Oliver (Olli) Zeidler, a full-time specialist and consultant for Deloitte Germany, earned a gold medal in the men’s single sculls rowing event at this year’s Paris Olympics, marking Germany’s first gold title since 1992 in the event and the first medal overall since 2000. 

As a former competitive swimmer who turned to rowing late in his career, Zeidler continued a family tradition of rowing success by following in his grandfather’s and aunt’s footsteps, both of whom are Olympic champions.

This year, 15 elite athletes, including 10 Deloitte professionals, competed as part of Team Deloitte at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. So far, they have earned seven medals (gold, silver and bronze) but are likely to earn more now that the Paralympic Games are underway this week.

“I come from a very sporty family,” Zeidler told Accounting Today. “As a child I tried a lot of things. I played basketball, I did athletics and also swimming. At some point, swimming became more and more competitive, and I needed to train more and more. That’s why I became a professional swimmer. And it went pretty well. I was successful at the German championships — European junior champion in the relay — and then in 2016 I unfortunately missed the qualification for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.”

“After that, there was not that much fun left. That was mainly because a lot of people on my team retired,” he continued. “It was a bit hard to push myself, so I decided to retire from swimming as well in November 2016.”

SIMON HOFMANN

He spent four to six weeks doing nothing until his body started sending him signals that he needed to be doing some kind of sport, he said. That was when he decided to take up rowing.

“I started rowing on the rowing machine in the basement of my parents [home],” said Zeidler. “At some point, I asked my dad then if he could teach me how to row on the water because it can be pretty dull to only row in the basement looking at a wall. And that’s how the journey started.”

He had been working for one and a half years already at Deloitte up to the time when he changed from swimming to rowing. 

“I did a traineeship in Germany and started a bachelor’s degree supported by the company and a master’s degree as well, supported by the company,” said Zeidler. “I was always aware that in Olympic sports you will not have those big sponsors once you retire. I knew that the time would come when I would need to stop with rowing or with sports. When the professional area took over, I didn’t want to start in my 30s. I wanted to start earlier, building a base, and Deloitte allowed me to do so with their programs.

“I didn’t need to take holidays for my competitions or the training camps,” he added . “That was super helpful because before it was really difficult to do the 40-hour job, but they supported me.” 

Deloitte started to support the German Olympic team after the 2021 Olympics with a collaboration, as well as the International Olympic Committee partnership in the last two games. Internationally, it signed a 10-year partnership with the IOC in 2022 through 2032.

Zeidler prepared for this Olympic rowing regatta for three years, which included two trips to Paris. “In total, we spent five to six weeks on the lake, already in training camps to be really prepared for the adverse weather conditions we sometimes find there. It was definitely one of the keys for success that I knew already the course and everything.”

His race plan was designed to peak in the semifinal and the final. “It worked out perfectly,” said Zeidler. Whereas he had struggled in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago and only made the B final in the end, he was proud of his performance during the semifinal in Paris. 

“It was an amazing race in the end,” he said, even though the lineup in the semifinal was similar to the one in Tokyo. “I was really happy when I was able to finally put my boat on the water and do something. Before, the wait was terrible. But I set an Olympic record in the semifinal in front of my mom watching. It was a very emotional moment. And after the semifinal during the cooldown, I really took one or two minutes to say goodbye to the demons of Tokyo.”

After that, his mind felt freer. “I was really looking forward to racing the final, and the Olympic final was the race I wanted to have,” said Zeidler. He had made it to the point where he felt he was at the peak of his abilities and was able to really enjoy it. 

“Even if you think that the Olympic finals are the biggest thing you can achieve in rowing, there was no pressure anymore,” he added. “The semifinal was a lot of pressure, but the final was just going out having fun and executing the race plan. I knew that if I execute the race plan, I will win a medal today. … In the end, it was the gold medal. I had a perfect race in the final, and I was super happy after that. It became very emotional for friends, family and also for myself, and I think that’s what the Olympics are known for,”

The fans were very supportive during the medal ceremonies. “The grandstands in Paris, this was also amazing to see,” said Zeidler. “Even at the heats we had grandstands, and when I just watched the racing, I had shivers all over my body. Sometimes my knees became a bit soft. But when I heard the crowd cheering, it was such a cool atmosphere on the rowing course.”

He hopes to compete in the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles. “I’m aiming for 2028 and my goal is to become as successful as my grandpa and my aunt,” he said. “They both won one gold and one bronze medal at the Olympic Games, so I hope to manage to win at least a silver, if not another gold medal.”

His grandfather, Hans-Johann Färber, became Olympic champion in 1972 and won a bronze medal four years later. His aunt, Judith Zeidler, won gold in the Seoul Olympics and then bronze in Barcelona.

“It’s the third generation of Olympic gold medalists in the family now,” said Zeidler.

Over the years, he had been inspired by the stories of his family members. “Rowing is a very traditional sport,” said Zeidler. “That’s something I really love, and the Olympics were just something very special. But I think back to the days when my grandpa showed me the books of the Olympic Games where it was captured, and that’s how my dream developed to become an athlete and an Olympian one day as well. It’s a nice family story, but in total, the Olympics, the values they share, is just something I can really connect with.”

He had many opportunities to connect with other Deloitte athletes at the games, including a fellow rower, Jan van der Bij, who hails from the Netherlands and won a silver medal in the men’s eight.

“In total, we had 15 Deloitte athletes in Team Deloitte, and 10 of them are actually Deloitte professionals,” said Zeidler. “Of the Deloitte professionals, we have a lot of rowers. That is very cool. We are like a family in rowing, so we know each other. Even after racing, we caught up and celebrated together in the different houses of the nations. For example, I met Jan from the Netherlands, who won the silver medal in the eight, and it’s cool to not only have the same sport you’re in, but also the same employer and a similar professional background within the firm.”

The athletes attended parties to celebrate the victories with other Deloitte professionals. “If you think about the Olympics, all the nations have their houses, but also the sponsors have their houses where they make little parties,” said Zeidler. “Every evening you can attend two or three parties, and one morning, Deloitte invited us to their house. We met a lot of Deloitte professionals there, a lot of volunteers who were there for the games.”

“It was a nice atmosphere, and it felt a bit like coming home, as well, because it was not really screaming ‘Deloitte.’ It was a bit of a hidden place there in the middle of a park, and it was cool to see. Catching up with the colleagues was also nice — so not Olympians, but the colleagues were into the IOC partnership and into the sports business groups.”

The celebrations continued in Paris and on the flight home as well.

“After the games, after winning the gold medal, I was already in completely another world,” said Zeidler. “For example, one evening, my girlfriend and I got invited to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We went up there in a private elevator. All the other people needed to wait, and I think they were wondering, ‘Who are these guys? Why are they allowed to go up there in a private cabin?’ And then the Eiffel Tower guys even let us one floor above all the others, so we had a clear view over the city.”

“And on the way back, the pilots let me sit in the cockpit for 40 minutes, including the landing,” he continued. “And then arriving here, there was a big reception at the airport with friends, family, a lot of media. They brought me to a little place here in a convertible where I was waving to former teachers, to friends, to a lot of families who are living here close to Munich in the same village. And the celebration continued. Then I went to Deloitte, to the office. There was also a reception. Then the next day at my rowing club in Frankfurt, there was also a reception with a lot of people showing the medal around. It was a crazy world.”

He has already been scouting out the next Olympics venue. “I actually fly to L.A. on holidays, so I think I will definitely have a look at the rowing course there and see.”