If you peek inside Mike Beagley’s suitcase on his way overseas, you might be surprised by one of his must-haves — peanut butter.
Beagley has traveled enough to know what’s hard to find, so crunchy Jif always makes the trip with him. Peanut butter is also a favorite for many of the athletes he supports, including those headed to Italy for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics that begin Feb. 7.
“Our athletes love peanut butter, and it is very hard to find out of this hemisphere,” he says.
Olympic moments are made well before they actually happen, and the “team behind the team” has been on a multiyear journey — just like the athletes they support — before the Olympics start.
Supporting Team USA
As the Director of Sport Venues and High Performance Centers for the U. S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, Beagley’s task is twofold. First, he oversees the sport venues at the Colorado Springs Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, which means anything where training takes place, from the pool to the boxing ring. Second, his high-performance duties mean he is responsible for the setup and operation of the Summer Games high performance center, which is built in each host city to mimic or duplicate the operation at home.
“We want the athletes to know that all the resources they need to compete will be there,” Beagley says. “We’re there weeks in advance, preparing in the city for the biggest moment of their lives.”
Games planning starts as early as eight or more years in advance, depending on when the host city is announced. USOPC staff visit the country to get the lay of the land, explore potential venues and even lock in contracts for needs like housing and the high performance center.
For Director of Summer Games Daniel Smith, that means contracts are already in motion for the 2032 Games in Brisbane, Australia.
“We don’t just show up to the Olympics ready to go,” Smith says. “We have a strategic buildup of partners, allocating access to different people.”
Overcoming a Variety of Challenges
Every country is different, with varying rules surrounding labor laws, food allowed into the country, transportation systems and more. Plus, there are International Olympic Committee standards to meet inside the village, where athletes stay during the games.
Winter Olympics offer different challenges than summer. This year, for example, events will take place in two different cities, a five-hour drive apart, through potential winter weather. Cortina only has one ice rink.
“It’s hard to go in and secure a mountain,” Beagley says.
Certain sports and equipment can make for tricky travel. For the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, athletes that travel with firearms needed to have their rifles and pistols processed. It only took six hours. When Beagley told the athletes the wait time, they responded, “That’s it? We’ll be out in no time.”
Paralympic athletes often travel with multiple chairs that need to fit on an airplane. Classifications can also cause issues — for example, whether or not a javelin is a weapon.
“The goal is that we don’t want athletes stressing about anything,” Beagley says.
Smith’s job title may say Summer Games, but he’ll be in Italy too. In charge of the Milan athlete village, he’ll support colleague Lynn Wentland who, as Games Director, is in charge of the entire U.S. delegation and the five separate villages between the two cities.
As the Games approach, the focus shifts to the athlete experience, as well as getting support staff trained in their often very specialized roles.
“We are there to support Team USA in an ongoing way,” says Smith. “It’s a competition with no days off. But we’re up for the challenge.”
Athlete support comes both inside and outside the village “bubble.” Here’s some of what is needed to make an Olympics and Paralympics run:
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- Strength and conditioning space and gym
- Dining
- Sports medicine clinic, including physicians, massage and sports psychology
- Athlete resource center and lounge
- Shipping and freight
- Ground and air transportation
- Housing
- Dieticians
- Ombudsman for potential disputes and anti-doping cases
- Logistics
- Medical teams
- Village operations
- Equipment and gear
- Nutrition
- Security
- Training
- Guests
- Sport performance
- Athlete safety
This list does not include the work to create a sense of home and community thousands of miles away. Pallets of Diet Coke, board games and other entertainment and even the feel and branding of Team USA spaces are all curated. National Governing Bodies, sport-specific partners with the USOPC, bring their own staff as well.
“It’s quite a footprint,” Smith says. “We have athletes’ backs before they even arrive.”
Every Day Is Game Day
Some support staff may be “in country” between four to six weeks. But the Paralympic Games start around two weeks later, so people like Smith may be there for support for eight to 12 weeks.
“They’re long days,” Beagley says. “Attending the Games is a privilege, but it comes with high expectations and often 15- to 16-hour days. We need to take care of each other, and there’s been a heightened sensitivity to that over the past 15 years or so.”
The size of the sport and number of athletes dictates the size of their respective support teams. For Paris 2024, about 600 athletes were supported by around 200 staff, Beagley says.
With qualifying winding down but not quite complete, 170 athletes from 34 states have qualified for the 20 Olympic and Paralympic sports at the Milan Cortina Games. Qualification pathways and timing differ depending on the sport.
Back in Colorado Springs, the Training Center remains open for summer athletes, who are thinking about World Cups, championships, qualifiers and even the Youth Olympic Games. According to Beagley, between 8,000 and 10,000 athletes a year come and go — some multiple times. About 70% of Colorado Springs OPTC athletes compete in summer sports.
The casual Olympic and Paralympic fan may think of the enterprise as a once-every-four-years occurrence. But there’s a saying around the OPTC: It’s not every four years, it’s every day.
Experience the Olympic Spirit Firsthand in Colorado Springs
If you want to act on your own Olympic fever in Colorado Springs, plan a visit to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center and/or the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. See all the details here, including how you can get a combined ticket to both locations.
“It’s great to visit during the Games,” says Beagley. “There’s just a different energy.”
And there is a full schedule of events at the USOPM that includes the Downtown Winterfest, athlete meet and greets and other special events. Check it out here.
Learn more about Team USA and its athletes here.
