Friday, May 22nd- P-Ry's Birthday and more!

Similar to Thursday, Friday was more of an easy and laid back kind of day, as we had only one true destination, the Olympic Museum. That being said, Friday was special for two reasons. First, the morning greeted us with the most sunshine we had seen in several days (since France), setting the scene for a truly gorgeous day. Secondly, it was Professor Ryan's birthday, meaning it was time for all of us students to give back to the guy who makes this trip as great as it is. Our day started off normally, with a semi-early wake up and a quick breakfast at the hotel for most of us, at which some of the girls presented Professor Ryan with a small cake which was from the group and soon enough, we were ready to leave for the Museum.

The Olympic Museum was only a 10 minute walk from our hotel, and when we arrived, a tour guide was ready to go. As our tour went on, we learned more and more about not only the games themselves, but also the athletes, the history, and the cities that have hosted and will host them. This museum differed from the ones we had previously visited in two ways. First, being the Olympic Museum, its focus was primarily on the evolution of the games, the modern Olympic games, and the all-encompassing Olympic spirit. Other museums we had visited already (i.e. the British Museum, the Louvre) contained really incredible information and exhibits on Ancient Greece, the early Olympic games, and other things of that nature. The Olympic Museum we visited was really the first to have its emphasis on the Modern Games and how they got to be exactly what they are today. The second way it differed is that it, by far, was the most interactive of all the museums we had been in so far. Many of the exhibits allowed us to explore the content even further, and some were really fun and informative. This visit was very relevant to the trip and to the class because it gave us insight into the what the Olympic games were, what they are now, and where they are headed.

Following the tour of the museum, we all headed back towards our hotel to grab a much-needed lunch. Myself, Professor Ryan, and a few other students got cheap sandwiches and just ate them right by the lake. Sitting in the sun and looking out on the lake into the beautiful scenery really put things into perspective for me and reminded me of how lucky I was to be there. Afterwards, it was back to the hotel to relax before the group dinner.

The dinner was really amazing, with good food and drinks all around. We gave Professor Ryan a birthday card signed by everyone which made him smile, and after the meal, Jeff secretly ordered a mini cake dessert which was given to P-Ry while we all sang "Happy Birthday" in the restaurant (which even received applause from the rest of the place). Our time in Switzerland was slowly coming to an end, and this night was simply one of celebration.

Wednesday May 20th, 2015 Lausanne

Today we got to dress up professionally and visit important offices that are essential sectors that make the Olympic Games possible. First we went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Here we met with Brent Nowicki, an attorney that represents the athletes who are trying to settle disputes with the IOC (the International Olympic Committee). We sat in the court rom that is used during these trials, which just fit the 13 of us. Brent said that they are soon to move to a bigger location because for bigger cases they have to go to different locations.

Brent helped us understand what it was exactly that the CAS does. He explained that in the past, many people complained about athletes doping. But where would that get you? Corruption was high in European countries and athletes where using substances to improve their performance and there was no rule to disallow it. People finally decided that there had to be an end to this. They thought if you go the national court, you may not see a judge for months or years, a time period in which the athletes can still perform if they are taking drugs. The IOC said that they needed a place to handle disputes quickly so that by the next day or the next competition, the athlete will know if he or her can compete. The CAS was created for quick, effective justice. Now, cases can be heard and resolved in 24 hours.

In 1985, the CAS consisted of 60 IOC members and national federations. This happened for 10 years, but it was still unfair to the athletes because they were not represented in court. The ICAS (International Court of Arbitration for Sport) now has 360 arbitrators and everybody is represented, including match officials and referees.

According to Brent, 60-70% of the cases at ICAS are FIFA related. These cases include breaching of contracts, media marketing, and transfer appeals. I found this funny because I love FIFA but we all know that there is some hard core corruption going on behind the scenes (FIFA is a profit organization which made $2 billion just this year). Other cases the CAS handles involve broadcasting and marketing rights. In terms of the next Olympics in Rio, all sponsoring contracts, vending contracts, or any type of contract for that matter, will go to CAS.

