Text: Denise Mirás

“Athletes are at the heart of our planning”. This is a commonly repeated mantra in Olympic Games organisation. So, when preparing to deliver the biggest sporting event on the planet, it helps to have a few ex-athletes in your team. Luckily – or rather by design – Rio 2016 has a battalion of Olympians in its ranks who are helping to ensure that when Usain Bolt and co arrive, their only concern will be reaching peak performance.

One of the in-house experts is Giovane Gávio, a two-time Olympic champion with the Brazilian volleyball team (Barcelona 1992 and Athens 2004) who now manages competition preparations for his sport at the Rio 2016 Games. His knowledge of what it is like to compete at the highest level is proving crucial. Gávio said that the moments before a competition starts are magical, but also very tense for athletes. For this reason, changing rooms should perfectly prepared.

“The thing is to guarantee that everything is in place both before and after the action. Because the athletes must focus on the court. That’s where it gets serious”

Gávio says that a few small human touches can help alleviate tension. “I would really like to have a few snacks in the changing rooms, small sandwiches, like they do in Japan. A few chocolates… The physical trainer wouldn’t like it very much, but at this time, an hour before competition, it’s good to have something to nibble on.”

Gávio’s boss is Agberto Guimarães, Rio 2016’s executive director of sport, a former distance runner who competed for Brazil at the Moscow 1980 (coming fourth in 800m) and Los Angeles 1984 Games. He also stressed the importance of dressing rooms being properly equipped, noting that good lighting was important for the synchronised swimming and gymnastics girls to apply their make-up.

    Guimarães leads the sport department at the Rio 2016 organising committee (Photo: Rio 2016/Karen Dias)

Guimarães highlighted signage as one of the fundamental aspects of Olympic planning that is sometimes overlooked. In many cases athletes must navigate huge venues, and getting lost would cause unnecessary stress and loss of time.

“This fluidity of movement in competition venues is very important to athletes,” said Guimarães. “There are several places where the athlete is going to circulate: changing rooms, athletes’ lounge, courts, ceremony areas, anti-doping, medical departments, athlete tribunes in the stands… it’s necessary for everything to be clearly signed so that everyone knows where to go and how to get there. A lack of clear signs would be a major hindrance.”

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Another Olympian in the organising committee’s ranks is Sebastián Cuattrin, the canoe manager, who competed in four Olympic Games for Brazil, finishing eighth in the K1 sprint competition at Atlanta 1996. He believes that small gestures – such as ensuring athletes receive a bottle of water the moment they finish competing – can make a big difference.

Cuattrin believes Brazilian culture will help make the Rio Games a success (Photo: Personal Archive/Facebook)

It is all about ensuring the wellbeing of the “main client” – the athletes, said Cuattrin, who was born in Argentina. And he has faith that the natural character of his adopted nation will help ensure a high level of service. “It’s a big part of the Brazilian way to give people a warm welcome and I believe this will be one of the biggest differences at the Olympic Games here.”

Meanwhile, Paulinho Villas Boas, Rio 2016’s basketball manager who played for Brazil at the Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 Games, has to make special considerations for the super-sized athletes in his sport.

“The showers need to be 2.4m high so that athletes don’t have to wash crouching down”

Villas Boas was part of the team of current and former athletes that helped test the furniture that was selected for the Olympic and Paralympic Village – or “the castle”, as Guimarães calls it. “We tested the beds and saw that we’d need some 2.2m in length,” he said. “But these would be tricky to fit into lifts and through doors. So we opted for two-metre beds that can be lengthened to 2.2m. It’s done using a separate part, which makes transport easier.”

Villas Boas helps test the beds for the Olympic and Paralympic Village (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

Villas Boas, who has worked with the Brazilian Olympic Committee for a decade, also highlighted the importance of transport that arrives as close as possible to the arena doors, athlete lounges (with match information, wi-fi and sofas), a plentiful supply of food, places in the stands, and well-planned in-venue people flows to ensure that athletes do not cross paths with officials or fans.

Another key member of Rio 2016’s team of ex-athletes is Ricardo Prado, aquatic sports manager, who also heads the Sport Advisory Committee – a group of former athletes who advise the organising committee.

Prado helps promote the launch of the Rio 2016 volunteers programme (Rio 2016/Alexandre/Loureiro)

A swimmer who won the 400m medley silver medal at the Los Angeles 1984 Games, Prado said athletes need three main things: “great venues, good food and rest”. As well as highlighting door-to-door transport from the village to venues and good in-venue people flows so athletes can remain focused on competition, Prado said delegations needed to be provided with enough space for all their equipment, which ranges from sports drinks and physiotherapy equipment to ice baths and massage tables.

He also cited the importance of a good location in the stands for athletes. “As well as being able to watch the contests, it’s great to be able to see your team cheering in the stands when you are competing.”