‘Down and Dirty’ Details at Rio Olympics

by Craig Leweck, World Sailing
One day down, ten more to go (and that’s assuming the final reserve day on August 19 is not needed). That’s the story on the working side of the Olympic Games. While the athletes are on the water fulfilling a dream, there is an army of media people seeking to share their stories (plus a real army from Brazil looking after all of us).

There are countless ways now to share the story of an event. The internet, and all the clever 20 somethings that have launched a myriad of tools, are to thank for that. Everyone has their preference, and lord knows social media offers enough of those niches. What is key for the distant spectator, hopefully you, is to find what works for your interest and situation.

The World Sailing website – www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016 – is the portal for much of this, and for those that want the ‘down and dirty’ details, I encourage you to find your way to the Live Blog. That’s my department, and I see it as the high reward for the technically challenged crowd. Let me doing the heavy lifting so you can do nearly none. And as I found out today, there is some heavy lifting to do.

Each fleet has tracking that provide the look of the race course and the competition occurring. On day one that was four fleets which meant for four screens to follow the racing. Then there is a competition screen that offers details such as start times, courses, and wind details. There is a results screen too, though technical hurdles hampered the ranking information (we hope day two proves better). Finally, the live broadcast on a television monitor provided the feed being sent around the world.

What the Live Blog strives to do is consume all that information and offer the essence of the day. When does the day begin and end? How many races? Who did well? What was the wind like? Are there any delays hampering the competition? It is a stream of information that someone can stay with all day or step away from but return to and easily get caught up.

Additionally, the Live Blog is meant to be a mighty tease to encourage you to put the second foot into the water. Photos and video are pushed through the social media channels. Depending on your region there is the television broadcast. And if you are really up for the challenge, all the information that I am following for the Live Blog is public and freely available.

What makes the Rio Olympics so consumable for the distant spectator is the narrow window in which the competition will occur. The Live Blog begins at noon for the 13:00 start, with racing on day one concluding before 16:00. The winds were good this day, but even if they weren’t, sunset comes just past 17:30 which firmly closes the door on the length of day.

So check your time zones and follow your favorites at the 2016 Olympic Games.

How to follow the Olympics… click here.