READING REPORT

5 Sports chaplaincy at the Olympics and Paralympics Reflections on London 2012

Duncan Green 1

Introduction

On 6 July 2005 the awarding of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to London caught the imagination of the British people. During the following seven years, the UK public watched the progress of the development of the Games, debating such issues as the financial and personal cost and the potential benefits to the residents of East London. Many questions were raised, but in the end, the organizers delivered a Games which were described by the Interna- tional Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Jacques Rogge (at the closing cer- emony of the Paralympics) as ‘happy and glorious’. A surge of shared emotion had been released, allowing the nation to ‘express parts of themselves which are normally suppressed’ (Ellis, 2012: 181).

During the seven years leading up to the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics a team was built to undertake the essential detailed planning. This is the story of one small but significant part of that team: the involvement of the faith communities in both the planning and delivery of the Games, which created the infrastructure for a radical and innovative chaplaincy programme. Beginning with my appointment as the Church of England Olympics execu- tive coordinator in November 2007, it follows the development of my role, travelling with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and being appointed in July 2011 by LOCOG (on secondment from the Church of England) to be its head of multi-faith chaplaincy services. It describes how the chaplaincy service was delivered during the Olympics and Paralympics by members of the five major world faiths to people of every nation and faith: athletes (including coaches, team medical staff and administra- tors), workforce (all the LOCOG employees and the 70,000 volunteers), media centre (where the 5,800 accredited journalists and broadcasters worked) and even the general public. The unique and novel aspects of the London 2012 chaplaincy are highlighted.

My appointment

My career had seen me serve as priest and vicar in local church ministry, latterly as team rector and area dean at Saffron Walden in Essex and, for the period 1987

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to 1994, as youth officer of the diocese of Chelmsford. Involvement in a major sports event was an entirely new experience for which little in my previous roles had prepared me. In the latter part of 2006 the dioceses of Chelmsford (which included what was to become the Olympic Park), London, and South- wark agreed to recruit and fund an Olympic executive coordinator to be a senior appointment in the Church of England. When the job was advertised the bishop of Barking encouraged me to apply. I was appointed, and took up post on 1 November 2007. Whilst the job description gave me a wide-ranging and somewhat grandiose brief, I was sailing in uncharted waters.

It would have been possible for me to fulfil all that the job description demanded from the safe distance of my home office base, but from the begin- ning I believed that I would better meet the specific requirements of the post if I were located within LOCOG, sharing highs and lows, joys and sorrows with all who were now working under the pressure to deliver the best Games ever. I quickly realized that, if I were to have the influence I desired I would need to seek access not to those at the top of the organization but to those at the bot- tom. My modus operandi was a willingness to serve and to do jobs that no one else wanted to do.

While attending a meeting in late 2007 I came into contact with LOCOG’s community relations manager. It was just a chance conversation that devel- oped as we walked from the meeting venue to the underground station and then travelled together on the tube, a journey which was to have significant consequences. It had already become clear to him that, whilst the Olympic movement defined itself as being non-religious, engagement with the faith communities in the East End of London and beyond would be essential to the success of the Games, something he was finding difficult to do. As we talked, he realized that he was making the contact he needed and he asked me if the Church could second someone to LOCOG to take on the role of faith advi- sor, someone who would be able to advise LOCOG on how it could engage with the faith communities. In such a way is God’s Kingdom built: I saw an open door and instantly walked through it. I was delighted and replied that this was the job I had been appointed to do and that I would be only too pleased to assist.

From being an outsider seeking a way in, I now found myself in a pivotal position seconded to LOCOG as multi-faith advisor and a member of the LOCOG Community Relations/Community Engagement Team. Through me the Church and the faith communities could engage with the whole of LOCOG, and LOCOG could engage with the faith communities. Formally, I now had three roles: (1) I had been appointed by the bishop of Barking to co- coordinate the response of the Church of England to the Olympics and liaise with other churches and other faiths, (2) I had been seconded to LOCOG to be their faith advisor and to work with them on how the Olympics would relate to the faith communities and how the faith communities would relate to the Olympics, and (3) I had also been appointed by the bishop of Barking to liaise with More than Gold, the organization established to coordinate the churches’

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response to the Olympic Games, and I was invited to serve on its executive board. In this sense, I provided a significant link between More than Gold and LOCOG, each seeing me as its representative on the inside of the other.

