Near the end of June, thousands of people will file into Autzen Stadium. But they won’t be football fans.
That’s where organizers will be handing out credentials for more than 8,000 athletes, media members and volunteers involved with this summer’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field, to be held at Hayward Field starting June 27. It’s also one of many ways the University will offer a supporting role to the Herculean effort – including about 2,300 volunteers – going into organizing the 10-day event.

“You really need a big space for all those people coming in and not feel like you’re cramped,” said Tom Jordan, a project manager with Northwest Event Management, which is doing much of the behind-the-scenes planning for the trials. “We wanted the athletes in particular to feel like VIPs.”
Though Eugene 08 and Northwest Event Management are the lead organizers for the event, Jordan said the effort so far has been a collaborative one with the University.
“It’s been fabulous,” he said. “The Olympic Trials could not be held here without the cooperation that the University has provided.”
The effects have been far-reaching. In addition to the athletic department’s supporting role with marketing and offering various facilities, University Housing will add the Olympic Trials to its already busy summer.
Food Services Director Tom Driscoll said University residence halls will house well more than 1,000 people during the event. About 600 athletes and officials will stay in the Living Learning Center and Carson Hall, and at least 600 spectators are booked to stay in the Hamilton Complex. But that number is likely to change – University Housing is still taking reservations from fans who would like to be close to the action, Driscoll said.

“If I hit 800, I’m going to start to worry,” he said.
The housing department will add its Olympic Trials duties to its normal involvement with the internationally known Oregon Bach Festival, which begins on the same day. Typically, musicians stay in Barnhart or Riley halls for the music festival, which lasts until July 13.
But this summer’s high number of tenants won’t be anything new for the residence halls – not even close.
“What’s different about this summer is that there’s less consistency,” Driscoll said. “In the summer it’s more like a hotel. You have a lot more turnover.”
Fans who reserve dorm rooms are only required to stay a four-day minimum, Driscoll said.
Food service areas on campus also plan to adapt, Driscoll said. Though the Carson dining hall will remain open as it is now, others won’t. The Grab ‘n’ Go in Hamilton will be converted to an all-you-can-eat dining area. The Living Learning Center’s Dux Bistro will open to the general public and take cash, not meal points.
University Catering Services will join the effort by providing food to event volunteers and officials, likely near the outdoor tennis courts during all 10 days of the event, Driscoll said.

For the rest of the community, this summer’s trials will provide the entire country with positive exposure of Eugene, said athletic department spokesman Dave Williford. Where many thought the Olympic Trials grew “too big” for the Eugene area after its three previous times here in 1972, 1976 and 1980, this year’s event represents a stark change from that attitude, Williford said.
“I think it’s a major coup for the Eugene-Springfield area, but the University is going to benefit as well,” he said.
Major planning for the event is mostly done by now. But there are still last-minute details the University is helping out with. Some of those include consulting with main organizers about street closures during the trials and distributing information to neighbors, Jordan said. The athletic department’s operations crew will likely help with facilities and maintenance.
“Everybody has a different role,” Williford said. “Everybody is sort of pitching in.”
Williford said athletic department employees have mostly been able to keep up with their normal duties while helping with the Olympic Trials. For Jordan and other planners, things are only getting crazier as the event draws nearer.
“Right now it’s kind of keeping your head above water,” Jordan said. “Our phone has been ringing off the hook all day long. I’ve been hearing from people that we should have heard from three months ago.”
One such call came from a television commentator who wanted to apply for credentials to get into the event – something that should have been done months ago.
“People start waking up and going, ‘Hey, it’s May, and this thing starts in June,’” Jordan said.
Jordan said he doesn’t expect things to calm down in the near future, but the event is coming together.
University Housing is currently preparing with weekly meetings and staff training sessions, Driscoll said. Most tenants won’t be familiar with the residence halls or dining areas, and the University plans to prepare staff to help new visitors and direct traffic.
Athletic department employees are continuing to offer their help in the weeks before next month’s Olympic Trials. And there’s plenty more to do before then, Jordan said. But for planners, the end is in sight.
“I would say that we’re at the start of the last lap of the mile,” Jordan said.
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