OLYMPIC ECHO

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 911, 25 January 1957, Page 10

OLYMPIC ECHO

‘THE NZBS team who covered the Games in Melbourne came back full of admiration for the sangfroid exhibited by several well-known overseas commentators. For though the facilities provided by the ABC were excellent, the organisation of the Games is still not geared specifically for radio-which was, after all, only recognised as an essential part of the Games at Helsinki in 1952. First, commentators couldn’t see competitors before an event, and didn’t

know who was scratched and who wasn’t unless the public address system gave this information beforehand. So, often, both they as well as the spectators had to read the numbers and identify competitors while an event was in progress. Another difficulty was that the first heat of a semi-final could be under way without the commentators having draw cards to say who was in what heat. This happened with the women’s 100 metres semi-final-the starters were on their mark for the first heat when the draw at last arrived. One world-known commentator grabbed the draw and gave his com"mentary on the first heat,

identifying runners by the lanes shown in the draw, then discovered that he had used the names of the competitors in the second heat. But he made a quick save. When the second heat was run, he used the names of the competitors in the first heat; and as several of the winners of the second heat won in the same lanes as the first heat winners, the end result worked out rather well. As this, like most of the commentaries for overseas countries, was recorded, not sent live, all that had. to be done later was to switch the order of transmission of the two heats, and no one ever knew. It was not always possible to give accurate placing of an event, we gather, especially in close finishes; because of the position of the commentators in re-

lation to the finishing line. One Empire broadcaster gave a very fine description of a heat of the 100 metres, and as the runners crossed the finish line announced A, B and C as first, second and third. When the official placings were announced, A, B and C were, in fact, nowhere: the commentator immediately called his studio technician and ordered him’ to "wipe" that recording, and to start again. Then, watching the empty field with one eye and the other on his stop watch, he remade the recording. This time, not unexpectedly, the right sprinters won. A final example-this time in the 1500 metres. In this event 16 names appeared on the programme, but only 12 starters went to the mark, which was on the (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) side of the ground opposite the commentators’ box. One commentator, unperturbed by the fact that he didn’t know who the competitors were, started a smooth commentary with only distant relation to the race being run. This was early in the running before he could identify the athletes, But even at the end of the second lap he had a German out in front until it was kindly pointed out to him that the German was, in fact, a British runner, Unruffled by this he informed his listeners that the "German" was now tiring badly and dropping back, and having neatly disposed of him he brought the British runner with a burst up into the front. These extemporisations, incidentally, were among English-speaking commentators. No doubt events occurred among the other 140-odd commentators, who were all cramped in one stand talking thirty or forty languages. One hates to think what would have happened if the technicians hadn’t been on top of their jobs.