experiences as a family.”

Montanarella routinely travels between Rio and Finale Ligure on the Italian coast, where her husband lives. She says her children are used to accompanying their mother on her travels and are growing up with the Games. “My son Pietro was only three when we moved from Sydney and has already experienced six Games,” she said.

The Holland family show their support for Brazil during the World Cup (Photo: Personal Archive)

Flexibility and a spirit of adventure are essential qualities for those who want to try the ‘Olympic gypsy’ lifestyle. “There are few jobs in the world that provide an environment that encourages you to go beyond your limits on a daily basis, at the same time as being surrounded by the most interesting people in the world,” said Anne-Maree Holland. “I once tried returning to a regular job in Australia, but I hated it so much, I quit after three months.”