by Svein A. Andersen & Dag Vidar Hanstad
Vol. 2 2011, pages 75–98
Published May 11, 2011
Abstract
”If you are well prepared, you will not experience bad luck”: Norway in the Vancouver Olympics: risks, preparations and results
In Norway, the central elite sport organization, Olympiatoppen, has the overall responsibility for coordinating and supporting all elite sport efforts. Part of this is the responsibility for the Norwegian participation in the Olympic Games. This study focuses on the 2010 Vancouver project, and how it was carried out in the light of the negative experiences from the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. The article aims to answer three questions. The first question concerns the kind of risks that can affect participants’ ability to perform. Such issues have received limited attention in the literature on major sporting events. The second question concerns what can be done to eliminate or manage such risks. In major sports competitions there are limited possibilities to manage operational risks through delays or transfer to others. Building capacity to manage challenges during the event becomes vital, and developing the relationships and shared identity within the project team is considered the key to success. Such findings are consistent with general project management research. Often, too little is done to secure the social basis for responsible cooperation. The third question concerns the outcome of the project. In contrast to the Turin Winter Olympics, the project was successful in realizing its ambitions, but the capacities created were not put to a critical test.
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About the Authors
SVEIN S. ANDERSEN är professor i organisationsstudier vid Handelshøyskolen BI, Oslo, och adjungerad professor vid Forskningssenter for trening og prestasjon, Norges idrettshøgskole. Han har varit chef för EU-forskningsprogrammet ARENA vid universitetet i Oslo, och han leder Institutt for ledelse og organisasjon och är dekanus för forskarutbildningen vid Handelshøyskolen BI. Andersen har sin doktorsexamen från Stanford University och har publicerat ett antal böcker och artiklar. Förra året forskade han om ledning och organisation av nordisk elitidrott.
DAG VIDAR HANSTAD är førsteamanuensis vid Norges idrettshøgskole (NIH). Sommaren 2009 disputerade han på antidopningspolitik, och blev snart därefter ansvarig för sport management-programmet på NIH. Sedan november 2010 leder han Seksjon for kultur og samfunn på NIH. Innan Hanstad blev akademiker var han sportredaktör och -kommentator i flera tidningar. Han er ursprungligen handbollsspelare och -tränare, med 138 landskamper för Norge och tränarerfarenhet på elitnivå. Hanstad var tidigare i år redaktör for boken Norsk idrett – indre spenning og ytre press.
