Nzumbe Nyanduga and Céline van Gerner, alumni of Johan Cruyff Institute, talk about their experiences working on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Qualifying for the Olympic Games is the ultimate reward for any athlete, the result of years of effort and dedication. In the previous article, we reviewed some of the stories of Johan Cruyff Academy students who competed in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Likewise, for professionals in the sports industry, getting involved in an Olympic event is a significant recognition of their work and an extraordinary experience. Nzumbe Nyanduga, Senior Data Analytics Manager at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and Céline van Gerner, former Olympic gymnast and sports commentator for broadcaster NOS, share their experiences and the impact of their training at Johan Cruyff Institute.
Nzumbe Nyanduga: the importance of data in Paris 2024
Left: Nzumbe Nyanduga competes in the men’s 10km freestyle qualification race at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2021. Right: The IOC’s IKL team in Paris for the Technology Rehearsal 2, assisting their colleagues in preparation for the 2024 Games.
As the Senior Data Analytics Manager at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Nzumbe Nyanduga leverages his extensive data analysis expertise to optimize performance and sports management at one of the world’s most significant events. Alumnus of the Specialized Diploma in Football Management Online, Nzumbe ensures that every IOC decision is driven by precise data and thorough analytics, enhancing operational efficiency and the overall experience for athletes and spectators. At Paris 2024 Olympics, his role will be crucial in managing the massive amount of data generated, from facility management to event logistics and organization. Nzumbe credits his academic training at Johan Cruyff Institute for providing him with the tools to integrate advanced technology and analytics into the elite sports environment, enabling him to meet these challenges head-on.
What is your job as Senior Data Analytics Manager at the IOC?
Paris 2024 will be the first Olympic Games to be organized under the new 2020+5 agenda. This is a strategic roadmap proposed by the IOC Executive Board, with 15 recommendations for the next five years. It focuses on key trends such as solidarity, digitalization and sustainability. So many of the projects that I and the team are working on address those issues: reducing the complexity of the costs of the Games and increasing sustainability and efficiency. The idea is to provide data and information so they can make decisions on how to plan the organization of the Games.
The work is focused on the fact that they need to reduce costs. But to make the right decisions, we need to provide them with information and context. Another important part is to help measure: How well did they plan? Did we manage to reduce costs? Did we manage to be more efficient, more sustainable? So we have several projects going on to basically measure and evaluate. And then after the Games, we will do all the analysis to basically understand where we did well, where we could improve. Those learnings will be shared with the next organizing committees.
What inspired you to make the transition from a sports background to a career in data analytics, and what steps did you take to make this change successful?
I studied actuarial sciences, which are very complex mathematics: statistics, probability, that sort of thing. However, I had many doubts about the race, about why I was doing that. On the other hand, I was always passionate about the sport. My favorite sport is football, so I read websites, watched the Champions League. I understood then that I wanted to do something related to sport. But I’m from Tanzania, a country that doesn’t have much of a sporting tradition. I didn’t play sports as a kid, I don’t come from a sports family.
So, I remember going to LinkedIn. I began to look for people who worked in sports organizations, and I saw their career: How to get to that position? I saw that some were former athletes, and that many had a master’s degree in sports management. This was in 2010, and during that process I discovered the proposal of Johan Cruyff Institute. So I did the Specialized Diploma in Football Business Online. Then I graduated, and did a master’s degree to advance my career, and there I obtained an internship at the IOC. I started in an area that had nothing to do with data, a team called Knowledge Management. But it was a great place to start, because I learned everything. Eventually, I ended up working again with numbers, because of my background, because I had a solid foundation in mathematics. The IOC wanted to start making decisions based on data, and they were looking for people who were good at analysis. So it was being in the right place at the right time.
Can you describe the key data analysis and business intelligence tools and methods you use in your role at the IOC?
