Yesterday NBC won three Golden Ring Awards from the IOC for their coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Just to clarify, this is the same NBC that failed to broadcast the 7/7 tribute at the Opening Ceremony in favour of a Ryan Seacrest interview with Michael Phelps as well as preventing viewers without cable or satellite subscriptions from watching live sport.
This is on top of adverising faux pas during their coverage including a commercial for a Today Show interview with "Gold medallist Missy Franklin" right before they showed her race, spoiling the result for millions of Americans.
You think they would learn, guess again; immediately after Gabby Douglas became the first African American to win a gold in gymnastics, the network showed an advert featuring a monkey on the uneven bars - that won't cause trouble will it?
I think very few people would disagree that 2012 was NBC's worst year of Olympic broadcasting since the infamous Olympic Triplecast of 1992 which cost the network's partners around $100 million.
And despite all of this the American broadcaster still managed to win the gold award in the 'Best Olympic Programme', 'Best On Air Promotion' and 'Best Olympic Feature Film' categories.
Making this achievment more incredible is that NBC beat out the BBC's 'Super Saturday' coverage for the Gold Award on best programme: The BBC, the national broadcaster of the UK that recieved overwhelmingly positive reviews over their coverage was beaten out by the same people who brought you #NBCFail.
This post would be longer if the Golden Rings actually mattered and if they weren't controlled by who pays the most to broadcast the games.
The views of a young sports fan on the Issues that affect Olympic and Paralympic Sport.
Friday 30 November 2012
Monday 26 November 2012
Sports Personality 2012 - Who's deserving of the shortlist
Today the BBC released the 12 member shortlist for Sports Personality of the Year 2012, the list includes 8 Olympians, 3 Paralympians and a Golfer. Clearly however, some are much more deserving of their place than others.
Nicola Adams - The very first female Olympic boxing champion on this planet; not only did she win a gold medal, she won it in style in front of a screaming crowd at the ExCeL. On top of her sporting achievments she came out as bisexual, suggesting how much her sport has moved on this year.
Ben Ainslie - The most successful sailor in Olympic history, although I doubt his ability to achieve any of the three Sports Personality trophies, he has definitely shown himself as an incredible British Olympian over the last 16 years.
Jessica Ennis - If this girl wasn't on the list I would have sent a strongly worded letter to the BBC demanding that she be put on the shortlist. She was undoubtedly the face of the games both before and after, she united an entire nation in a state of ecstasy when she won gold. On top of all of that she ran the hurdles in a time that would have won the 2008 Olympic Gold in 100m Hurdles. I fully expect this girl to achieve one of the three trophies this year, whether it will be better than her third places from 2009 and 2010, we will have to wait and see.
Mo Farah - The only British Olympian of 2012 to have won two individual gold medals and the first Brit ever to win Olympic Gold in the 5k or 10k. Furthermore he got the entire planet doing the Mobot, including Usain Bolt, this man is truly something and will almost definitely win something on the night.
Katherine Grainger - And now for a change of mood: don't get me wrong, it was incredible to see her finally win Olympic gold after three consecutive silvers, but this year she won a single gold, as a member of a team: Yet Anna Watkins nor 3 double gold medallists are nowhere to be found on the list. I think her chances of an award are low, she is very unknown to non-Olympic fanatics and her achievements are mediocre in comparison to many others.
Sir Chris Hoy - Britain's Greatest Olympian of All Time. Enough Said.
Sarah Storey - It is so great to see Paralympians on the shortlist this year, not only is she one of this Nation's best Paralympians, she is also one of the nations best cyclists: her ability matches that of our Olympians and very nearly got her onto the Olympic squad. Let's not look at all of the 'What ifs' though, she won 4 Paralympic Golds.
David Weir - Briefly the first suggested 'David' on Google search, but still proud owner of 4 London 2012 Paralympic Gold Medals. Many were amazed to see what this man could do, more were speechless about his incredible ability to keep going for more.
Rory McIlroy - From the heights of human endeavour to the lows of laziness in sport. In the year 2012 this man won a single competition worth winning, instead of training to the degree he should he is more interested in partying with his girlfriend, Caroline Wozniacki (another overrated sportsperson). Furthermore, should the BBC give an award to a man who is threatening to compete for Ireland in Rio 2016?
Ellie Simmonds - The teenage swimming superstar won 4 Paralympic medals this year; 2 of them gold. Her attitude to competition was incredible this year; while the media was moaning about Victoria Arlen's classification she celebrated the competition she recieved from racing the American of a similar age to her. She definitely has the Personality for this award, as well as sporting achievement to back it up.
Andy Murray - Every year I moan that this man has reahed the shortlist yet again, but not this year; he won Olympic Gold, Olympic Silver, the US Open and reached the final of Wimbledon (and gave Federer a run for his money). He is definitely one of my sporting heroes of 2012 and has definitely changed a few minds.
