The Olympic Games are finally here! With all eyes on London, most people are thinking about the games, the ceremonies, and the heroic stories. We learn how athletes struggle against adversity, rising to victorious levels of human achievement. But as the athletes beat the odds and deliver ‘the goods’ for their countries, few stop to remember the logistics professionals who are doing the same.
The logistics industry plays a vital role in making the Olympic Games a success. It’s no easy feat to transport equipment, products, athletes, workers, and attendees. Nearly 15,000 athletes, 21,000 accredited members of the press and 11 million spectators will be in London during the duration of the games.
It’s estimated that congestion within London has increased by 30%, while average driving speeds on key routes dropped to just 12mph. Journeys through Greater London take approximately 20% longer, with routes through the Core Games Network (the artery roads in the city) taking at least 30% longer.
Consider a few of these daunting Summer Olympics logistics statistics:
- More than 30 million items were transported to the Olympic Games. UPS reported shipping 4,283 whistles, 600 basketballs, 26,400 tennis balls, 15,000 computers and a couple hundred thousand chairs for the Olympic Games.
- 766 miles of fabric were used for Olympic workers’ uniforms.
- One million square feet of warehouse space was needed for logistics.
- There were more than 15,000 deliveries by a fleet of 300 trucks.
- Over the course of the Games, more than 14 million meals consisting of 25,000 loaves of bread, 232 tons of potatoes, 82 tons of seafood, 31 tons of poultry items, 100 tons of meat, 75,000 liters of milk, 19 tons of eggs, 21 tons of cheese, and 330 tons of fruit/vegetables will be prepared in the Olympic Village. The 24/7 on-site McDonald’s can seat 5000 people at any one time. Just think about moving all of that trash!
- 2,500 tent unit were trucked in and set up for the Games. That equates to approximately 2.5 million square feet of tenting–enough to cover all of Hong Kong.
- 10,000 tons of steel were used in the construction the Olympic Stadium.
Here a just a few ways the logistics industry coped with these unique challenges:
- Companies scheduled drivers for nighttime deliveries between 12am and 6am.
- Garbage pickup was also changed to nighttime service.
- Rollerbladers were recruited to allow package deliveries to continue to business in closed/restricted areas.
- Special Games Lanes were created on the roads, and traffic lights were altered to account for Olympic traffic.
- Businesses collaborated to share and stagger deliveries; some stockpiled inventory in advance of the Games.
While the athletes break records and crush previous statistics, I can’t help but marvel at these numbers and the triumph of modern logistics behind the transport, supply and waste services making all of this possible.
This weekend, ‘Go for the Gold’ in relaxation,
Bob