I think regardless of the tools, it’s important to understand what the goal you’re trying to achieve is. And you need to understand the audience. Once you have that clear, you work backwards to understand what data you need to collect or have in order to achieve those results you’ve identified. And then the magic is in everything in between, how to achieve those goals. How do you take the data you get? How do you take them to the person who needs to make a decision?
In general, we use many tools, because we are a fairly large organization that works globally. So we used Microsoft tools. We also worked a lot with Alibaba and Intel who are sponsors. We tend to use Power BI for viewing and reporting. But beyond the tools, the challenge is getting the data you need to achieve the desired result.
What advice would you give to students and professionals aspiring to work in data analysis and business intelligence in the sports industry?
The first tip is simply get your hands dirty. Play around with different data, with different tools, different use cases. Find something that you are passionate about. It can be tennis, cycling or any sport. There’s a lot of public data available on a lot of things, so find something and start using it to play. I think you can easily start learning very useful skills for employers by simply playing with data available on the internet. In the process you will learn many tools and techniques. In my case, the reason I ended up working with data is that while I was here, I was playing with data just for fun. Nobody asked me to build a report or do that. I was just doing it out of curiosity, I saw that we weren’t doing something about something, so I just asked, can I do this? They said, yes, go ahead. And then, over time, they knew me as the data guy, who produced that interesting knowledge. And at this time, I recommend playing with AI tools. If I was trying to get into sports right now, I would be spending all my free time playing with all kinds of AI tools just to develop experience.
Céline van Gerner: from Olympic gymnastics to sports journalism
Left: Céline van Gerner performs her “Cat Floor” routine during the women’s individual floor final at the European Championships 2018. Photo by Alex Filipov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Right: Céline van Gerner featured in Dutch television NOS promotional material as a sports commentator for the balance beam gymnastics program at Paris 2024.
Céline van Gerner is a former Olympic gymnast who developed an international career in gymnastics between 2008 and 2019. She became Dutch champion in multiple disciplines and achieved international success with several medals at European and world championships. In 2012, she participated in the London Olympics, finishing twelfth in the all-around final. In 2016, she qualified again and was part of the Dutch team that placed seventh in the team final in Rio de Janeiro. In 2018, she gained international attention with a striking performance inspired by “Cats”. She placed fourth and that performance is also remembered because it led to a rule in gymnastics against ‘too theatrical makeup’. In September 2018, she started the Master in Coaching at Johan Cruyff Institute and towards the end of the program, she decided to end her high-level sports career. Nowadays, she occasionally appears on Dutch television as a sports commentator at gymnastics events for NOS. She commented with Edwin Cornelissen at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and was also invited to do so for Paris 2024.
How do you feel about your role as a commentator at the 2024 Paris Games?
I was looking forward to a full stadium and a city full of people that breathes sports. Commenting from a full stadium is very different from doing it from an empty one, as happened at the Tokyo Olympics. By listening to the audience, you can understand when something is exciting, and you can use that as a commentator. In these Olympic Games, the Netherlands will be represented by men’s and women’s gymnastics teams, which is quite special. And regarding the gymnastics competition, I was -like everybody else- looking forward to seeing the American women’s team, led by Simone Biles.
You were commenting in Paris together with journalist Edwin Cornelissen. How is the collaboration between you?
I am very happy to comment with Edwin. While I do a lot of the technical stuff, Edwin knows practically everything about the athletes. We complement each other very well. For Paris 2024, I hope I have been able to convey tranquility in my voice and, above all, to highlight how incredible gymnastics is as a sport.
How was the experience of commenting at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021?
Three years passed since that experience, and the conclusion I drew was that practice improves skill. For example, thanks to this experience, I know much better different elements and rules of male gymnastics. Before Tokyo it was a difficult sport for me to understand, it was like learning a completely new sport.
What things have you integrated into your professional life from your studies at Johan Cruyff Institute?
One of the things I learned at Johan Cruyff Institute and that accompanies me in my day to day was to be curious, and not be afraid to cross-examine. And I apply that as a commentator: the audience won’t hear me say anything that I haven’t researched, studied or asked before.
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