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Future Olympics will see further rising television income despite the recession in some parts of the world, but maybe no longer an international torch relay leg, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge said today.
The arrival of Olympic coverage on the popular video-sharing site YouTube also shows that future Games will see new innovative broadcast patterns – with the Beijing Games starting on Friday marking a new era.
“There are first indications that the proposals from broadcasters are very good. We are discussing 2014 and 2016, and broadcasters expect the economy to be improving in coming years,” Rogge said at the 120th IOC Session.
But Rogge left it open whether those Games will also still have an international torch relay leg after disruptions from human rights activists in London, Paris and other cities during the Beijing relay.
“We will have to reflect with calmness and tranquillity on the Olympic torch relay. It is illusory to think the simple elimination of the international relay will make all the problems disappear,” Rogge told the 120th IOC session.
Rogge told the IOC members that TV income for the 2010 and 2012 Games was $US3.8 billion ($A4.09 billion), 40 per cent up from the $US2.6 billion ($A2.8 billion) the IOC received for the 2006 and 2008 Olympics.
The 2014 Winter Games are in Sochi, while Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Chicago and Tokyo are bidding for the 2016 Games. The host will be elected by the IOC on October 2, 2009, in Copenhagen.
TV makes up the biggest part of IOC income, with some 75 per cent of it passed on to the 205 IOC member countries and the sports federations.
IOC Marketing and TV Services chairman Timo said: “We believe Beijing will be significant milestone – more coverage for more people on more media platforms as ever before.”
NBC will broadcast 2,200 of its 3,400 hours on the internet, China’s CCTV will have complete online Olympic coverage and the European Broadcast Union has set up a broadband platform for its Olympic members.
The IOC itself announced a deal on Monday to show video on demand in 77 countries and territories ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe on YouTube.
“The landscape of the media will change, the internet will increase significantly, terrestrial TV will switch to digital TV and mobile phone TV will also have become a reality,” said Lumme.
Looking at the Beijing Games, Lumme said the 1,000 cameras will broadcast 5,000 hours into 220 countries and territories, reaching an audience exceeding 4.5 billion.
The IOC Session takes place on today and tomorrow. Three positions in the IOC executive board are up for election, the IOC members will hear various reports of commissions and organisers of upcoming Games.
The Beijing Games open on Friday and the IOC medical commission head Arne Ljungqvist said that that the city’s pollution will likely not form a big risk for athletes.
“I am confident that the air quality will not prove to pose major problems to the athletes,” said Ljungqvist.
The IOC said it will receive air quality data every hour during the Games and has announced it will move endurance events if there is a health risk for athletes.