Although I had a desk in LOCOG’s offices on the top floors of the Barclays Bank Building in London’s Canary Wharf, my appointment as multi-faith advi- sor required me to be there only one day per week. However, as well as having a specific job to do, I was also a priest who, ‘by his very presence, spoke of a spiritual dimension in life’ (Billings, 2010: 49), so it was natural for me to be around the office on most days. This kind of presence required a relationship that was both typical and unique: typical in the sense that it gave me the pas- toral, spiritual and prophetic presence within the organization which chaplains to schools and hospitals would recognize; unique in that, because I had not been appointed ‘chaplain to LOCOG’, there was no expectation that I would conduct services or say prayers in public or wear a dog-collar. I was there to do what needed doing. Through me the church was serving the organization. I was now able to begin to build ‘a presence within the structures’ of my new found surroundings (Slater, 2012).

One aspect of my job within LOCOG was to advise management on the requirements of the members of the faith communities as they became engaged with the Games. To help achieve this, at the beginning of 2008 I decided to invite the faith leaders to appoint representatives so that a Faith Reference Group (FRG) could be set up. The FRG developed into a key channel of communication. Because it was clear that its importance must be recognized by all the faiths and by LOCOG, the then archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, hosted its launch at Lambeth Palace with all the faith leaders present. LOCOG made a presentation of the plans for the Games, the archbishop gave his blessing, and the faith leaders gave their support. The archbishop’s interfaith officer continued to work closely with me.

The FRG acted as a point of contact and information on the requirements of the faiths on such matters as uniform, food, security and chaplaincy provi- sion, and LOCOG policies on these matters were developed with the advice of the group. As a result catering services ensured the provision of both kosher and halal food in a way that sensitively met the needs and concerns of the Jew- ish and Muslim communities respectively. As the games would be held during Ramadan, the FRG provided the essential forum for discussing with LOCOG the best way to provide for the needs of practising Muslims. It was planned that spectators and Games workforce would not be allowed to bring food into the official venues, but LOCOG management were aware that special provi- sion would need to be made for Muslims to bring in small amounts of food so that they could end their fasts. As a result of conversations with the FRG, it was agreed that ‘break of fast’ packs would be provided for athletes and for the workforce.

My relationships with the all the faiths through the FRG, my LOCOG appointment, and my position as a canon of Chelmsford Cathedral gave me the authority to speak on matters of faith. By the middle of 2011 I was deemed to

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be the natural person for LOCOG to put up to be interviewed by the London Evening Standard on how they were planning to respond to the needs of the Muslim community during Ramadan.

The members of the FRG brought with them an in-depth knowledge of the people of the East End of London, so they could not be ignored when they spoke up for those who were or might be marginalized. On their initia- tive, tickets for the Games were distributed to local children through their faith communities. They were able to channel the outrage of the East End com- munity that the marathon route had been changed so that they would not see the athletes on their streets. Although based with the Community Relations/ Community Engagement Team, I was able to relate to other parts of LOCOG. When it was suggested that faith rooms for athletes, staff and volunteers would not be necessary, I was able to work through the Diversity and Inclusiveness Team to make sure that places for prayer and quiet would be provided.

By 2009 I had become recognized in LOCOG as both a trusted friend and confidant and through the FRG the essential source and provider of expertise in relation to all matters of faith and the faith communities in the East End. It was now clear that the FRG’s advice and guidance would be invaluable in the planning and delivery of the Games themselves, particularly in relation to the delivery of chaplaincy services. While nowadays a religious centre and chaplaincy is an accepted part of the Olympics, the nature and extent of such provision varies from Games to Games because of the autonomy of the local organizing committee. In 2000, for example, the organizing committee had upset the local faith community by handing over responsibility for chaplaincy to the Sydney police chaplains (Tyndall, 2004). Chaplaincy in Athens 2004 was deemed to have worked well, but in Beijing 2008 the religious centre was staffed entirely by Chinese chaplains. The lack of accredited international chap- lains had provoked criticism, particularly from the American Olympic team (Cha, 2008).

