Feature: The Hi-tech Olympics - February 2005  

The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics Games have already been given the moniker, 'The Hi-Tech Olympics'. Rachael Church, editor of Sport and Technology, spoke to key players and broadcasters at the Athens 2004 Games to find out what lessons can be applied to the future crown jewel event.

Ostensibly, Athens 2004 was a hit. Collectively, the Athens Organising Committee (ATHOC) and the commercial partners involved in the event breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Games passed without major incidents or hitches following a lengthy period of construction delays and negative publicity. But what was the story behind the scenes and did the venues cater for the increasingly sophisticated needs of the broadcasters and IT companies involved in the event?
Major Olympic broadcasting rights owner NBC thinks so. "From our perspective things went very smoothly in Athens," says Mike McCarley, a spokesperson for the US terrestrial broadcaster which calls itself 'America's Olympic Network' and transmitted its most number of Olympics hours to date during Athens - a mammoth 1,200 of them. "The facilities were great and we knew our experience would be an excellent one because of our close working relationship with the host broadcaster AOB."
Jeremy Goldstein, senior producer of Woods TV whose company was part of a consortium (ISTS) that serviced satellite needs for non rights-holding broadcasters in Athens is similarly bullish about the Athens experience. Says Goldstein: "We feel that the problems associated with Athens 2004 were over-exaggerated. By the time we got there we were comfortable with our position. As far as we were concerned the Olympics went off without a hitch and there were no major technological or logistical problems and the venues functioned well."

Early learning

According to John Barton, head of sport at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) which has over 100 members in 52 countries, reaching a potential audience of about 3bn people: "The facilities [at Athens] were, literally, state of the art. Everything that a broadcaster would want through the broadcast rate card was provided, though one still has serious questions about the cost of some of these items." Barton's only other criticism relates to communications at the event. "We were not able to get sufficient information about a range of communication matters - circuits, satellite, earth station connectivity - as and when it was needed. At an operational level, the testing of circuits was left to the last minute which gave us all the jitters."
Early testing is essential agrees Steve Goodey who was the engineer and manager of outside broadcasting (OB) operations for UK free-to-air broadcaster, the BBC, during Athens: "On the whole, we had a positive experience at the Games," he says. "But prior to the event, everyone was a bit fearful due to the construction delays at venues which meant we couldn't get in and test camera and presentation positions. So on the day it was literally a case of 'let's hope this works'. The host broadcaster had a tough time of it in terms of accessing the venues which of course trickled down to all the broadcasters in terms of planning. Compounds had to be moved and we couldn't get in early enough to check cabling. It was all a bit messy, but the main thing is that everyone pulled together and it all worked."
Not being able to access venues early enough to test on-site, was also a potential headache for Olympic technology sponsor Atos Origin. Says Yan Noblot, Atos Origin's information security manager for Athens 2004 and Torino 2006: "The lesson we learned however was that we had to be flexible and cater for the venues not being ready on time. We had our deadline seven years before and everything had to work perfectly from day one of the Games. Just because the venues were late, we couldn't say we were going to be late too. Ideally though we would be allowed to test our systems at a Games as early as possible."

The venue as a studio

With broadcasting and IT needs at sports events becoming increasingly sophisticated, there is a feeling in the industry that broadcasters and technology companies should be involved at the design stage of a new stadium and during plans for redesign where the venue already exists. "I think it [involvement at design stage] is essential," says the ABU's Barton. "After all, the 'Olympics' are first and foremost a television event. It does not reach across the globe to a cumulative audience of 4bn people unless it deploys the latest communications and they are used to create the look and feel of a major 'live' sporting event. It does not just involve the broadcast but also communications between venues and the 130,000 m2 IBC [International Broadcasting Centre] and in turn to individuals." According to Rick Horrow, president of Miami-based Horrow Sports Ventures, who has been involved in stadia and infrastructure deals worth over $13bn in the US and is currently working with New York's 2012 Olympic bid, "sports facilities need to seen by architects and organising committees as large, complex television studios in their own right. This means making sure they are wired up properly so that the spectators and broadcasters are taken care of fully."
Keith Ashton, a director of S&P Architects, a UK-based firm involved in venue designs for the London 2012 Olympic bid embraces Horrow's views fully. "Essentially an arena or a stadium is a television studio so it has to be designed with that in mind - from everything to backbone cabling, lighting, eyeline camera positions and in-seat technology through to something as basic as where to park the OB vehicles. Therefore early consultation between architects, engineers and the host broadcaster is key."
The BBC's Goodey has been offering informal consulting advice to engineering company Arup for the Beijing 2008 Games. "I've had a lot of input into new venues in Beijing regarding commentary and reporter positions and platforms among others and Arup also came out to Athens to see what broadcasters require. It is very important and encouraging that this sort of conversation is happening now."
The ABU is already working with Beijing's host broadcaster - the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Corporation (BOB) to ensure its member broadcasters have adequate space and facilities. "During the next four years a series of broadcast meetings will be held with the host broadcaster where all matters are put on the table," explains Barton.

