Executives Work to Keep Special Olympics on Track

0
Executives Work to Keep Special Olympics on Track
Fired Up: Patrick McClenahan at a May torch-lighting ceremony in Athens.

Thousands of athletes and hundreds of thousands of spectators will take over Los Angeles next week for the Special Olympics World Games – by far the biggest sporting event here since the 1984 Olympics. Beginning July 25, athletes from 177 countries will compete in events such as basketball, golf, gymnastics and cycling, bringing crowds to venues from Westwood to Long Beach. Along with athletes and coaches, organizers expect to host 30,000 volunteers and as many as 500,000 spectators. Members of the board of directors for the event – Special Olympics World Games 2015 Chief Executive Patrick McClenahan; Bank of America greater Los Angeles President Raul Anaya; Southern California Permanente Medical Group Executive Medical Director Dr. Edward Ellison; Deloitte & Touche Los Angeles Managing Partner Michelle Kerrick and AEG Worldwide Chief Revenue Officer Todd Goldstein – spoke with the Business Journal about how the Special Olympics has become such a huge event and the challenges of hosting the games.

Question: How has the Special Olympics been able to grow into a large-scale event over the years despite not having as much commercial success as the Olympics?

McClenahan: I don’t think of it as commercial. I think of it as a real value proposition for advertisers. The program itself has grown to be the largest sports organization in the world, with 4.4 million athletes and 180 countries, so part of the reason why this has become such a big event for Los Angeles is because it’s become a big organization and event around the world.

Ellison: It’s very personal for most people. I think anyone you talk to knows someone – a family member, friend or co-worker – who has an intellectual disability.

Goldstein: I think there’s a great opportunity for individuals to come in and contribute in a way that’s different and better than what you could with a more commercialized Olympic Games.

What’s gone into planning the nine-day event?

Kerrick: When an athlete is notified they’ve been selected to participate, what does that look like? Is it an email communication? What do they need do to get ready for the games? When they’re coming into Los Angeles, who is going to greet them? What kind of transportation do you need?

Anaya: This is going to be the largest sporting event in L.A. since the ’84 Olympics – that’s more than 30 years ago. It’s having (people) understand and appreciate the size and scale of what is going to take place. And like everything in L.A., it’s going to be big and sophisticated.

What has been the biggest hurdle so far?

Kerrick: Fundraising. I think with large-scale events, the closer you get, the more momentum and excitement. So, it’s as much about timing as it is about the dollars that are raised, but you’ve got to pay for everything upfront so that’s really the challenge.

Goldstein: Getting the right broadcast partner that would articulate what this can be and have the biggest megaphone. To get ESPN, which was not easy, took us a little while, but to have someone with that much allure who is identified with elite sports I think was a real kudos to Patrick (McClenahan).

McClenahan: Special Olympics, the game, is really recognizable but people don’t realize exactly what it does and who it serves. Sometimes we get confused with Paralympics, which is for people with physical disabilities, and this is intellectual. So once you go through the process of educating and showing who it serves and how it’s grown around the world and how big it’s become, then people’s eyes open.

What do you hope athletes and spectators will get out of the event?

Anaya: Considering the news the last few months, I think this is an opportunity for Los Angeles to showcase its acceptance of diversity and uniqueness of an individual.

Ellison: The idea of changing hearts and minds through acceptance and inclusion. We’re all different and this is a great example of celebrating individuals who have taken what they’ve been given and made the most of it with joy and gratitude. I think it’s a lesson we can all learn from.

No posts to display