In London we were determined to have a chaplaincy which reflected the diversity appropriate to a worldwide event, so adopting the model used in Beijing 2008 was not an option. By the end of 2009 it had become clear to me that (for the first time in the history of the Olympics) there was the potential for there to be chaplains not only to the athletes but also to the Games workforce, media centre, volunteers and out-of-London sites. I could see that LOCOG needed a manager for the faith area alongside the managers for security, catering and the villages. Early in 2010 in consultation with me a job description for the head of multi-faith chaplaincy services was written. Fol- lowing this a ‘concept of operations’ was produced, which set out plans for faith services at all the venues where the Games would take place and which will be passed on to the organizers of future Games. This encompassed a bold and wide-ranging vision, proposing a multi-faith chaplaincy service which would be for the overall care – and specifically the spiritual needs – of those of all faiths and none including space for prayer and worship in multi-faith centres for all of the nine faith communities in the UK inter-faith network and for

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others as required. Such a service would contribute to fulfilling the overall aim of the London 2012 Games in its bid promises of diversity and inclusion. In this sense chaplaincy would not merely provide religious services for religious peo- ple, but it would undergird the very heart of LOCOG’s bid to stage a Games which would reflect the richness of the UK’s multi-cultural and multi-faith society. The intention was that no place where athletes, officials, broadcasters and press, workforce or volunteers would be found should be outside the scope of the chaplains’ ministry. In each of the three Athletes Villages there would be a multi-faith centre with space for religious services for the respective faiths, a counselling room, a wash area for Muslims, shoe racks, an office area, reception and the provision of prayer books.

A high level of professionalism would be required of the chaplaincy man- agers during the Games to ensure that an efficient and reliable service was delivered 24-hours a day. They would keep records and produce reports, liaise with the village management team, work with LOCOG in the training of the chaplains of all faiths, and integrate chaplains into the Athletes Village commu- nity. They would also ensure that the multi-faith centre was furnished to the needs of each faith community and that the faith leaders were consulted on any matters of concern. All chaplains were expected to wear a version of the ‘Games Maker’ uniform which had the word ‘Chaplain’ inconspicuously located on the epaulettes. Epaulettes opened doors as people respected the chaplaincy badge of office that put chaplains on the same level as doctors and other professionals. An essential part of LOCOG thinking was that chaplains were an integral part of the village services team.

Chaplains reacted very differently to this integral role. Some international chaplains, who had served at other Olympic Games where chaplains had had a unique uniform which instantly identified them, felt that the designated attire presented a series of barriers in terms of relationship building. There was no possibility of chaplains having a separate uniform. LOCOG had decided that they were to be considered Games Makers: that is, part of the volunteer work- force behind the delivery of London 2012, albeit with a specific role. Hence, they had to wear the Games Maker uniform. Others experienced clear benefits from wearing the uniform. A local chaplain said she had found renewed free- dom in her ministry by being released from the clerical collar she had worn in the parish all her ministry. She had had to dig deep to find herself and as a result had been in touch with people as human beings and been invited into loca- tions from which other chaplains seemed to have found themselves excluded. Another emphasized the value of wearing the same uniform as everyone else: ‘For me, being part of a community on equal terms was vital’ (original emphasis). This particular individual went on to say that ‘the uniform was not a hindrance and actually encouraged one to introduce the meaning of being a man or woman of faith to those who we would engage with’. Another chaplain stated that ‘it helped to be recognized as a Games Maker but I felt we should have something [more] distinctive to point us out as chaplains – perhaps “chaplain” written across the back of our jackets’. The manager of the ‘roaming team’, Jeremy

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Fraser, found the dress requirements particularly difficult, feeling that he was often having to explain who he was to people, who had not seen the writing on the epaulette. On the other hand, he readily recognized the benefits of not having attire that marked out faiths separately which, he argued, ‘allowed us not to be “our faith” chaplains but “multi-faith” chaplains’. A Muslim chaplain said that her distinctive (Muslim rather than chaplain) dress had led to people contacting her for general help and that this had led to some relating to her as a chaplain. Of course, some cultures relate uniforms to notions of status, hierar- chy and authority and this may, at times, have presented itself as a barrier.