When there is a major event like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympic Games, the CAS provides "pop-up" charters in the hosting cities while the events take place to handle real-time cases. CAS is not as popular in the U.S. because there is a players union, although unions are not necessarily the best choice for athletes.

Brent asked everyone what their interests are. When it got to me, I said that I just graduated as a Health and Exercise Science major and am looking to go into Physical Therapy. Right away he stopped me and offered me an opportunity to go the Men's International Lacrosse Championship and help the Swiss National team to tape, wrap and stretch on the sidelines. I was really excited when he said that he was looking for students interested in PT, and especially when he said that the tournament will be held in Syracuse (the International Federation for Lacrosse headquarters is in Canada- its Canada's national sport!). I definitely look forward for the opportunity!

After we had lunch, we took the bus to the IOC. We met with Susanne and Didier, representatives for the marketing sector of the IOC (TMS). The major talking points that we hit about the Olympic movement included:

• The Olympic Platform
• The Olympic Movement Structure
• IOC TMS Structure
• Commercial Partners
• Rights holder
• Broadcasting 
• TOP partners
• Power of the Olympic Rings
• Olympic positioning 

There was also an intern with Susanne and Didier. Her name was Jasmine and she participated in the Sochi Winter Games as a women's bobsled competitor. When talking about the Olympic Platform, she said, "Whether you know sports or not, during these two weeks, you are a fan of the world". Based on the presentation that we saw, it seems to be that this is the basis for vision of the Olympics. People come together for the duration of the Games to see the best from different nations compete.

Didier spoke about the power of the Olympic Rings. He mentioned that 74% of people recognize the Olympic symbol and a smaller percentage (I can't remember the figure) recognized the World Cup logo for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Didier also said that the World Cup has a smaller audience than the Olympics. While I can't prove that this is false,  I didn't like these stats because when I questioned him he said the they took the stats right after the Olympics or before the World Cup would start, so automatically the Olympic rings logo (which doesn't change, meanwhile the World Cup logo changes every tournament) is more recognized than the Brazil World Cup. I wanted to question him more about these stats because I have read several times that the World Cup is more popular than the Olympics. When they did these stats, which people are they asking? Are they asking people in secluded tribes around the world? Are they asking people in areas with less access to see these events on TV? Are they asking American viewers, which is a population that does not favor soccer? Are they asking people in Lausanne, the city where the Olympic Rings can be seen on almost every corner? If Didier was more clear about the source of his data, I would have been more convinced but as a futbol (soccer for my fellow Americans) fan, I still stand by the World Cup being a bigger even than the Olympic Games.

The last part of the day was dedicated to visiting the Olympic Research Center. Here, two women on staff helped us go through the different sections of the library to be better able to find the books that we need for our research papers. Another woman who works in the archives section of the library showed us a document from when the Winter Olympics were in Lake Placid. A letter was written by the Senator of New York, who at the time was Franklin D. Roosevelt. We all thought that was pretty interesting. The size of the archives was very impressive considering they throw out the majority of things that they get.

Today was the busiest day so far. I couldn't possibly be able to write about everything that happened but if we are taking away anything from this day, its that I will support FIFA even in an IOC conference room!

CAS, IOC, and the Research Center oh my! -Jeff Slawson

Our second day in Switzerland was probably our most meaningful day on this entire trip. We began our day by visiting the CAS (court of arbitration for sport), followed by the IOC (International Olympic Committee), and then finished it off with a visit to the Olympic Research Center. All of the places we visited gave us incredible insight into the business of not only the Olympics, but world wide organized sports as well. 

Brent Nowicki gave us our tour of the CAS as our first event. He went on to explain how the CAS is essentially an independent court system that works to resolve issues quickly for athletes. The problem that international athletes run into is that they will need an arbitration done quickly, because they need to be playing for the next day. They do not have time to wait for months or a year for a court date, they need quick results. The CAS will take a ruling that is being questioned by any sport that has an international federation, and then deliberate on the case to come to a conclusion within 24 hours. We were given examples of cases that they deal with such as player eligibility, and media rights. 