Host with the most

Beijing will be the first Olympics and Paralympics where the IOC has implemented a requirement to run the host broadcasting operations under the international federation's sole control. During the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as providing international television and radio signals for broadcasters from all over the world, BOB will build and operate the IBC and the necessary broadcast facilities in other venues, and provide services for the rights holding broadcasters during the Games. Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the IOC Co-ordination Commission for the Beijing Olympics, has been appointed vice chairman of BOB. "This is part of a move to bring key areas of operation in-house at the IOC," says Verbruggen. "For all Games from Beijing onwards, we will sub-contract the event to a city with the guarantee that we will provide the television production ourselves. By doing things this way we will make things easier and cheaper and won't have to reinvent the wheel each time. Television is a strategic issue for us - after all the IOC's money comes to a large extent from television rights - so we have to ensure that it is serviced correctly." With the Beijing 2008 host broadcasting team set to include Manolo Romero, who has been involved in host broadcasting operations from the 1998 Nagano Winter Games onwards, Verbruggen is confident that the new set-up will be a success.
NBC's Sports/Olympics chairman Dick Ebersol has already been to Beijing to discuss the broadcaster's needs according to NBC spokesperson McCarley. "It is important for us to develop strong relationships with our partners in the Games," he explains. "That starts with the IOC and then includes each host city and host broadcaster. The Olympics are the reason Ebersol says he is still in this business."
Beijing will provide a considerable contrast to the Athens experience believes the BBC's Goodey, not only culturally, but logistically. "When we are in Europe we can take our own OB vans to an event. We won't be able to take them to Beijing though so we will be looking at hiring facilities out there." Goodey has heard that the Beijing Organising Committee is considering putting OB compounds underground the venues in order to keep things aesthetically pleasing. "It may end up looking prettier for spectators and television audiences, but we are going to have problems with satellite feeds if that happens," he says.
"We are all going to have to be respectful of the different culture in China," adds Atos Orgin's Noblot. "We made sure we had Chinese personnel as part of our team in Athens which was a positive experience for all of us. It's also good news that Beijing's venues are way ahead of schedule because we will be able to get in early for testing."
Goldstein from Woods TV agrees that Beijing will throw up different challenges compared with those in Athens. "Part of it is to get in early enough, especially if you are not a rights holding broadcaster. In that case you will need people to take care of you, so partnering is key. It's different if you are a rights holder. There's definitely a market to help Europeans who aren't familiar with working in China. Meanwhile the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino will be more about the logistics involved in moving facilities around 100km of terrain."
According to reports, Beijing 2008 organisers have promised to complete 116 technology projects over the next four years in the lead up to the event. The 16 'large projects' and more than 100 'small projects' will cover television coverage projects, telecoms, and architecture with multimedia connections, On-site game broadcasting and on-site wireless communications are also on the organising committee's shopping list.
The final word goes to the IOC's Verbruggen who is pleased with China's enthusiasm for all things technical. "The Chinese strive to be the best in everything and want to show the world that they are major players. They are very open to listening to advice and extremely happy for us to be working with them. We are already talking about camera positions and how broadcaster's needs will be implemented. To that end, venue planning is extremely important and is something we are working closely on."

This article originally appeared in Stadia Magazine and has been reproduced with the publication's kind permission (www.stadia.tv).

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