Chaplaincy management structure

The ‘concept of operations’ set out the criteria for the recruitment of chaplains, making clear what was needed to build a successful multi-faith team. Potential chaplains would be expected to have had, for example, previous experience of sports chaplaincy in an official capacity and ideally be able to speak at least one other language as well as English. They would be endorsed by their religious group or denominational leaders and would commit themselves to be available to fulfil the number of shifts required of chaplains before and during the Games. The aim was to build a balanced multi-faith team of chaplains who individu- ally had particular skills to offer. The vision of the first truly comprehensive Olympic Games chaplaincy service had finally come into focus. It made the creation of the post of head of multi-faith chaplaincy services essential. Over the years SCORE (now Sports Chaplaincy UK), had provided chaplaincy to many major sporting events, and might have been thought to be the body to organize chaplaincy at London 2012. However, the FRG had assumed from an early stage that I would take on this role having been involved since the begin- ning, and it was indeed the case that, while I was clear that it was not in my gift, I was inevitably becoming involved in the recruitment of chaplains through the volunteer scheme.

LOCOG’s trust in me, the depth of my knowledge and my vision for a comprehensive chaplaincy service made me the natural candidate for this role. In the spring of 2010 LOCOG agreed that I should be responsible for the delivery of the service, and I was appointed head of multi-faith chaplaincy ser- vices. This new role encompassed my previous responsibilities as faith advisor but added to it the task of developing the chaplaincy. I was now responsible to Nigel Garfitt, the director of Games services and villages. At the same time, I continued my original roles as Church of England Olympic coordinator and liaison with More than Gold on behalf of the Church of England. In due course John Boyers, chaplain to Manchester United and founder (and formerly national director) of SCORE was appointed manager of the main Olympic Village multi-faith chaplaincy centre. I had believed that a priestly ministry could be possible in this uniquely secular and officially religion-free setting and I was now in a position to set up the first Games-wide chaplaincy service in Olympic history.

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My LOCOG job description listed ten tasks: ten things necessary to deliver ‘the best chaplaincy service ever’. It emphasized the primacy of involving all the faith communities in the life of the Games and especially in the creation of multi-faith chaplaincy teams and it built in the detailed work that would be required to achieve this. Through me the Church of England would continue to develop its relationship with the Games, as I travelled the country encourag- ing dioceses to engage with the Olympics.

Lord Coe, chairman of LOCOG, was very supportive of my role and on 20 May 2012, nearly a year after my appointment as head of multi-faith chaplaincy services and just two months before the opening ceremony, he wrote to me recalling that seven years before, in his presentation to the IOC about why London should host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, he had spo- ken about how the diversity and vibrancy of our communities would positively influence the experience of the Games for athletes, spectators and visitors alike. He continued by saying that he knew that stimulating communities to join in would be one of our toughest challenges, and, in order for this to happen, we needed to find respected leaders within our communities. In a generous endorsement of what we had achieved up to this point, he then went on:

Due to your invaluable stewardship of both the Faith Reference Group and Faith Community Outreach Group we have succeeded at engaging with the main UK faith organisations and a number of localised faith groups to inspire them to join with us on this journey.

His closing paragraph further demonstrated the high regard in which he held my work and the importance of the role that I was now undertaking:

We were delighted when you joined us in the role of Multi-Faith Coor- dinator, building into Head of Chaplaincy, thus securing our engagement with faith communities. Thank you so much for the time, expertise and personal effort you have given to this. I am so grateful for everything you have contributed.

