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Play, download and edit the free video Volume 18, Ralph Ord, Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics Legacy Interview Project 2000-2020, interviewed 11 Sept 2020.

Welcome to Vol. 18 of the Sydney Games 21-year-anniversary interview project. This time I am with Ralph Ord, who was one of the leaders in the Venue Management team of Darling Harbour. Ralph went on to be a leader of at least 20 more global sporting events -- Olympics, Paralympics, Goodwill Games, Asian Games, and World Cup amongst the lot.

Ralph and I have a terrific conversation about the leadership, Games-wide collaboration and team effectiveness lessons that our 3000 employees, 50,000 volunteers and 70,000 contractors learned that have lasted them a lifetime.

My own career in leadership development was ignited (ok, ok) by the Games -- and I have been working in that area for the last two decades. I actually learned (almost) all that I know about leadership and teams from the Olympics (well, and maybe just a little bit from the corporate world).

Darling Harbour as a venue you say? Yes!!!

Although the Sydney 2000 Games is sometimes equated only with Sydney Olympic Park with its 9 competition venues and multiple non-competition venues . . . 15 sports . . . 400,000 spectators at peak . . .

. . . there were actually 17 other competition venues/21 sports across Sydney and a stadium in each of Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, and Melbourne for football (a.k.a. "soccer" for those of us who are unrefined).

Add 75 training venues that the athletes prepared for the Games all over Australia . . .

and 30 complex "non-competition venue" -- including Sydney Airport, Accreditation/Uniform Centre, Sponsor Hospitality centres, IOC Hotel, the International Broadcasting Centre, the Main Press Centre, Logistics Centre, Main Command Centre, Police Command Centre . . oh did I mention the Athletes Village for 10,000 athletes serving 60,000 meals a day -- and the Technical Officials' Village and the Press Village, the Bus Depots, the City Live sites such as the Opera House and Martin Place . . . and on and on and on.

ANYWAY -- let's get back to Darling Harbour, which harboured (apologies) boxing, fencing, judo, weightlifting, wrestling, and volleyball. This was the set of venues for which Ralph was one of the leaders in the Venue Management team

Join me with Ralph Ord -- one of those incredible global games gypsies who have spread the Sydney 2000 Games Legacy all over the world as we will continue to do . . . until perhaps the Brisbane 2032 Games takes over as the "best Games ever."

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