The CAS sees over 500 cases per year, and will deal with cases from sports like football (soccer for all you Americans) and curling. They are there to stand up for the athletes, and be an unbiased view. Unlike the NFL where the commissioner is the arbitrator, the CAS brings in three different "judges" to make the ruling more fair and controlled. 

After the CAS we ventured over to the IOC to have a presentation by the TMS (television, and marketing services). Holy acronyms. We are incredibly lucky to be given this opportunity as we are only one of about four schools in the world that are allowed to do this tour. In the presentation, we were briefed on the marketing strategy of the Olympics, and how they work to spread the brand of the Olympics. The interesting thing about the Olympics is that their brand is completely global. After learning about the work they do to complete the brand, we found out that the Olympic Rings logo is actually one of the most widely known logos in the world, and 93% of people recognize them, and their significance. 

We had the chance to speak to an Olympian who was at the Sochi 2014 Olympics for the women's bobsled who expertly told us what being an Olympian means. As an Olympian, Olympic Rings mean so much not only to the athletes or the individuals who work for the IOC, but to the world and competitive sports. These Olympians stand for hard work and determination, and for that short time are huge roll models to millions across the world. 

Once our time at the IOC was done, we went to the Olympic Research Center to take a look at their massive collection. All of the material they have, if it was laid out, would span over 1 km. Our tour guide thought it would be cool to grab some papers from when New York was lobbying for the Olympics, and happened to stumble upon a letter from then Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt with his signature at the bottom. The woman said this happens very often as only about 40% of the materials have been catalogued. I feel bad for the interns. 

Today was an absolutely exhausting day with an early wake up and a lot of guest speakers. Each speaker, however, gave us a different view of the Olympics. It's nice to see the Olympics as an actual business entity, instead of just games and medals. 

Open Day in Switzerland

Today was a very calm and relaxing day for the group. After a full day yesterday, professor Ryan gave us an open day minus some time at the Olympic Research Center. Most of the group took the opportunity to catch up on sleep and do laundry despite the absence of Lazybones. Now we don't have to hear about how bad we smell when we come home next week!

After laundry, we made our way to the Research Center to meet with Professor Ryan about our paper topics as well as do some research on the topics. We spent about an hour and a half at the center, which is a beautiful facility filled with documentaries, books, and everything you need to know about the Olympics. They even have the bid books from the cities that did not host the Olympics, but were in the running i.e. New York 2012. There was a really interesting documentary about the 1936 Berlin Olympics, made by German film maker Leni Riefenstahl, who Hitler used as form of German and Nazi propaganda. The way the movie was shot was extremely pro-German. For example, whenever a German athlete was participating, there was no volume during the actual act, but a lot of cheers before and after. It was very interesting to see the way in which it was shot. 

After time at the Research Center, we made our way down to the park for a cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres. We were going to have a picnic, but it was too windy to cook and we were not sure if it was going to rain. However, we had a great time relaxing and hanging out as a group. We even had some visitors by the names of Swan and Duck. They didn't stay too long and tried to eat our food so we made them leave. After roughly an hour and a half, we made our way back to the hotel and most of us got Chinese food for dinner, which was pretty good.

Today was a calm and much needed day. Everyone recharged their batteries and are ready for the rest of the trip both mentally, physically, and clothes-wise. Tomorrow we are going to make our way down to the Olympic Museum, which should be very interesting. Tomorrow is also the most special day of the trip - Professor Ryan's birthday! He is finally legal to drink! 

Free Day In Switzerland

May 21, 2015

It's a beautiful day in Switzerland and what better time to post a blog than on a free day. I think the most exciting part about today was being able to sleep in until noon. After being well rested the group went to the Olympic Library in order to discuss the topics of our papers in depth. Professor Ryan took time out and thought of individual topics for everyone to do based on their career goals and personalities which we all appreciated very much. After being students for a while, everyone branched off to get lunch. Pamela and I got on the train and went to the Lausanne-Gar stop and ate at Vapiano (which has the best pasta in the world FYI). Later on around 6 pm, we all went down by the water and had a mini picnic where we enjoyed the view of the Alps Mountains and almost getting attacked by beautiful swans. The guys (especially Rob and Brendan) were trying very hard to hit the balls floating in the water and although they had a few close ones, they just did not count lol! The funniest part about today was Cady and Ethan racing one another and Ethan surprising Cady by being very fast and leaving her in the dust. For dinner some went had Chinese, others had Pad Thai and I had ice cream! I was still so full from the pasta I had no room to eat another meal (one reason why it is the BEST pasta in the WORLD)! Tomorrow we go back to having things to do but it was nice to have a day that insisted of sleeping (which doesn't happen too often) and still hanging out as a group! Can't wait for what tomorrow has in store for us! Until my next post America!