Whilst LOCOG had set specific limits on what I could achieve operationally, it had depended on me to define, create and prepare what was needed to deliver a successful chaplaincy service. It was now time to put all of that preparation into practice.

Recruitment, training and requirements

The recruitment of 162 chaplains had been in progress for some time. All came through the volunteer (Games Makers) recruitment programme and were then identified as potential recruits. All of those appointed were ordained and/or affirmed by the governing body of their faith group or denomination as being utterly suited to this task. It was important to appoint chaplains of a variety of

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faiths to serve all of the official venues: the three Olympic Villages, all of the competition venues as well as logistics and administration centres. Team leaders were appointed for each venue.

The chaplains brought with them a wide range of experience. International chaplains brought many contacts with athletes from their home countries. They would receive induction into the culture and expectations surrounding London 2012. Sports chaplains from the UK brought experience of chaplaincy with athletes in a variety of sports. Local chaplains, either brought previous experi- ences of chaplaincy or were regarded as having the approach and skills needed. It was essential that each chaplain had both a pastoral heart (simply enjoying ‘being’ with people to listen and care), and the ability to cope with any even- tuality (including an unexpected death), something which is not uncommon at such events. A fundamental requirement for recruits was that they understood that proselytizing, or even overt evangelizing, was not permitted in the Olympic movement and that any such activity could affect the chaplain’s accreditation.

We decided to recruit a significant number of international chaplains for the Olympics and the Paralympics. In the end 19 international Olympic chaplains were accredited: five from Europe, four from USA, three from Latin America, two from Asia, and two from Oceania covering all continents of the world and with native speakers in Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Norwegian, Portu- guese, Spanish, Swahili in addition to several local or tribal languages. There were seven accredited international chaplains at the Paralympics: three from the USA and one each from Argentina, Australia, Kenya and Switzerland. Inter- national chaplains were recruited with the help of J. Stuart Weir and Ashley Null of the Major Events Chaplaincy Committee (MECC) which identified chaplains who had served at previous Olympics or equivalent sports events. The MECC, the network which coordinates the application and recommendation process for Protestant chaplains to major sports events on behalf of the inter- national sports ministry movement, had recommended the 19 chaplains from over 50 applicants on the grounds of experience and contacts with current Olympians in addition to geographical distribution and language skills. The MECC also coordinated accommodation, supplied UK mobile telephones, and provided other practical help for the overseas chaplains.

All chaplains were required to attend a day’s training run by John Boyers and me, with the aim of providing all that they would need to perform their role effectively and sensitively. The training, which took place a few days before the Olympics (and Paralympics) started, emphasized the importance of each chap- lain working cooperatively and respectfully with other chaplains as a member of a multi-faith (not inter-faith) team whilst also representing and serving their own faith community. They were made aware from the outset that they would be placed on a rota and were expected to fulfil its requirements. It was also made clear that chaplains would be required to act in a responsible manner in their relations with all those with whom they came into contact; they were warned not to use their position for their own benefit, acting always under the direction of the head of multi-faith chaplaincy services and their team

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leader and within LOCOG guidelines. My position as a member of the Games Services and Villages Team, ultimately responsible to the Head of All Villages Services, firmly located chaplaincy within the LOCOG management structure, giving it both credibility and responsibility. Professionalism, sensitivity, integrity, confidentiality, wisdom in ministry and otherwise appropriate behaviour were expected at all times. The work would be variously spiritual, pastoral and social, always seeking to offer a positive welcome to everyone. Chaplains were chal- lenged to achieve high standards, be welcomed and valued by all and beneficial to everyone’s Games experience: ‘the best chaplaincy service ever’. That these aims and standards were achieved was essential to chaplaincy being accepted at this and all future Olympic and Paralympic Games and indeed at all major sporting events.

