Stoli with a twist...

Whew! The Sochi Olympics are history now and we got through the Games without a major incident. Unfortunately, the terrorists made their impact and kept a lot of international visitors away. The construction is still going on around the city and it is expected to continue for some time. But in spite of the many drawbacks, at the end of the Games, the sun was shining.

The best news is that in the final days the Russian organizers heeded our advisory committee's urging and focused on the athletes. The Olympic Park was a fortress and security was at the highest level possible. Once inside, you were about as safe as you could be in these circumstances.The crowds in the final days were mostly nearby Russian visitors and they had much to cheer about.  The athletes all received excellent benefits from their community hosts and the organizing committee. There was little they weren't afforded and it showed. Ultimately, it's the athletes who are the test. If they're happy then everyone feels good.

So our group suggested a twist for the closing ceremonies. I could say "spin" but there are bad connotations to that term in the PR world. The Games needed a positive close after a very rough start so we suggested to our Russian Olympic friends that they should carefully craft any statements about the success of the Games that were made publicly by the officials. We call them "qualifiers"...by adding or excluding words that keep you from overstating the situation.

Because of the clear athlete focus I just mentioned, "These were the athletes' games" became our key message for the closing. We were confident that the athletes would back up that statement. And as far as the event itself was concerned "Russia delivered what all it had promised" was the strongest claim we could make because you can argue for a long time about what those promises were and who made them. But there's no doubt that the Russians pulled it off.

The head of the local organizing committee Dmitry Chernyshenko and IOC President Thomas Bach reinforced those messages in their very calculated remarks at the closing ceremony. Chernyschenko is a native of Sochi and was very emotional about the transformation of his city from a barren field to an awesome Olympic Park by the sea in seven years. That shows a human side of the Russian personality that is not always out front. Russia and its leaders still have lots to prove on the world stage but on the sports field, they've gained our respect...right down to their medal count win, which they deserve.

With over 3,000 journalists in attendance, no stone could really go unturned. And there was a faction that wanted the Russians to fail. There were plenty of rocks being thrown during the entire process, from the construction problems ahead of time to security, cell phones, protests and even the weather. All in all though, the Games were well played. Even if their president went to any length necessary to make sure these Games happened there, the Russian people had much to be proud of and I am pleased to say that my committee helped them express that to the world.

Work on my 11th Olympic outing was really a roller coaster ride. From a very tense and confused beginning to an exciting celebratory finish, every day we encountered new and challenging situations. Coming up with answers and suggestions in front of my new computer on Skype made me feel a bit like a local reporter giving updates on the devastating east coast storms from the "news center" just 15 feet away from the anchor desk. But thanks to this new world of communications we live in, I was there.

Playing even a minor role in the messaging for this Olympics makes me proud.  I'm wearing my Sochi ball cap now but I'm told there is a Ushanka (one of those black furry Russian hats)on its way to me that I will cherish and promise to wear when it snows. Having this edition of the global games be a safe one was a very heart-warming experience. Now for that ice-cold Stoli...with a twist.

"Guaranteed to be safe"

Sounds like a TV ad for an oven cleaner.  But it's the message that the Sochi Olympic Organizing Committee wants to distribute as the opening ceremonies are literally underway."Guaranteed to be safe."

Part of our daily gatherings (I'm sitting in on Skype for security reasons) is to talk about messaging.  What is the story about the games that we want to get out to public each day? The longest portion of today's call was focused on the safety of those attending.  The numbers are down dramatically.  If any event at most Olympics is sold out, it's the Opening Ceremonies. Thousands of tickets are either unsold or unused for that event this time. Hotel rooms are vacant and airline seats are being cancelled.

This event is having a very rough start. Infrastructure, venues, transportation and security are all in disarray. And now that media has arrived from around the world, all the problems, little and big, are becoming public.I argued vehemently against the committee making a "guarantee" statement. Even if there is no problem, and no one wants that to be the case more than me, guaranteeing safety is a challenge to the threats. I gave them several other options to put in the messaging. "Maximum security measures are in place." "The safety and well-being of all attending is our primary concern" But the public pressure is just too strong for the Russians to low key this.  They feel that they have to make a bold statement. And I'm afraid this is going to be it.

The athletes are my main concern. They now have less freedom than the animals in most zoos. They're stuck in their rooms until their competition. Then there is an armed escort for them to and from. There is some movement around the village but it's limited. This event should be the time of their lives...not "jail" time.The Olympics is about them. What a shame.

Also remember that this is a media event for the millions of us watching from afar. The media should therefore be catered to in the best way possible. Right now, many of them don't have hotel rooms and few have internet or computer access in the media center. They're on their own...and that's not good.

This could all change, if the organizers start listening and trying to put themselves in the place of those attending. Messaging becomes a crucial element of the strategy now that the Olympics are up and running. Thus far, I can tell you that the Chinese in Beijing were better listeners. I'm not the only one giving them advice and the majority of us strategists are on the same page. Hopefully things will calm down a bit over the opening weekend. Just remember, there are no guarantees. We can only hope for the best. And don't miss NBC's 30-minute lead-in to the opening ceremonies.  It's an eye-opener. And there's a faux-pas that's all the talk online already.

Olympic Lockdown

Sochi was not expected to be a problem for the Olympics. Nice little seaside town on its way to being a real resort. The Winter Olympics came along and the government started pumping money into the town like it was Dawson City during the Gold Rush.

Security has always been an issue for the 10 Olympiads where I have played a role. It seemed like London was going to be difficult until the government there rallied law enforcement and the military and the Games ultimately came off without any significant glitches. Others like Atlanta were surprises that were dealt with in a reactionary way. But now we’re encountering something new that is a clear sign of our fragile times…direct threats and intelligence that confirms the potentially deadly prospects.

 

My weekly conference calls with organizers were filled with terrorism discussion, even before the Volgograd bombings. One important piece of the discussions has been the strong suspicion that these threats are targeted.  Not indiscriminate public places but specific targets such as corporate meetings, visiting dignitaries, athletes and even athlete’s families. Some countries are now considering staying home altogether. Athletes families have been strongly cautioned about the potential danger of attending.

Our most recent call turned its attention to those of us working for the Games. Many assignments are on-site where the competitions are being held. Much of what I have been asked to do over the years is behind the scenes, in meeting rooms and hotels surrounding the venues. The decision has now been made to do any job remotely that can be done effectively that way. The organizers don’t want to endanger the working group nor do they want to divert the prime security efforts away from the athletes and venues in any way.

This is the right decision. Safety first. But I am disappointed that I will miss spending time with my good friend Viktor Yazykov who was a competitor in our around the world sailing race. A native of Sochi, he is former Russian Army Special Forces involved directly in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. And he really knows how to drink vodka. However, as one might say, I would rather live to drink another day, than to be looking over my shoulder all the time and cringing each time I step up to turn on the computer in the media center.

As we discussed on the call, this is one of those times where the need for assistance away from the problem is essential. I won't be on the ground like in this 2010 screenshot, where I was talking to Jane as she was watching the live coverage on the east coast. I’ll be Skyping and watching streaming feeds from all the venues. We all want these Games to be safe but the threats are real and we’re told that the “Black Widows” that we have read about are likely to already be inside the city. And it’s not a stretch to think that they will target families because they’ve lost their own.  I’ll give you some periodic updates. There will undoubtedly be new wrinkles to this story every day. My 11^th Olympics are going to be most unusual.