-Taylor Mone

Paris Day Two- Jeff Slawson

Day two of Paris began with an early morning wake up, and a short metro trip to The University of Paris. The University of Paris is the third oldest university in the world behind Oxford and Bologna, making it full of history. The University brings relevance to us and our trip because it is home to the first International Olympic Committee meeting in 1894. Essentially, this place was the reason for our whole trip. 

Pierre de Coubertin decided back in 1894 that he desired to bring the Olympics to a world wide scale, and to make them more professional. He brought together multiple sports officials from different countries in order to set up universal rules on each sport. His hidden agenda, however, was to discuss the possibility of making the Olympic Games an annual event. Coubertin would eventually succeed, and in 1896 the world saw the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. 

In our tour, we were given the opportunity to see the exact meeting room that these talks took place, and the auditorium in which guest speakers would talk to all of the members of the conference. While our tour guide only spoke French with some broken English mixed in, our personal translator formally known as Professor Ryan, or P-Ry for short, got us through the tour, and allowed us to understand the relevance of the campus. 

After our campus tour had finished, we walked for what to me seemed like the equivalent of a fortnight. The walk took us from the campus, all the way to the Louvre. On the way to the Louvre, we stopped at the Chapel at Notre Dame, an incredible building to look at, and even more so on the inside. Walking around the Notre Dame I truly began to wonder how they were capable of building that huge chapel with no modern tools or scaffolding. I mean I can barely change a lightbulb in 2015, and in 1163 they were building a 226 foot tall chapel. 

Once we left Notre Dame, we headed towards the Louvre to study some of their Greek exhibit, and also to see their main attraction the Mona Lisa. The Greek exhibit provided us a very unique look at some of the parts of Greece that are relevant to our trip, and the Olympics.

The biggest disappointed to me was actually the world famous Mona Lisa. While the painting was phenomenal, I believe the other art within the Louvre is just as impressive. Simply turning around would provide you with a painting just as great. 

London Day 4

Going off of Sara's post, Charlie Foreman was great. He was very interesting to listen to and had a lot to offer about the logistics, planning, and aftermath of the 2012 games. Professor Ryan talked about how he uses London as his example of what to do after the Olympics and the group got a very good understanding of why after speaking with Charlie. Following the end of the games, London used the village where the athletes stayed for civilian housing. Not only that, but the Government paid some of the money, providing an opportunity for the locals that they would not usually receive, which has bettered the economy. 

Another example of what London has done so well after the games is the building of the new West Ham stadium, which is taking the place of the Olympic Stadium. West Ham and Tottenham were the two teams bidding for the new stadium, but West Ham was awarded the rights. Foreman did not talk about this too much, but it reflected how well London has handled its economy following the games, using them as a springboard for change and innovation throughout the city. 

After our time with Charlie, we went to Borough Market for lunch, which was regarded as one of the coolest experiences we had as a group in London. It was really interesting to see how the locals interacted and the atmosphere and food were great. It was essentially a farmer's market. They had everything from sandwiches, cheese, bread, olive oil, fruit, to dessert. Wegmans should seriously consider buying some food from there (just kidding, but not really). After lunch, we walked along the Thames River down to the London Eye. It was beautiful outside so we took a leisurely stroll, capturing photos of the scenery as well as watching some street performers. We decided the line was too long to go on the London Eye so we walked to see Big Ben. After taking photos by Big Ben, some of which will probably be someone's profile picture on Facebook or at the very least a worthy Instagram post, we went back to the hotel for some downtime before dinner. Overall, it was a great day between Charlie, the sightseeing, and the weather.