Rana’s experience at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games

Date

16 February 2026

Thanks to Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), Rana Al Droubi - a second-year student in the BA in Product Design - took part in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games as a Game Services Runner.

“The most exciting aspect of working at the Olympics is contributing to the world’s biggest stage of sport and helping bring it to a global audience. Being part of OBS means working alongside teams with extensive Olympic experience and supporting athletes as they perform at the highest level. Knowing that our work helps showcase their excellence, discipline, and dedication to millions of people around the world is incredibly motivating.”

Can you tell us what your role is and what a typical day is like?

My role is Game Services Runner, which means I work across all departments at the International Broadcast Center. As a runner, I support a wide range of areas including logistics, transportation, motor pool, accommodation, dining services, IT, broadcasting operations, filming, QPC, and additional content production.

I started my OBS journey at the IBC, working closely with different departments and senior staff to support daily operations and ensure that partner broadcasters could work efficiently. I then worked in Vignate at the warehouse, where I helped manage and distribute over 6,000 uniform kits to venues across Milano Cortina. From organizing and packing to coordinating shipments, I was involved in the full process.

I am now based in Cortina, supporting curling and sliding competitions. Every day is different, but the responsibility remains the same: ensuring smooth operations, maintaining high standards, and representing OBS through professionalism, adaptability, and resilience.

How does what you learned at IED help you in this job?

IED has played a fundamental role in preparing me for this experience.

Through my studies in Product Design, I learned how to work in teams, manage pressure, think critically, and approach problems with a solution-oriented mindset. At IED, you are constantly trained to ask how systems work, how they can be improved, and how individual contributions fit into a much larger structure.

Working at OBS made me realize how transferable those skills are. Even though this is not a design role, the way I collaborate, communicate, and contribute – especially while working with professionals far more experienced than me – comes directly from my education at IED. As a student from Saudi Arabia, being able to operate confidently in such a high-level, international environment is something I strongly associate with the training and mindset IED gave me.

How important is teamwork?

Teamwork is essential. The Olympics operate on an enormous scale, with thousands of people working across departments, venues, and countries. No role functions independently.

Clear communication, trust, and attention to detail are crucial, because even a small issue can have a wider impact. This is something IED emphasizes strongly, and seeing teamwork applied at this level has reinforced how central it is to any successful large-scale project.

If you had to describe this experience in one word, what would it be?

Grateful.

Grateful because this experience genuinely transformed how I see my life, my work, and my future. It showed me the scale at which I want to operate, the level of responsibility I am capable of handling, and the type of environment I want to grow in. Most importantly, it helped me understand what is possible – and for that, I am deeply grateful to IED for giving me the opportunity to experience this firsthand.

What does it mean to work in such an international and multicultural context?

Working in an international and multicultural environment has been incredibly enriching. It requires adaptability, openness, and respect, while also offering constant learning through different perspectives and working styles. It truly reflects the spirit of the Olympics – bringing people together through collaboration and shared purpose.