SPORT AND TELEVISION : TECHNIQUES AND PEOPLE

Once again, in its 18th edition, SPORTELMonaco's International Symposium reviewed the relationship between sport and television with two topics.

 

First : an investigation of the technological innovations improving the TV picture and secondly : exploring the fundamentals of the heart and soul of sportsmen and women.

 

Two wide-ranging, open and lively debates that assembled renowned representatives of the whole family of sport on television.

Philippe Levrier - the President of France Digital TV and expert witness for the debate "Picture technology: sport in all its brightness"  began: "HD: it's so obvious"; then Michel Boyon, President of France's Conseil Superieur de l'Audiovisuel, confirms that high definition will develop into to-morrow's standard : "it's a social and cultural challenge!"

The debate begins, as does sport's HD standard.

After Francis Tellier faced up to the sceptics and produced - with success - a HD broadcast signal for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, then Roland Garros, the Tour de France and the recent Rugby World Cup have carried on the practice.

Absolute supporter : David Neal, the Executive Producer of NBCSports, who will broadcast the Beijing Olympics in HD for the US public.

Many speakers compare the impact of the coming HD to the boom when black and white TV switched over to colour. As an expected and essential consequence of the broadcasters' enthusiasm for HD, the TV production industry has units ready for this revolution. Hubert Bouan du Chef du Bos and Jim Greaves, respectively heads for Europe of Philips Electronics and Sony Media, give evidence of the public's enthusiasm for flat screen HD sets.

The video refereeing in question.

With the help of a video presentation to show the operation of his "Goal Judge"(But Finish") and "Offside TV Judge" François-Charles Bideaux -famous producer and consultant for Canal + - stirs up the controversy about video assisted refereeing in soccer.
Prompt to react, Gilles Veissière - international referee and also consultant for Canal + - rejects the "two speed football" that would happen if a machine would substitute the human being.

"What are we going to talk about in the bars, if there are no more refereeing mistakes ?" asks Marcel Martin, president of Biarritz Olympic, after stressing the advantage which video replay brings to the rugby field, judging a try! Dismissing claims of inequality, the former International Rugby Board's vice-president states that advanced technology might be compared to big salaries: kept to very few players.

The statement by Denis Oswald, the president of ASOIF and Chairman of the coordination commission for the London 2012 Olympics, and the presentation of the brand new Orange Sport channel by Denis Masseglia, chief executive of the French National Olympic committee, show that the new technologies have reached the Olympic movement. And Jean-Luc Rougé, president of the French Judo Federation, announces the creation of a French judo channel on the Web.

As a conclusion, Daniel Bilalian, France Television's director of sports, reverting to the main topic, underlines that HD is "an essential element for sport" and that the demands of host broadcasters of the great international events will definitely increase.

The influence of television on champions

Obstacle or opportunity ? How do athletes live their relationship with television ?

The question came up on Tuesday 16 October in the debate : "The transformation of our sporting stars" opened by a video interview with Jacques Rogge. For the IOC's president, the balance is rather good, but one must keep respect and watchfulness in mind. Athletes need television for their reputation and their sport's status. However they must not forget that their performance is the most important. Much as television values performers and their achievements, there are still limits that must not be exceeded, and in particular the intrusion of cameras in changing rooms, essentially a place for the players's privacy.

Sergey Bubka, former Olympic pole-vault champion, now a leading figure in sports direction, states that television plays a matchless role carrying the values of sport all around the world. This is how the 4 billion TV viewers expected for Beijing 2008 will share the emotion and enthusiasm of the Olympic Games. This is an essential element to encourage youth into sport.

Manuela Di Centa, Italian cross country ski and mountain climbing champion, feels that her status through TV makes her responsible to the public : "when you become a star, you come into a legacy".

