European Open Championships
In an unexpected crisis, Stage and Screen acts fast to keep travelers from being stranded. When severe flooding did just that to Australia’s Paralympic swim team on their way to the European Open Championships, their participation in the event was suddenly at risk. Stage and Screen immediately rerouted athletes and staff, secured new flights, proposed accommodation options, and provided 24/7 support to get the team there on time.
Client snapshot
Swimming Australia is the peak governing national body for competitive swimming, representing nearly 750 clubs and 66,000 registered members – including athletes and national teams – across pool, open water and para swimming codes.
Swimming Australia organises regular international travel for athletes, coaches and support staff. Stage and Screen has managed Swimming Australia’s sports travel for more than three years, including for training camps and competitive international and domestic competitions.
The challenge
Swimming Australia officials and athletes were heading to Madeira, Portugal for the 2024 European Open Championships. Unexpected heavy rain in Dubai, their stopover, resulted in airport flooding and flight cancellations. The situation left the group stranded in Dubai for several hours with limited support. The disruption significantly affected the para-athletes, who were left without the mobility equipment they required.
The situation created a major risk: the competitors could miss the competition altogether, and staff faced the stress of rescheduling their travel arrangements at short notice. Without Stage and Screen stepping in, Swimming Australia’s preparation and performance at the European Open Championships hung in the balance.
The solution
Stage and Screen came to the rescue with immediate assistance, providing 24/7 support from both the dedicated day travel manager and after-hours team. Liaising directly with Emirates & TAP Airlines, Stage and Screen organised priority bookings on new flights from Lisbon to Madeira for all Swimming Australia staff and athletes, ensuring the travellers, once Emirates re-booked them out of Dubai, were able to connect on to their competition location.. The team also assisted in locating emergency accommodation in Dubai in the case that the team were able to leave the airport and negotiated with airlines to waive fees for refunds.
Stage and Screen remained in constant contact with Swimming Australia to ensuring athletes and staff could maintain focus on the upcoming competition.
The outcome
All Swimming Australia athletes and staff arrived in Portugal in time for the European Open Championships. Stage and Screen’s assistance under extreme pressure, provided the travelers with peace of mind in a crisis.
Swimming Australia was extremely appreciative for the round-the-clock support, which also cemented their confidence in Stage and Screen as their travel management partner.
From Stage and Screen’s perspective, this incident demonstrated the demands of sports travel – where disruptions can risk Australia’s presence at major world events – and the importance of having an experienced travel partner that can respond and provide a solution immediately in a crisis.
