Bringing you athletics action (© Getty Images)
MonteCarloWith less than a week to go before the start of the IAAF World TV Seminar in Athens on 29 and 30 March, final preparations are underway for the two day gathering of TV Athletics’ experts in the city that will host the Olympic Games in five months time.
President Lamine Diack, who will open the Seminar, spoke of his great expectations for the event, which is to be attended by 150 TV producers and other experts from the world of sport.
“I believe that the world of athletics is at a vital stage in its development and we need to work hand in hand with broadcasters to create the best possible platform to promote the sport. This Seminar, which is the brainchild of the IAAF TV Commission, will hopefully conclude with a new blueprint for TV coverage of athletics.”
Since 1986, the IAAF TV Commission has aimed to broaden the knowledge of TV producers around the world about the proper way to cover the sport. The World TV Seminar in Athens is the fourth time that the top television specialists have assembled to upgrade their knowledge.
"The world of broadcasting has seen dramatic changes since the 1980s,” said the Chairman of the IAAF TV Commission Alex Gilady, who is not only a top TV executive but also a Member of the International Olympic Committee. “Multi-channels and microcasting (Internet) are now commonplace, if we consider what is available for the viewer today.
"Providing a perfect competition schedule is almost impossible,” said Gilady, “but for the first time the World TV Seminar has invited experts from around the world to present to the IAAF council members and top brass their views on how programming needs to be adjusted to suit the modern television age.
"Finally, I would like to highlight the fact that virtual reality is now standard in TV production. For this reason, some of the world’s experts in this field will present a list of 'do’s and don’ts' on how to apply this technology to athletics coverage."
IAAF World TV Seminar
Detailed Programme
Day 1 29th March
Introduction of IAAF President Lamine Diack by Alex Gilady, Chairman of the IAAF Television Commission and Chairman of the IAAF TV Seminar.
Session 1: IAAF Today and Tomorrow
• Philosophy and Organisation
Lamine Diack, President, IAAF
• Status of the Sport in Today’s Modern Society
Helmut Digel, Vice President, IAAF
• IAAF Marketing Challenges
Kiyoshi Nakamura, General Manager, DENTSU
• Question & Answer Session
Session 2: Competition Schedule and Broadcast - A World View
Marc Jörg, Head of Sports Rights, EBU & Markku Vainikka, Consultant, EBU.
Peter Diamond, Senior Vice President Olympic Programming, NBC
Zhang Wei, Director, CCTV
Lawrence Atiase, Sports Coordinator, URTNA
Luiz Fernando Lima, Head of Sport, TV Globo
Peter Diamond, Senior Vice President Olympic Programming, NBC
• Response of the IAAF - Technical
Cesar Moreno Bravo, Council Member, IAAF
• Response of the IAAF - Track and Field Competitions
Dapeng Lou, Vice President, IAAF
• Question & Answer Session
Session 3: TV Signal
• Day by Day/Event by Event coverage of the sport
Kalevi Uusivuori, Producer - Director, YLE
Tapani Parm, Producer - Director, YLE
• Question & Answer Session
Day 2 30th March
Session 4: Graphics for Athletics Broadcast
• Philosophy & Context
Kalevi Uusivuori, Producer-Director, YLE
• Content, Artistic Look and Instant Results
Antonio Verga, European Operation Manager Global Sport Events, Epson
Rob Wilson, Marketing Director, Seiko
Livio Babando, Director, Delta Tre Informatica
Uwe Greif, Director Marketing and Sales, Wige Data
• TV Commentators Point of View
Stuart Storey, Commentator, BBC
• Virtual Reality
Prepared by Bucky Gunts, Coordination Director, NBC Olympics and presented by David Neal, Executive Vice President, NBC Olympics.
• Production & Summary
Tapani Parm, Producer - Director YLE
• Question & Answer Session
Session 5: One Day Athletics Competitions
Ernest Obeng, Director of Broadcasting, IAAF
Peter Minder, Head of Sports Production, SF DRS
Hansjörg Wirz, Meeting Director, Weltklasse Zurich
Wilfried Meert, Meeting Director, Memorial Van Damme Brussels
• Production & Summary
Kalevi Uusivuouri, Producer - Director YLE
• Question & Answer Session
Session 6
• Host Broadcast Operations/The Mixed Zone
Manolo Romero, President Managing Director, AOB
• Stadium Presentation
Jon Ridgeon, Managing Partner, Fast Track
Antonis Zaglakoutis, ATHOC Stadium Presentation
• Question & Answer Session
Session 7: Marketing and Advertising - Point of View
• Panel and Open discussion
Marc Jörg, Head of Sports Rights, EBU
Helmut Digel, Vice President, IAAF
Alex Gilady, Chairman, IAAF Television Commission
Kiyoshi Nakamura, General Manager, DENTSU
• Question & Answer Session
Session 8: Conclusions
Alex Gilady, Chairman, IAAF TV Commission
Lamine Diack, President, IAAF
• Question & Answer Session