Bradley Wiggins - Finally, to round off the 12 for 2012 is Britain's first ever winner of the Tour de France, and one of the most decorated British Olympians there are. To say this man is incredible is an understatement. He is definitely a contender for the trophy but most of the people shortlisted are.
Overall I agree with the list; although it seems to be lacking Charlotte Dujardin, Jason Kenny and Laura Trott, each of whom won 2 gold medals in London. I strongly disagree with the inclusion of Rory McIlroy for his mediocre year in comparison with the incredible year some of our Olympians and Paralympians have had.
Nicola Adams - The very first female Olympic boxing champion on this planet; not only did she win a gold medal, she won it in style in front of a screaming crowd at the ExCeL. On top of her sporting achievments she came out as bisexual, suggesting how much her sport has moved on this year.
Ben Ainslie - The most successful sailor in Olympic history, although I doubt his ability to achieve any of the three Sports Personality trophies, he has definitely shown himself as an incredible British Olympian over the last 16 years.
Jessica Ennis - If this girl wasn't on the list I would have sent a strongly worded letter to the BBC demanding that she be put on the shortlist. She was undoubtedly the face of the games both before and after, she united an entire nation in a state of ecstasy when she won gold. On top of all of that she ran the hurdles in a time that would have won the 2008 Olympic Gold in 100m Hurdles. I fully expect this girl to achieve one of the three trophies this year, whether it will be better than her third places from 2009 and 2010, we will have to wait and see.
Mo Farah - The only British Olympian of 2012 to have won two individual gold medals and the first Brit ever to win Olympic Gold in the 5k or 10k. Furthermore he got the entire planet doing the Mobot, including Usain Bolt, this man is truly something and will almost definitely win something on the night.
Katherine Grainger - And now for a change of mood: don't get me wrong, it was incredible to see her finally win Olympic gold after three consecutive silvers, but this year she won a single gold, as a member of a team: Yet Anna Watkins nor 3 double gold medallists are nowhere to be found on the list. I think her chances of an award are low, she is very unknown to non-Olympic fanatics and her achievements are mediocre in comparison to many others.
Sir Chris Hoy - Britain's Greatest Olympian of All Time. Enough Said.
Sarah Storey - It is so great to see Paralympians on the shortlist this year, not only is she one of this Nation's best Paralympians, she is also one of the nations best cyclists: her ability matches that of our Olympians and very nearly got her onto the Olympic squad. Let's not look at all of the 'What ifs' though, she won 4 Paralympic Golds.
David Weir - Briefly the first suggested 'David' on Google search, but still proud owner of 4 London 2012 Paralympic Gold Medals. Many were amazed to see what this man could do, more were speechless about his incredible ability to keep going for more.
Rory McIlroy - From the heights of human endeavour to the lows of laziness in sport. In the year 2012 this man won a single competition worth winning, instead of training to the degree he should he is more interested in partying with his girlfriend, Caroline Wozniacki (another overrated sportsperson). Furthermore, should the BBC give an award to a man who is threatening to compete for Ireland in Rio 2016?
Ellie Simmonds - The teenage swimming superstar won 4 Paralympic medals this year; 2 of them gold. Her attitude to competition was incredible this year; while the media was moaning about Victoria Arlen's classification she celebrated the competition she recieved from racing the American of a similar age to her. She definitely has the Personality for this award, as well as sporting achievement to back it up.
Andy Murray - Every year I moan that this man has reahed the shortlist yet again, but not this year; he won Olympic Gold, Olympic Silver, the US Open and reached the final of Wimbledon (and gave Federer a run for his money). He is definitely one of my sporting heroes of 2012 and has definitely changed a few minds.
Bradley Wiggins - Finally, to round off the 12 for 2012 is Britain's first ever winner of the Tour de France, and one of the most decorated British Olympians there are. To say this man is incredible is an understatement. He is definitely a contender for the trophy but most of the people shortlisted are.
Overall I agree with the list; although it seems to be lacking Charlotte Dujardin, Jason Kenny and Laura Trott, each of whom won 2 gold medals in London. I strongly disagree with the inclusion of Rory McIlroy for his mediocre year in comparison with the incredible year some of our Olympians and Paralympians have had.
Monday 19 November 2012
To go higher, We must start lower
29 Gold medals, 17 Silvers and 19 bronzes; 3rd in the world isn't bad for a small island nation just across the channel from Europe. It was quite a result for Team GB however after overcoming the short term challenge the British Olympic Association (BOA) now has to cement itself as a force to be reckoned with in international sport.
Now we could spend UK Sport's funding on coaching and athlete's funding however, in my opinion instead of blowing all of the money on the top athletes of today, we should spend a considerable amount on the athletes of the future.
