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The numbers for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games are in: 2,800 athletes from 96 participating countries, 10,000 members of the media, 14,000 volunteers and 2.3 million visitors descended on the Canadian host city in February. The U.S. topped the list of total medals won, while Canada earned the most gold medals. Rock-It Cargo’s Sporting Events Team played a huge role in managing the transportation logistics for the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), a number of broadcasting networks, and other groups. Now that the proverbial “party” is over, they reflect on their own performances and what it meant to be part of the largest sporting event in the world.
The move-in prior to the Olympic Games was relatively uneventful. Rock-It handled air, ocean and truck shipments to Vancouver with little difficulty. Canadian customs procedures were smooth and orderly for the most part. There were significant delays, however, once the shipments reached the city. The number of local delivery vehicles to transport cargo to the various venues was insufficient and the security screening procedures caused major delivery backlogs. During the lockdown period (one month leading up to the games), all shipments were x-rayed prior to delivery into the city. Trucks and drivers were issued permits to access specific streets only and Vancouver authorities (VANOC) controlled all local deliveries through a truck marshalling system. What was normally a 30-minute delivery took up to five hours in some instances.
A symbol of the Olympic Games stands majestically near the top of Mt. Whistler in Vancouver, BC
Rock-It’s Olympic support team of fifteen was comprised of individuals from Los Angeles and Vancouver as well as freight specialists from Rock-It’s German and Chinese offices. In addition to the USOC, Rock-It worked directly with several of the U.S. teams including bobsled, luge, hockey, figure skating, curling, ski and snowboard, as well as all the teams for the Paralympics. They also handled cargo for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Colbert Report, David Atkins Enterprises (producers of the opening and closing ceremonies), China Centre Television (CCTV), and The Xinhua News Agency. In total, Rock-It shipped 50 truckloads of equipment from the U.S. and one charter vessel of broadcasting trucks. Rock-It Cargo China shipped 3 40’ containers of ocean freight and over 7,000 lbs. of airfreight. Rock-It Cargo Germany added to the total with several tons of airfreight.
After the closing ceremonies ended, what took months to execute before the games was compressed into one week. “The load out was chaotic; a physical impossibility characterized by severe truck shortages and gridlock,” says Rock-It’s Michelle Hayflich who headed up the Vancouver team. “The U.S. import procedures for the return shipments were much more difficult than the Canadian import procedures,” she adds. Her team members stayed primarily on the Canadian/U.S. border to push the shipments through as quickly as possible.
Despite some of the difficulties, Hayflich found the experience rewarding. “I found the Canadians very happy and proud. The local companies we worked with were thrilled to help once they realized it was for the Olympics. None of the sports teams had ever had the [Rock-It Cargo] hands-on experience before. Knowing that we took away the worry and confusion for them so they could focus of their teams was priceless. They were all so appreciative that it made all of our challenges worthwhile. I felt very accomplished at the end of this project ” she says.
Sonia Chak, who assisted Hayflich during the games, echoes those sentiments. "I truly enjoyed being a part of Rock-It Cargo’s Sporting Events Team. When I was watching the games on TV, it gave me a great sense of fulfillment knowing that I helped make it happen. I learned a lot about how much work it takes to set up something as big as the Olympics, and during my work there I met so many amazing people from all over the world. It was an experience I will truly never forget," she says.
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