More Interesting People on the Bus

Last night, I met another interesting person on the bus. I had walked past this girl on the way to catch my shuttle, asking a security guard how to get in to Whistler Village. I happily jumped in and offered to help take her there with me.

Turns out she works for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), based out of Germany. There, has done marketing and communications for the IPC for the past 2 ½ years. For these games, as well as the Summer Games in Beijing, her role involves doing uniform and logo compliance, and well as media requests and scheduling.

Her jobs include:

-       -checking each country for uniform standards; making sure no sponsor logos are on it, graphic ratios are correct- then making recommendations. She has told me that any team uniforms I see that have duct tape over parts (I have) have been required to because of her. (The other day in the laundry centre, a whole team came in to iron duct tape over the Adidas stripes down the side of their pants.. Now I know why!)

-       -Doing checks of ALL Whistler and Vancouver venues to ensure that no Olympic rings remain, and have been replaced by the Paralympic ‘swoosh’. She said she has not had much trouble with this. I agree. For about two days last week, all maintenance trucks were out replacing EVERYTHING Olympic in the village.

-       -Telling photographers and TV crews where they and where they cannot be for coverage. She also does their schedules and helps them get to events

-       -Sends out press releases

It sounds like a really neat job, even though it seems like she is (technically) the party pooper of the Paralympics.

She completed an undergraduate degree in sports marketing in Germany.  To all those health studies/kinesiology/Phys. Ed Majors out there… Work for the IPC!!!