Bachelor of Commerce alum Tania Tchea said her love of sport, and her dream of working in sports commerce, sprung from early childhood memories.
“It all started with my dad,” she shared, “he loves watching sport, live or on TV, and it was really a way to spend time with him.”
Now, as Head of Recognised International Sports Federations at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Tania is full of excited anticipation as all her hard work starts coming to fruition ahead of the 2024 Games.
Tania Tchea (third from right) speaking on a panel at the Marketing Partners Workshop.
“We’re in full readiness mode – no small feat!” she said, “and we are seeing the educational, sport and cultural activities in Paris, leading up to the Games too.”
Having fostered a love of tennis over the years by playing opposite her sister, naturally, Tania is invested in the tennis outcomes for Paris 2024.
“There is no greater feeling than landing a single-handed backhand down the line!” she said.
“Paris will have tennis at Roland Garros, so that is definitely something to watch.”
Having held commercial roles previously at the IOC, Tania said it’s very rewarding being a part of the games on the sport side.
“After the 2014 Winter Olympics, I recall taking a chair lift on my own up one of the mountains. The slopes were all clear after weeks of activity, and I breathed a sigh of relief and felt a sense of completion,” she said.
In her current role, Tania leads the recognised international federations (IFs) unit. The IFs are responsible for the everyday running of their sport, including ensuring that athletes and organisations meet set standards through their conduct.
“Many have the ambition of one day joining the Olympic Programme, thus having a sound governance structure, gender equality and inclusion initiatives, sustainability practices, an athlete focus, and much more, is crucial to their sport roadmaps and planning.”
Having held many roles within the IOC over the years, Tania has collected many fond memories and proud achievements.
The track to success
When Tania was first embarking on her studies almost 25 years ago, she decided on a double-degree in commerce as she recognised it as universally applicable.
“I always felt an insight into economic principles would lead to smarter decision-making and wanted to better understand that,” she explained.
“In the work experience I have had to date, it does not matter which industry or job you are in, finance is an enabler and key to how any organisation is run.”
Tania’s dream to study at the University started during school. Nowadays, the commerce alum remembers her days on campus fondly.
“My goal was always The University of Melbourne, especially given the diversity of course offerings, student life and the overall university environment,” she said.
“I remember running around the grounds to get to classes on-time, participating at the Open Days, quality lecturers and simply enjoying an afternoon at the Baillieu Library.”
After graduating in 2004, Tania followed in the footsteps of many commerce graduates and began her career with one of The Big Four – in Risk Advisory Services at Ernst and Young (EY).
“The years there were really rewarding – the skills and learnings have stayed with me,” shared Tania.
“Even now, as I have progressed in my career, many times I still refer back to my time within professional services.”
Although Tania found her time at EY fulfilling, she had her sights set on a career in sports.
“I took up some side jobs and volunteer roles in-parallel with my role at EY, including at football clubs and at the Australian Open tennis in the summer,” she said.
It paid off for Tania just four years into her career, when she had her first opportunity to be involved in the Olympics.
“An opportunity came up to join the broadcast operations team for the US rights-holder (NBC) at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008,” said Tania.
“Sports TV Production is an intriguing field – it is storytelling, capturing all the emotion, on and off the fields of play,” shared Tania, “and I was part of the Emmy-winning Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 broadcast teams – they were definitely highlights.”
Since then, her exciting career has spanned many different countries and athletic events.
“I have worked multiple Olympic Games with NBC Universal, worked for Union des Associations Européennes de Football at the EURO championships, within tennis and international athletics, and now in Switzerland at the IOC.”
The gameplan
Beyond volunteering early in her career, Tania has some advice for other young graduates looking to break into the sports industry.
“Build transferrable skills, speak to those in the industry and maintain those relationships, and take opportunities without fear,” she said.
“I have also had some extraordinary mentors, with whom I still keep in touch. They have always been generous with their time.”
From working on sports broadcasting through to managing strategic development with sports federations, Tania has enjoyed every challenge.
“Having worked in a number of capacities over my 20 years in the sports industry, the area I enjoy most is the commercial and business development piece,” said Tania.
“Revenue generation, delivery of partner rights and brand protection are important pillars to the successful running of major sports events.”
Tania has long held a love of sport and gets great satisfaction from working with other enthusiasts in her role with the International Sports Federations.
“Everybody has a sport, and working in this role, I see that their passion and dedication also runs deep,” she said.
“Sport has a way of uniting us, we will definitely see that in Paris this Summer.”
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