2018 Winter Olympics
The Business Behind the Olympics
How it Relates to Human Resources and Business Strategies
Every two years we witness the dramatic spectacle of the highest performers in their sport competing for the glory of their country. However, the Olympics are rarely only about sports. It is filled with drama, emotion and often riddled with controversy. The Olympics are an event where most stories and headlines relate to HR policy and the consequential decisions human resources professionals make every day.
REBRANDING STRATEGY:
Pyeongchang's Winding Path From Obscurity to Olympic Fame
In time, South Korea embraced Pyeongchang’s bid for the Games as its own. The nation’s leaders were eager to build global prestige and saw the Winter Games as a chance to become one of only a handful of countries that have hosted a “trifecta” of international sports events.

“The happiest thing about the Olympics is that when foreigners see the Games taking place here, we can shake off our stigma as a dangerous place.”

CORRUPTION AND TERMINATION:
Russia Banned From Winter Olympics
Russia’s Olympic team has been barred from the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The country’s government officials are forbidden to attend, its flag will not be displayed at the opening ceremony and its anthem will not sound.
Any athletes from Russia who receive special dispensation to compete will do so as individuals wearing a neutral uniform, and the official record books will forever show that Russia won zero medals.

WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT CONCERNS:
EXTREME COLD AND HYPOTHERMIA CONCERNS
Pyeongchang gets so cold in the winter that it could pose a threat for everyone involved.

Six people were treated for hypothermia at a recent concert held at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, which is open-aired.



NOROVIRUS OUTBREAK AND WORKER QUARANTINE
About 1,200 people working security at the PyeongChang Olympics are being kept in their rooms  while they're tested for norovirus .

Lee Hee-beom, chairman of the Pyeongchang Olympics organizing committee, said Tuesday that they'll be sequestered until they're declared well.


TALENT MANAGEMENT:
Plenty of Reasons for NHL to Pass on Olympics
The NHL has been shutting down its season in February -- a time of year when it isn't competing with football or baseball -- and lending its players to someone else's tournament. 
In December, the NHL polled fans in Canada and the United States to ask if they favored a 17-day break in the schedule for the Olympics. In Canada, 53 percent of avid fans were against it even though Canada would be defending the gold medal. In the United States, 73 percent were against it.

THE AGE GAP:
The Youngest and Oldest Olympians in Pyeongchang
The age gap between the oldest Olympian and youngest Olympian at the 2018 Winter Olympics is 36 years.

UNIQUE BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS:
NBC is Using Netflix to Advertise the 2018 Olympics

Netflix is a lot of things, but it’s usually not a place for television networks to advertise their programming...

Netflix says it’s helped other traditional TV shows grow their live audiences, and NBC may be testing that theory with their Olympics. 


DAVE BAKER'S TAKE:
"There are more than 170 countries competing in this year’s games. Each country sends their best athletes in what to me is the purest form of Human Resources. Only the best get through via a rather simple form of Performance Management. You do better than everyone else in that you are competing against and you get to go compete against a lot of other individuals who did the same thing for their organizations. You could insert country, team, organization, association, or even company here if you’d like, but each of them is sending their best. 
This also points to a critical HR skill- the science of recruitment and selection. When everything is all said and done it’s a little simpler than most people understand. Define exactly what the ideal candidate looks like, including skills, training, education, and demonstrated history of success (you might call it a resume here…) and evaluate each individual against a set of standards that you expect them to perform against and a set of goals you expect the position to achieve while that individual is in that particular role. The problem with this ‘science of selection’ is that most hiring managers don’t define the job, or the skills knowledge, education or experience and worse, don’t set goals for the position to accomplish before the person is hired – and then when they hire someone that doesn’t live up to those expectations – they blame it on the individual – instead of their lack of recruitment and selection discipline."

GOOD LUCK TO PITTSBURGH'S LOCAL ATHLETES!
John Henry Krueger, Pittsburgh PA
Short Track Speedskating

From Swine Flu to South Korea


When he saw a doctor the next day, Krueger learned that not only was he infected with swine flu, but he was also highly contagious. He couldn’t risk skating in that day’s 500m race. His chances of making the 2014 Olympic team were gone.


Ryan Zapolski, Erie PA
Men's Ice Hockey

Erie Man Overcomes Adversity to Realize Olympic Dream

It’s an opportunity Zapolski, a graduate of Cathedral Preparatory School and Mercyhurst University, repays through his work on and off the ice, because he has been underestimated at nearly every stage of his hockey life...Now he is the projected starter in net for Team USA.