2014 Arctic Winter Games
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CHEF DE MISSION FINAL REPORT 2014 ARCTIC WINTER GAMES Team Yamal Aleksandr Eirikh Chef de Mission May 2014 Section I – Evaluation of Performance of the Host Society Registration and Accreditation Was pre-Games registration convenient and functional? Did the accreditation system at the Games work well? Provide comments or recommendations. The pre-Games registration system was convenient and functional and proved to be effective not only at Games but very useful after the event was over. The technology implemented and the website structure are easy to understand and to navigate. In the whole the process of registration and accreditation worked well. There is nothing to be reprimanded. Welcome/Arrival Services Was the arrival of your team handled in a timely manner with a minimum of confusion? Provide comments or recommendations. In 2014 Team Yamal experienced zero challenges to reach the place the Games were organized at. It was the first time the charter flight was used. Its itinerary included the following airports “Tyumen – Novy Urengoy – Magadan - Fairbanks”. The work of the Host Society and volunteers in the Fairbanks airport was very well organized and handled in timely manner. Passport control, customs clearance, luggage delivery to the luggage carrousel and transfer to the athletes village were well directed. The whole impression of the arrival services is good and we would like to thank everyone who met our team in Fairbanks airport for the warm welcome and hospitality extended upon arrival and during the stay of our delegation in Fairbanks. Opening Ceremonies Did the Opening Ceremonies do a good job of kicking off the week? Were they well organized and choreographed? Provide comments or recommendations. The Opening Ceremony was a great start to the 2014 Arctic Winter Games. The stage and screens were placed in a very convenient manner that gave the chance to witness the event from the every single corner of the hall. The plan for delivery of the teams to the Opening Ceremony and their marching before the audience was also a worth decisions: athletes did not wait for long; everything was handled in dynamic and logic manner. The only thing that made Team Yamal truly upset was the mistake of the volunteer who accompanied our flag and sign bearers. Due to the insufficient directions this person had on where to go and excessive interference from other volunteers who hurried up the athletes on their way to the scene our flag and sign bearers turned the wrong side. As a result the flag and the sign were forwarded to the other representatives of Team Yamal. To our mind to prevent such a situation it would be a good idea to present the plan of the Opening Ceremony in more details not only to volunteers but during the Chefs morning meetings as well for teams’ representatives to have a better understanding of what will be and how to instruct the athletes and coaches. Sometimes it is very difficult to adjust to a new place having minimum information. Or the previous flag bearers plan can be used when they were gathered and delivered to the Opening Ceremony separately from the teams and waited in the meeting point with the flags in hands. The lack of translation of the Opening Ceremony to Russian language made it impossible for the team members to fully understand what was going on. Unfortunately it effected the whole impression. The consecutive translation was difficult to provide due to the natural noise and sounds of the event. The changes in the transportation scheme after the Opening Ceremony were also a bit confusing. Recommendations: 1. to provide the Chefs with more detailed information on the whole plan for the Opening Ceremony and to pay more attention to the flag bearers role including the order the flags are handed to them before the marching; 2. to provide the scenario of the Opening Ceremony to Team Yamal Mission Staff in advance for translation for Yamal’s athletes to understand it in more details; 3. to think over the transportation scheme to deliver the athletes to their venues after the Opening Ceremony as it is very important for them to be “home” as soon as possible and have good rest before the competitions will start; the alternative way is to transport the athletes by teams not by venues. Team Accommodations Were accommodations sufficiently spacious or too crowded? Well located or too spread out? Were there sufficient washrooms and shower facilities? Was cleaning during the Games adequate for the maintenance of hygiene? Was security in the accommodations area functional and effective? Provide comments or recommendations. The housing at the 2014AWG was based on gender principle and vicinity to the main school of the Games (Lathrop High School). It proved to be very useful, convenient and logic. The rooms provided met all the requirements. The only complain that was received practically from everyone was low temperature level in the rooms due to the excessive work of the air-conditioner system. The issue was not solved but it is important to mention that the Host Society did their best in this regard and was very attentive to other demands. The shower facilities were not enough and the plan used lead to some confusions. The cleaning was regular. Security was functional, effective and ready to help every single minute. Food Service Were the hours of operation/serving sufficient and convenient? Was the quality of food adequate? Was enough food available to meet your team’s needs and appetites? Did the box lunch program work well? Provide comments or recommendations. To our mind the cafeteria for the 2014AWG was perfectly organized. The hours of operation were very convenient and anyone had a chance to eat at any time they had such an opportunity. The idea of having the buffet between the main hours is very wise especially when such events are held. Selections were good. Some complaints were received regarding the breakfast menus. Our coaches suggested that it would be better to have more vegetables, fruits, fish, chicken and cereal. Team Yamal would like to thank the cafeteria personnel for their warm welcome and professional work. The lunch-box program worked well and the selection of food in the lunch-box room was great. Awards Ceremonies Provide comments or recommendations on awards ceremonies both at sport venues and at the main awards venue. The awards ceremonies were well organized. The system used to hold the ceremonies right after the competitions were over proved to be effective. Information Technology/Communications/Computer and Network Services Evaluate how the Games’ IT system and staff, communications system and computer and network services performed and provide any comments or recommendations. On behalf of the Team Yamal I would like to take this opportunity to thank the IT Committee for having done a great job. They managed to create an integrated system, to provide teams with all equipment, to meet all needs and requirements. Team Yamal thanks the Host Society and their partners for the cell phones we were given. It was a great help in facilitating communication process with the coaches who stayed at different venues. The great support to organize the communication of the athletes with their parents and relatives was Wi-Fi Internet in all the 2014AWG venues. We would like to thank the IT Committee members for their help and good work. Mission Offices/Services/Accommodations Were the Mission Offices located in a place that facilitated the work of the Mission Staff, and were the offices conveniently reached by coaches? Were the Mission Offices sufficiently spacious and adequately furnished? Were the supplies provided adequate for the Mission Staff to do its work? Provide comments or recommendations. The location of the Mission Offices in the main Games school gave opportunity to the Chefs de Mission and mission staff to communicate with each other, to share their experience and expertise, to discuss the events in the framework of the Games, to give their comments and recommendations. The mission offices were sufficiently spacious and adequately furnished. We had all the needed office equipment, access to the Internet, stationary. The atmosphere in the office was very friendly, first and foremost due to the well coordinated and organized work of thе qualified personnel and volunteers who were ready to assist each time it was needed. Cultural Program and Facilities Did your cultural delegation feel that they were an integral part of the Games? Did they have enough performance opportunities? Too many? Did your Unit members attend entertainment events? What is your impression of their experience? Provide comments or recommendations related to the Cultural program only. See Entertainment Program section below for other comments. Due to some organizing obstacles practically no one from the Team Yamal had the opportunity to visit cultural events. But the cultural contingent of Yamal was honored to be an integral part of the Games. The artists are satisfied with the performance opportunities they were given. They said that cultural groups were very talented. All of them presented the culture and traditions of their region in full colours. The shows were vivid and spectacular. We received no complaints from our cultural group regarding their accommodation or schedules or any other organizing issues. The only thing our performers and athletes were upset about is the lack of time in sport schedules to visit the cultural events. The goal of the Games is not only to develop sports in the Northern regions but also to share our cultures and traditions, to make our people closer, to be united. To our mind Sport and Culture should be more united during the Games week. In this respect we would like to recommend the Host Society of the AWG 2016 try to plan such out-of- cultural-venues activities for athletes to have the opportunity to learn traditions of the North, to meet the culture of another Northern regions.