Pernilla Wiberg urges champions to communicate, and regrets not to have done so earlier in her career. It's only after having becoming a reporter herself that the former Swedish golden medallist has become conscious of how the public likes to hear the racers' immediate reactions after an event : "If I had to do it over again, I would be more available".

In a very sensitive and appealing statement, Hicham El Guerrouj describes how happy he feels with TV helping him to become a model for the young : "TV plays an extraordinary role for the sport's involvement and education of the young" claims the fantastic Moroccan track and field champion. Citing Steve Cram as one, he confides that he himself has tried to follow the example of his predecessors and has watched recordings from the archives to draw inspiration from their expertise and their strategy.

Steve Cram, for his part, warns the media against destroying dreams by pursuing athletes too closely.

 For the pentathlon competitor, Joel Bouzou, athletes and officials are obliged to extend this "model role" of the champions to the whole world.

"In our society -says HSH Prince Albert II's advisor- the sporting rule is the only one that applies to all without any distinction. It's a huge investment for the world's stability". 

At first, Guy Roux, who was football club AJ Auxerre's coach for 35 years, viewed the arrival of the TV cameras with a suspicious eye. To shelter his players, he trained them in interviews. Later, when the advantages of broadcasting became apparent -sponsorship, rights selling- he enforced new rules on his players, particularly regarding their behaviour.

Same statement from Jean-Marie Leblanc who adds that cycle racers have to do their best to put the brands on their shirts under the camera nose and this has changed the procedures in racing. And the former Tour de France executive stresses the potential impact on a champion's image of an interview straight after hours of physical effort.

If TV's intrusion in the athlete's privacy might look like "reality-TV", it doesn't worry Jean-Luc Rougé, president of the French judo federation, for his sport because "this would be inefficient". On the contrary he states that close viewing and recording the opposing team coach's feedback is very useful to trainers as this is how they learn the way their own competitors are considered by their challengers.

Would TV have the power to determine an athlete's behaviour on the field ? This is what seems to be Samir Bouadi's -columnist at Canal +- opinion when he suggests that a few players change their attitude when they are acquainted with the fact that 50 TV cameras are trained on them.

The basketball player Richard Dacoury chsllenges this assumption and refuses to question the athlete's honesty during effort. The effect of TV stops when the game starts. "One must not demonise TV", says the former Europe champion, consultant for sports broadcasters.

"TV cameras are so much a part of today's world that we forget them" adds Claude Droussent, editor in chief of L'Equipe publications, as he recalls the conclusions of the poll published by L'Equipe Magazine. The sample survey was set up with the French League 1 players, on the occasion of the Symposium : less than one-third of the 200 players approached said that they were influenced by the presence of cameras. For the others, once the game has started, only performance matters.

Returning to basketball, George Eddy, player and presenter at Canal +, values the positive impact on the attraction of basketball for Tony Parker's generation from the NBA's matches that were broadcast from the Eighties. All nine French players signed with US teams at present owe a debt to it.

Also former rugby player, Serge Simon, consultant to RMC, recalls the recent World Cup and says that TV has given so much exposure to the values of rugby that rugby is compelled to put up with them. Highlighted like this, these values may be turned into both a marketing approach and become an interesting safeguard.

Representing the major public broadcasters, Roger Mosey, BBC's director of sports, reveals how the channels he's in charge of try to promote a genuine television sport journalism part aiming to achieve a balance between legitimate news for the public and the athlete's private life, whatever the sport.

In the name of European Broadcasting Union, Jean Reveillon suggests thought should be given to the negative consequences of doping on the credibility of sport. Should TV be broadcasting an event under suspicion or not ?

In conclusion, analyzing the progress of the Sportel Symposium, Jacques Ferran, a member of the editorial committee, remarks that never had athletes been as much involved as in this 18th renewal. The former editor in chief of L'Equipe, is pleased that champions seem to grow to be conscious that they are the protectors of sport's identity and future. Presenting what he assumes as the key idea of the debate, he concludes : "sport commands respect".