Olympic Winter Games in the grip of global warming

2014-03-11

International research study performed by MCI Management Center Innsbruck in cooperation with the University of Waterloo (Canada)

According to the results of an international study performed by the University of Waterloo (Canada) and MCI Management Center Innsbruck (Austria), ongoing climate change is a threat to future Olympic Winter Games in many regions. In typical climate change scenarios, past Olympic venues like Vancouver (Canada), Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) or Sochi (Russia) will no longer be able to host such events in the future.

Technological progress for protection against the vagaries of the climate

The weather can impact the success of Winter Olympics. Unsuitable weather conditions can create problems in the organization and preparatory phase and during the Games themselves. To counter the risks posed by the weather, a number of strategies and technological improvements have been developed in the last few decades. Snowmaking installations, ski jumps with refrigerated tracks and refrigerated bobsleigh runs on the one hand and high-resolution weather forecasting on the other have become critical factors for the success of modern Winter Olympics.

But Professor Daniel Scott, Canada Research Chair in Global Tourism and lead author of the study, warns: “Despite technological advances, there are limits to what current weather risk management strategies can cope with. By the middle of this century, those limits will have been surpassed in some former Winter Olympic host regions.”

“Today it would be difficult to imagine successfully delivering the diverse Olympic program exclusively on natural snow and ice, as it was in the early decades of the Winter Olympics,” adds co-author Dr. Robert Steiger of the MCI.

Core Alpine regions as viable venues for the future

The study provides a good opportunity for reflection on the long-term implications of global climate change for sport and the world's collective cultural heritage as symbolized by the Olympic movement. It also reveals that, for some cities and regions interested in hosting future Winter Olympics, the time to bid might be sooner rather than later.

Ultimately the study shows that, in the medium- and long-term view of the world’s climate, increasing preference should again be given to traditional Alpine locations to ensure that athletes, organizers and spectators can all benefit from fair and attractive Games in the future.

Summary

Pressemeldung University of Waterloo

Contact
Ulrike Fuchs
Head
Marketing & Communication
+43 512 2070-1510
ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu

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Jubilee event at the MCI’s alumni club

250th platform session with leading speakers at the Entrepreneurial School® - The MCI success story with its academic lecture series continuesMCI Alumni & Friends recently celebrated a special jubilee: The talk given by H.E. Sergey Nechayev, the Russian Federation’s Ambassador to Austria, was the 250th platform event – with international speakers from the worlds of business, academia, politics and the arts – organized by the Entrepreneurial School®.These unique events deliver a useful stimulus, promote the exchange of knowledge and experience and help students, faculty, partners and visitors to the MCI build up their networks.The list of speakers is as varied as it is impressive and includes such famous names as President Vaclav Klaus, President Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Commissioners Franz Fischler, Benita Ferrero Waldner and Johannes Hahn, numerous ministers and undersecretaries from Austria and many other countries, and the CEOs of international corporations like Daniel Vasella (Novartis), Stefan Sommer (ZF), Michel Wurth (Arcelor Mittal), Helmut Maucher (Nestlé), Brigitte Ederer (Siemens), Helmut Rothenberger (Rothenberger), Peter Bettermann (Freudenberg), Martin Kind (Kind Group, Hannover 96), Mario Moretti Polegato (Geox) and Hap Klopp (The North Face) and of leading Austrian companies like Georg Kapsch (Kapsch), Niki Lauda (FlyNiki), Christian Kern (ÖBB) and Sabine Herlitschka (Infineon).And that is far from the end of the story: For the next few years, the MCI has succeeded in booking the prestigious speakers needed for such a high-powered program: preview“Along with the other offerings, our international lecture series puts our program in a class of its own,” says Bettina Stichauner, Director of MCI Alumni & Friends, and she continues, “which goes to show that it does matter which university you attend!”The MCI’s Rector Andreas Altmann has this to say about the MCI’s alumni club: “A lively service platform, MCI Alumni & Friends offers support in terms of contacts, careers and personal development and contributes to the international standing of the Entrepreneurial School®. The winners are our graduates and our common university and business location.”{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=921}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=18}

Strategic Management in the Tourism & Leisure Industries

The part-time MCI Executive Certificate course in Destination & Leadership is targeted at Entrepreneurs, managers and decision makers in the tourism and leisure industries, especially those responsible for destination management and development.The tourism, leisure and tourism-related service industry is one of the biggest industries worldwide and still has enormous potential for growth. Fascinating opportunities for destination development and international marketing call for managers with professional training. The special focus of the course on strategic destination management and a sound theoretical basis combined with practical applications, including study tours to selected destinations, are the key to long-term success in the field of destination development and an effective way to strengthen one’s own position within the industry.With this 14-day course in Destination & Leadership, MCI Management Center Innsbruck is offering its first executive education course explicitly designed for managers in the tourism industry. The course is being taught by highly qualified lecturers and trainers and organized in association with the Austrian Hoteliers Federation and in cooperation with the Federation of Austrian Tourism Managers and the Federation of Tyrolean Tourism Associations.The course starts on April 15, 2015 with a schedule tailored to the needs of the target group. The number of places on the course is limited.More Information:Registration & CounselingVictoria Lettenbichler+43 512 2070 2102victoria.lettenbichler@mci.edu{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=923}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

2014 Science Award for MCI graduate Marco Rückl

Science Award of the Chamber of Commerce for innovative Master’s thesis in the field of Mechatronics-Mechanical EngineeringThe Mechatronics Department at the MCI has something to celebrate: professional recognition for the Master’s thesis submitted by Marco Rückl, BSc, MSc. In his work in the field of control engineering, he developed a dynamic and efficient position controller for geared drives. In comparison with conventional controller designs, the new solution offers faster error convergence and long-term stability and has great potential for use in a wide range of drive systems.The Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce first announced the Science Award in 1997. Since then the prize has been awarded on an annual basis for outstanding Diploma and Master’s theses and dissertations which display a high degree of innovation and have practical applicability for Tyrolean SMEs. For Dr. Jürgen Bodenseer as President of the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce, the presentation ceremony for the Science Award is a special event signaling support for the young people and the future of the Tyrol.At the ceremony, the MCI’s Rector Andreas Altmann said, “I am particularly grateful to the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce and President Jürgen Bodenseer for making this award. It is so important to build bridges between the academic and business communities. Academic research is a pillar of the economy in that the findings generate innovation. And innovation needs to be applied in trade and industry so that it can develop its potential and contribute to prosperity.”The other winners of the Science Award were Mag. Johannes Ager (LFU), Mag. Lukas Fischer (LFU), Magdalena Posch, M.A. (FH Kufstein), Irene Riccabona, MSc (LFU) and Dipl. Ing. Martin Peter Schwarz, MSc (LFU).Congratulations to all the prizewinners!{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=922}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}