ABSTRACT
The mission staff is an integral part of the Games as they provide the link between the host organizing committee, nations, and their teams. They are the conduit between the host organizing committee, athletes, coaches, national governments, and media, among others. The ultimate reason for the dearth of research on mission staffs is unknown; but perhaps it is also because so little is actually known about what mission staffs do. This chapter details this situation by focusing on their roles, responsibilities, and challenges. Mission staffs have dedicated persons responsible for the sport technical aspects often of each sport. The sport team to which a mission staff is assigned may be the subject to an appeal based on a perceived violation of the technical package. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future study and in particular identifying theoretical models that should help us understand how missions operate.