Olympic chaplaincy in practice

The model of chaplaincy followed at London 2012 was based on the style of ‘being present’ which I had developed in the years that I had worked with LOCOG: caring and being alongside people rather than seeking to con- vert them. Indeed, such a ‘ministry of presence’ is one which is common to both sports-related and wider chaplaincy roles (see Boyers, 2000; Chawner, 2009; Heskins and Baker, 2006; Holm, 2009; Paget and McCormack, 2006; Threlfall-Holmes and Newitt, 2011; Wood, 2011). Hence, those who had served as chaplains in such environments were familiar with the model, including many chaplains of other faiths who joined the team, as they had already served in multi-faith chaplaincy teams in, for example, hospitals or prisons. For oth- ers, this kind of role did not come so naturally; some felt more at home in the chaplaincy centre rather than wandering around making contact with people as opportunities arose. We also established a roaming team, which covered all of the London venues where staff and volunteers worked outside of the Olympic Park itself. At any major sporting event decisions have to be made about how much freedom chaplains will be allowed in order to operate effectively within the Games environment. After discussion with village management, I was able to establish that a roving brief was essential if chaplains were to be available whenever and wherever they might be needed, whilst at the same time recog- nizing that athletes’ and officials’ living space could be entered only by invita- tion of the athletes or other team members. The fact that many reports written by village managers after the Games mentioned the value of having chaplains around demonstrates the success of this policy.

Compared perhaps with some other major sporting events, the Olympic movement places significant emphasis on security and the protection of peo- ple’s personal space, emphasizing that the village is the athletes’ home whilst at the Games. I was made aware of some reports that, at previous Games, chap- lains had intruded into athletes’ quarters without permission and LOCOG was very concerned that there should be no such incidents in 2012. Initially some LOCOG managers wanted to restrict chaplains to the religious centre, where

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they would wait for athletes to come to them, but I was able to negotiate their right to move freely around the village but not into ‘athletes-only’ areas except by athlete invitation, a restriction that some chaplains found frustrating. After the Games it emerged that there had been some confusion about access to athlete-only areas with a number of chaplains thinking they were not allowed into athletes’ dining or residential areas at all. International chaplains, who had experienced having easy access to athletes at events elsewhere in the world found this particularly difficult, but these frustrations were worked through as the Games progressed and many found that, once they had made contact with an athlete, they were able to develop a relationship. Being known as an ath- lete before becoming a chaplain was a definite advantage. One chaplain, who had been an elite wrestler and who had attended many international wrest- ing events over the years, was given permission by the venue manager, to be with the athletes and was seen by the organizers as adding value because of his expertise and contacts.

Chaplaincy and the Multi-Faith Centre

LOCOG went out of their way to provide the best accommodation there had ever been at the Games for the multi-faith centre, so that it was possible to provide an ideal place for official and formal religious services to take place for the five mainstream religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and for other faiths as needed. The multi-faith centre, which was located on the second floor of a building next to the fitness centre and close to the athletes dining room, was also a quiet place for private prayer, contemplation and medi- tation. It provided a base in and from which chaplains could work and where they could be contacted easily and immediately. It proved to be an area of both religion and friendship, where any who came could find experienced religious leaders, pastors and counsellors. During the Paralympics ground floor rooms were also made available for both worship and counselling. It was important in the short time available to make the chaplaincy services and centre known as widely as possible: a presentation was made to each national team as they arrived and the centre was in a well-signposted, central location in the village. Beyond the Olympic Park, the roaming team encouraged managers to high- light chaplains’ availability with notices at check-in or in the canteen, perhaps a note in the daily briefing. We left a book in each quiet space for visitors to write comments and left our mobile telephone numbers so that we could be contacted. Chaplains at the other sites also found ways of making their facility and contact information known.

