Saturday, May 27

 Saturday, May 27th

Today was undoubtedly the most scenic day we've had! There were stunning mountaintop views as well as beautiful Swiss scenery from the lakefront. 

We began our day at the Swiss Wine Hotel breakfast buffet where we quickly fueled up and headed out to catch the 10:00 AM train from Lausanne to Montreux. Along the ride, we had fantastic views of Lake Geneva, or Lac Léman as the Swiss call it, and the surrounding Alps. We also were able to see the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, a UNESCO world heritage site. Everyone was in awe of the rows and rows of grapevines that seemingly stacked vertically into the Alps. 

Before arriving in Montreux we got off a few stops early in the town of Vevey where we had an opportunity to stop by a local farmers market. The market was located on the lakeside and was filled with a diverse aroma of different meats, cheeses, and chocolates. After wandering the rows of stands I sat on a bench at the lakefront and took in the view. 

Upon arrival in Montreux, we quickly ran across the platform to catch the train going up into the mountains. The 20-minute winding ride allowed us to progressively see more and more of the eastern edge of Lake Geneva. When we arrived the sun’s warm rays were beating down and we were ready for yet another railed ride, this time up the funicular. The steep sloped rail ride slowly brought us to the top of the mountain where we were able to begin our 2-hour hike. 

The hike brought us along a muddy path that winded through the forest atop the mountain. Throughout the beginning of the walk, you could barely see the other mountains through the trees in the thick of the forest. As we moved farther up the forest we came across several clearings where there were stunning views of not only the lake and the mountains but also the towns below. As you can see in the pictures, the panoramic of from the mountaintop was breathtaking. However, these pictures don’t do the view justice as the perspective in person was unbelievable. 

As we continued through the trail we entered a more open area where we were faced with a major uphill climb. We powered through as a group thanks to the bravery and leadership of Josh and were rewarded at the top with some Swiss cows. After nearly 3 miles of hiking (According to the health app) we returned to the train station. 

Back on the lakefront in Montreux, we had an opportunity to take in the lakefront and have lunch. We then checked out a Queen museum, which featured a Freddie Mercury statue as well as the original recording studio where Queen recorded many of their songs. 

After returning to Lausanne we capped off the night with a group dinner at a fondue place called Chalet Suisse. The fondue featured different flavors such as garlic, truffle, and pepper. It was also accompanied by bread, prosciutto, and potatoes. It was a great end to an exciting day.

Friday, May 26th

 

WE’RE IN SWITZERLAND!!!! *the crowd goes wild*

 

SUPER packed day for the group, but in the best way possible – we got to talk to not one but TWO stakeholders of the Olympic Movement, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the International Federation (IF) World Aquatics!

Shortly after a much more organized and on-time morning – shoutout Zach and Kyle – the group made our way through Lausanne towards the CAS offices. Once finished with listening to Taylor Swift’s and Ice Spice’s new song (6/10 in my opinion), we headed inside to meet our guide for the visit, Fabien Cagnuex. Fabien gave us a brief tour of the very well-kept and modern facility, and he even let us out on the balcony to see one of the best views of Lake Geneva so far. Fabien showed us all the different rooms for hearings and media and translators that may be used in any case depending on the appeal – he even let us sit in the arbitrators and council chairs!! Then Fabien really got down to the nitty gritty. He gave us an in-depth explanation of who CAS is, what CAS does, and how they do it. Plus, he explained the different “departments” within CAS and those that CAS is a part of (i.e. International Court of Arbitration of Sport [ICAS]). Often regular civilians think of CAS only when talking about doping, and they do have an Anti-Doping Department (ADD) because it is such a common and unique appeal, but they also have a specific team dedicated to soccer disputes because the sport is so large globally, and therefore typically has more appeals. Once Fabien opened it up to questions from the group, we mainly asked about their involvement with the Olympics as well as with the Premier League. The highlights of this discussion were CAS’s Ad Hoc Division created during the Games made to focus on and resolve disputes quickly before/after competition and CAS’s jurisdiction/cooperation with fan-“owned” Premier League teams. Unfortunately, Fabien couldn’t give us any info on Russian ice skater Valieva’s doping case… I know you were wondering.

After CAS, we made our way to World Aquatics where we were welcomed with croissants and juice and coffee – World Aquatics definitely won Presenter of the Day. The bulk of their presentation was again on who they are, what they do, and how they do it. As an IF, they are essentially the governing body for swimming, diving, open water swimming, high diving, water polo, and artistic swimming – meaning they set rules and regulations, regularly schedule competitions, and enforce their standards in the swimming world. They also just rebranded away from FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation), so we got to hear a little bit about that process and how they launched their new brand. It was very cool to hear from an IF and to be inside their offices because they are such a powerful organization in the world of sports; plus, they are the most followed sport during the Olympics. Just like CAS, we had the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the presentation, including what their role is at the Olympics (defining the disciplines, bringing judges/officials, approving venues, etc.) and the dreaded ‘Is water wet?’ question… they said no.

The group was then free to get lunch before coming back to the hotel for a rescheduled Zoom meeting with the IOC’s Television & Marketing Services (TMS)! This presentation was all about the jurisdiction the IOC has over all the marketing of the Olympic Games – and it is very intricate. The IOC has created The Olympic Partner program that is exclusive to only 14 global brands (Omega, Visa, Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Samsung, etc.) who have the privileged right to be advertised at the Olympic Games. All other brands – unless they are associated with an NOC (USOPC: Ralph Lauren), an IF, or an OCOG – cannot be displayed on any athlete, coach, sporting member, or anything with the Olympic logo during the Games (9 days before the Games, through the Games, to two days after the Games). That said, athletes who have sponsorship deals cannot promote their partnership at the Games, and those companies cannot actively promote those athletes during the Games (Rule 40, look it up!). Very interesting, right!? Overall, there are A LOT of rules and guidelines associated with marketing at the Olympics, and TMS is responsible for monitoring and enforcing them all.

After we had finished the educational aspects of the day, we went on a picnic dinner! The group took roughly 30 minutes to pick out various meats, CHEESE, crackers, fruit, drinks, silverware, and CHOCOLATE for our group dinner on the shore of Lake Geneva. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! The temperature was perfect, and the view was phenomenal. After we GRUBBED on our picnic meal – shoutout grillmasters Kyle, Kirstyn, and Dr. Kim – we played a very hilarious game of volleyball and sat on the rocks bordering the lake. We skipped some rocks, Kyle made some Swiss friends, and we took more and more Instagramable photos. It was a great finish to the day, and it has become the best part of the trip for many of us!

We miss you GM and Prof. Ryan!