"From our side we will often bring our leaders of transportation, of ticketing, of athlete experience, to make sure that as corporate spokes-people we're supplementing what we can say with people who are truly in the weeds on these subjects every day," she noted.

Smith-Valade has previous Olympics experience. Fresh out of college she worked for five years for the organizing committee leading up to the 1988 Calgary Winter Games in Canada. After some years in politics in Calgary, she worked in public relations for eight years in the airline industry, before taking the VANOC job in 2005.

She credits her time in the airline industry for having her well-prepared for her role at these Olympics, especially dealing with the death of Georgian luge racer Nodar Kumaritashvili in a practice accident the day of the opening ceremonies.

"I would say that it is my crisis training in the airline industry that helped me know at that moment when you feel emotionally paralyzed what to do and how to start communicating that sad news," she explained.

Smith-Valade added that the story is still one that VANOC officials are dealing with.

"It was a tremendous shock to all of us, particularly in the contrast; we were in the middle of preparing the final communications for the joyous start of the opening ceremonies and it happened at the same time," she added. "So it's been an ongoing issue throughout the Games, and we have been challenged everyday to make sure that we're not saying anything that will put us in a position potential legally down the road, because it's difficult to say what's going to come from his death."