GAIL’S ON A MAJOR COAST MISSION
Barbados Chef de Mission Gail Craig-Archer has a huge job making sure her team is prepared ahead of arriving on the Gold Coast next year. As Dwayne Grant found out it is far from a straight-forward role at times.
FOR most people, the highlight of next year’s Commonwealth Games will happen on the sporting field.
For Gail Craig-Archer, it will unfold at an airport on the other side of the world.
“The reward for me comes when all our planning comes together and you see the team hop on the plane,” the Barbados team manager said of her vital role laying the groundwork for almost 50 athletes to attend the sporting spectacle.
“That’s when you think, ‘Thank goodness, we did it’ (laughs). If they come home with a medal, that’s the icing on the cake.”
Craig-Archer is one of the anonymous faces crucial to the success of any international sporting event.
As her countrymen and women are fine-tuning their bodies five months out from the Games, she is weaving her own magic to ensure everything flows smoothly from an administrative perspective.
Accreditation. Visas. Flights. Transfers. Uniforms. Insurance. Her list is long – and a little bit clearer after a recent visit to the Gold Coast as part of the Chefs de Mission Seminar hosted by the Commonwealth Games Association (CGA).
“Back home the athletes are waiting for us to return with so much information,” Craig-Archer said of the opportunity to explore the host city and tap into local knowledge.
“Our athletes want to know what the sporting facilities are like, how far the Athlete’s Village is from their individual facilities. They’re very interested in what the plan will be when they land in Brisbane and what they need to have on them.
“We’re planning ahead with logistics in relation to uniforms – will we bring them to the Gold Coast or will they be stored here by the time we arrive?
“Even the process for entering Australia needs to be checked, especially for the shooters.”
Why them?
“Moving guns (across the world) is a great responsibility,” she said.
“I don’t think they travel with ammunition, just their guns, but when we land we want to make sure all their paperwork is ready to go and the serial numbers (for guns) match up.
“Coming here (to do reconnaissance) is a huge part of gathering all that information.”
With a degree in sports management, Craig-Archer has completed several “tours of duty” (as she jokingly calls them) for the Barbados Olympic and Commonwealth Games associations.
There was her maiden mission to
BY THE TIME THE ATHLETES GET OVER JET LAG, ACCLIMATISE, START TRAINING AND HAVE TWO WEEKS OF COMPETITION, IT WILL BE A MONTH THAT THEY’RE AWAY
Singapore for the 2010 Youth Olympics. She’s ticked off a couple of Commonwealth Youth Games, as well as the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The Gold Coast presents unique challenges though.
“Just getting here takes two to three days of travel,” she explained.
“By the time the athletes get over jet lag, acclimatise, start training and have two weeks of competition, it will be a month that they’re away and most of our athletes aren’t professionals. They’re students or working so for someone to take a month without pay, that’s a long time.”
As for one of the greatest challenges Craig-Archer faces, look no further than a dilemma any teacher will be able to appreciate.
“Dealing with (younger athletes’) parents can be tricky,” she smiled.
“One of the big issues we have is visas to enter countries require a lot of information and some parents question why they need to reveal so much.
“It can be like pulling teeth because people are concerned about sharing information with strangers.
“This job certainly has its challenges but it’s also a lot of fun.”