Broadcasters awarded for Olympic coverage after unique Tokyo Games

Broadcasters were awarded for their Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games coverage at the Golden Rings Awards on Monday. The awards were handed out at the Olympic House in Lausanne, and were meant to promote, and award, excellence in broadcasting according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The winners of each award were selected by an international jury, headed by IOC member Anant Singh. Singh is the Chair of the IOC Communications Commission, a member of the Olympic Channel Commission, and a member of the Digital & Technology Commission.

Singh has served as a producer on two Academy Award nominated films, “Yesterday” and “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” Singh is also the Chairman of Cape Town Film Studios, and Co-Chairman of Smile 90.4FM, a radio station based in Cape Town. He is also a member of many other media, economic, and humanitarian organizations.

The jury headed by Singh looked to hand out awards in twelve categories: Best Coverage by the Host Broadcaster; Best Athlete Profile; Best Equality & Inclusion Content; Best Innovation; Best Olympic Digital Service; Best Olympic Feature/Documentary; Best Olympic Programme; Best On-Air Promotion; Best Social Media Content/Production; Digital Fan Engagement; Commentary; and a Lifetime Commitment Award.

Some of the winners included TV Globo for their athlete profile on Rayssa Leal, 7Network for their social media content “From Little Things, Big Things Grow,” Eurosport Discovery in Best Innovation for The Eurosport Cube, and NBC Universal and NBC Sports for best digital coverage.

NBC Universal also won Best Equality & Inclusion Content, Best Olympic Feature/Documentary, and Best Olympic Programme. France TV won Best On-Air Promotion with their highly praised “Sumo” advert, while Velitchka Nedialkova of ZDF was awarded the Lifetime Commitment Award.

The Olympic Broadcast Systems (OBS) team responsible for the coverage of sailing was awarded Best Coverage by the Host Broadcaster. The OBS was also awarded for commentary and digital fan engagement.

Olympic Orders were also presented to Peter Diamond, Vice President of NBC Olympics, and Besim Hasani, former President of the Kosovo Olympic Committee.

Speaking on the Golden Rings Awards, IOC President Thomas Bach stated, “The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were the most engaged Olympic Games ever and another landmark moment in sports broadcasting history. Through the IOC’s partnerships with leading media companies around the world, we are able to share the magic of the Olympic Games to inspire billions of people.”

“Our close partnership with our broadcasters is a great reflection that we can only go faster, we can only aim higher, we can only become stronger, if we work together – in solidarity. There were more submissions for the Golden Rings Awards than ever before, and the breadth, diversity and creativity of the production is testament to the passion and commitment of the individuals who work with us to broadcast the Olympic Games.”

Broadcasters and the IOC now face a quick turnaround from Tokyo 2020 to Beijing 2022, with the Winter Olympics due to get underway in just 86 days.

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