There were some reports of athletes and officials finding it difficult to locate the multi-faith centre. This is perhaps inevitable in such a large complex where people were only staying for a short time. But, as one chaplain reported, when they found it they experienced ‘a place of quiet, calm, counsel, spiritual support and inspiration for athletes, their staff, work force and volunteers’. It proved to be a place of special importance to Muslims who needed a readily accessible

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venue for prayer, it being Ramadan. Chaplains spoke of the importance of hav- ing facilities for any who came asking for Mass or prayers to be said with them. Through the generosity of the Bible Society and the Muslim Council of Great Britain, the chaplaincy was able to supply copies of the Sports Bible, New Tes- tament or Koran respectively to the significant numbers of athletes who asked for them. Irish boxer, Katie Taylor, wrote of her experience of the multi-faith centre:

I’m a creature of habit and I usually feel out of sorts if I don’t get to go to church for a few weeks, so I was delighted when a letter was dropped into my room from one of the pastors in the Olympic Village to say there were a few services going on during the Games. He had heard that I was a Christian. There was an area in the village called the Faith Centre. They had a room for Buddhists if they wanted to meet, another room for Hindus and one for Christians, different rooms for different religions. The first time I went was midweek. There were only a handful of people there. One of the Jamaican sprinters was there, Sam Henry-Robinson was her name. She went on to win a silver medal with the 4×100 relay team. I really enjoyed the service so I went back on the Sunday morning, and this time the place was jammed with athletes. The service was run by the athletes themselves, many of them got up and shared a story of something amazing God had done for them. Brigetta Barrett from the USA was there, she won a silver medal in the high jump. Another girl from New Zealand stood up and told how she was the first from her country to ever qualify in her swimming event, and she thanked God for that. The 400m runner LaShawn Merritt, who had won gold at the Beijing Olympics, was there too. The common denominator was God working for them. There was something powerful about that. I found it to be emotional just listening to people speaking about how God helped them. Apart from winning the gold medal, this was probably my stand-out experience of the Games.

(Taylor, 2012: 167)

It was precisely to meet the spiritual needs of athletes like Katie Taylor that we had worked so hard over several years.

Conclusion

The award of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to London in 2005 gave the country seven years to prepare for the events themselves. Because of the vision of the bishop of Barking, who established a post of Church of England Olympics coordinator later that year, the church and faith commu- nity had also almost seven years to develop its own strategy around how it would respond to and maximize this opportunity. Having such a substantial lead-time made it possible to achieve chaplaincy provision more extensive in scope and remit than at any previous Games. Being appointed to that post at

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such an early stage enabled me to travel with the London Organising Commit- tee of the Olympic Games and to gain the confidence of key people that led to my appointment first as LOCOG’s multi-faith advisor and then as head of multi-faith chaplaincy services. As an Anglican priest, seconded to the organ- izing committee, I was able to model to LOCOG staff the type of chaplaincy that I wanted to introduce to the Games. The formation of the Faith Refer- ence Group was another important step in ensuring that organizing committee members grasped the importance of the role that the faith community could play in the delivery of the Games.

In Beijing 2008 the Olympic religious centre had been staffed by a small number of Chinese chaplains. In London we were determined to have a chap- laincy which reflected the diversity appropriate to a worldwide event and which, for the first time, would encompass not just athletes and team members in the Olympic Village but also media and Games workforce. Our team of 162 chaplains covered all continents, the world’s major religions and languages serving not only in the main Olympic Village and Olympic Park but at the other villages and competition venues. A similar chaplaincy programme, albeit on a smaller scale, operated for the Paralympics. In addition to the training provided by LOCOG for all volunteers (Games Makers) we held our own chaplaincy specific training to ensure that members of the chaplaincy team understood the professionalism, sensitivity, integrity and wisdom that the role would require.

In my view, two key things contributed to what we were able to achieve at London 2012; one was my early appointment almost five years before the games took place, the second was gaining the respect of LOCOG through a willingness to serve, often by taking on jobs that no one else wanted to. It was a privilege to be part of the planning, development and implementation of ground-breaking chaplaincy. It is my hope that future Olympic organizing committees might learn from our experience and build on it.

Note

1 I am grateful to J. Stuart Weir (Verite Sport) for his assistance in editing my London 2012 report to produce this chapter and for the tremendous work and support offered by the Revd David Read who was my theological consultant during my years serving the Games and was key to producing the final Games report.

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