From the 13th of August onwards sports clubs were overflowing with enthusiastic youngsters eager to emulate their new found heroes, sadly these clubs didn't have enough coaching staff to nurture the talent before them, sadly this meant some of the children had to be turned away. Whether there was a potential Olympic Champion among them in unknown, but no child should be refused the right to take part in sport.
In a nation of high unemployment it would not be hard to find volunteers to coach, especially after the hundreds of thousands of people willing to volunteer for the London Olympics and upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth games.
The curriculum of Physical Education in Britain should be reviewed, in my experience, months are spent on sports such as Rugby, Netball and Cricket which have little importance internationally while very few lessons are spent on athletics in preparation for a school sports day.
While the British use of sport in education is one of the many factors that inspired Pierre de Coubertin to start the modern Olympics, PE teachers have been known to replace some of the lessons of the week with theory lessons, stopping children achieving the legal requirement of two hours of exercise a week in school. This prevents some children from achieving their 5 hours a week in total.
Children's talents often go unnoticed until it is too late to nurture the talent, unlike in the USA due to most High schools possessing their own artificial tracks, which not only allows young talent to be scouted but allows for good training conditions all year round.
So in conclusion, to ensure British Olympic success for years to come as much emphasis needs to be placed on youth sport as is placed on professional sport.
Now we could spend UK Sport's funding on coaching and athlete's funding however, in my opinion instead of blowing all of the money on the top athletes of today, we should spend a considerable amount on the athletes of the future.
From the 13th of August onwards sports clubs were overflowing with enthusiastic youngsters eager to emulate their new found heroes, sadly these clubs didn't have enough coaching staff to nurture the talent before them, sadly this meant some of the children had to be turned away. Whether there was a potential Olympic Champion among them in unknown, but no child should be refused the right to take part in sport.
In a nation of high unemployment it would not be hard to find volunteers to coach, especially after the hundreds of thousands of people willing to volunteer for the London Olympics and upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth games.
The curriculum of Physical Education in Britain should be reviewed, in my experience, months are spent on sports such as Rugby, Netball and Cricket which have little importance internationally while very few lessons are spent on athletics in preparation for a school sports day.
While the British use of sport in education is one of the many factors that inspired Pierre de Coubertin to start the modern Olympics, PE teachers have been known to replace some of the lessons of the week with theory lessons, stopping children achieving the legal requirement of two hours of exercise a week in school. This prevents some children from achieving their 5 hours a week in total.
Children's talents often go unnoticed until it is too late to nurture the talent, unlike in the USA due to most High schools possessing their own artificial tracks, which not only allows young talent to be scouted but allows for good training conditions all year round.
So in conclusion, to ensure British Olympic success for years to come as much emphasis needs to be placed on youth sport as is placed on professional sport.
Finally looking ahead to the future
Well, it's November, I can't quite believe how quickly this year has gone; it feels like just yesterday I was jumping up and down eagerly awaiting the start of London 2012.
It may have taken a while after the closing of the Paralympics but I finally feel like I can look ahead to the future of Olympic Sport. Just this weekend we witnessed the excitement of Track Cycling World Cup from Glasgow and still have the third installment of the World Cup in Mexico to look forward to in January.
The sporting calendar of 2013 will include the European Indoor Athletics Championships as well as the World Championships from the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow where Jessica Ennis will hopefully retain her World title from Tatyana Chernova . Other World Championships include the FINA Swimming World Championships.
We can also look forward to an exciting season of high octane Winter Sports, just a year out from Sochi; let's not forget that the Team GB Men's Ice Hockey Squad is only one game away from the Olympics.
I am also looking forward to the revealing of the 2020 Olympic Host where one of Istanbul, Tokyo or Madrid will be selected as the successor of Rio 2016. Another city will be chosen as the host of the third Summer Youth Olympics.
And so: I don't have to rely entirely on Youtube videos to get my fix of Olympic sport, with an exciting year ahead, the sporting summer of 2012 will not be the last.
It may have taken a while after the closing of the Paralympics but I finally feel like I can look ahead to the future of Olympic Sport. Just this weekend we witnessed the excitement of Track Cycling World Cup from Glasgow and still have the third installment of the World Cup in Mexico to look forward to in January.
The sporting calendar of 2013 will include the European Indoor Athletics Championships as well as the World Championships from the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow where Jessica Ennis will hopefully retain her World title from Tatyana Chernova . Other World Championships include the FINA Swimming World Championships.
We can also look forward to an exciting season of high octane Winter Sports, just a year out from Sochi; let's not forget that the Team GB Men's Ice Hockey Squad is only one game away from the Olympics.
I am also looking forward to the revealing of the 2020 Olympic Host where one of Istanbul, Tokyo or Madrid will be selected as the successor of Rio 2016. Another city will be chosen as the host of the third Summer Youth Olympics.
And so: I don't have to rely entirely on Youtube videos to get my fix of Olympic sport, with an exciting year ahead, the sporting summer of 2012 will not be the last.
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