Most of us who watched the Tokyo Olympics were in awe at the athleticism and multiculturalism, but we probably didn’t give too much thought to the thousands of incredible professionals that made the Olympics happen in the most difficult times. One of those people is Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Fedja Delalic, the Technology and Energy Manager at the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Behind every success there are many untold stories of adversity. Fedja’s story starts in Mostar where he grew up and as a teenager found himself in the middle of a war, watching neighbours shoot at each other. In the midst of the chaos his father was sent to a concentration camp and his mother was diagnosed with cancer. Sadly, she succumbed to the illness while he was attempting to build a new life in Australia. The passing of his mother and the new life challenges impacted Fedja deeply, as he dropped out of his computer engineering studies at the prestigious University of Melbourne. He worked numerous jobs to support himself but got his lucky break in the oddest of places, at Crown Casino (at the time, the world’s largest casino). He worked as a croupier on the tables while completing several IT courses and later landed a support role with Crown. The rest is history.

Fedja worked his way up in the technology management space through numerous companies but he got a taste of his dream in 2005 when his two loves (sport & technology) suddenly came together. He became part of the tech team supporting the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. His taste for this world would ultimately become a driving force in his professional career leading him to London where he to become a venue technology manager at the 2012 Olympic Games. Since that time, Fedja has worked with numerous large and complex sporting events including work with the AFL, European Games in Baku before settling in the role of Technology and Energy Manager at the International Olympic Committee, based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

We explore Fedja’s inspirational life journey and get a sneak peak behind the scenes of the Tokyo Olympics. What happens when technology is in focus at the Games? What technology trends can we expect to see in the near future at the Olympics? Tune in and find out.