There’s been no shortage of controversy at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is a bit ironic, considering the powers that be have tried to avoid controversy at all costs. That effort begins with the official Olympics broadcaster, which has reportedly instructed its camera operators to film male and female athletes in the same manner to prevent “stereotypes and sexism” from creeping into the coverage, according to its CEO on Sunday.
Recognizing that the majority of its camera operators are men, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) has implemented new guidelines as the Games have begun to unfold.
OBS is responsible for the global TV coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, so it doesn’t want implicit biases anywhere in the world, especially since this is the first Olympics in modern history to achieve gender parity among its athletes.
“Unfortunately, in some events they (women) are still being filmed in a way that you can identify that stereotypes and sexism remains, even from the way in which some camera operators are framing differently men and women athletes,” chief executive Yiannis Exarchos told reporters in Paris, via Yahoo.
“Women athletes are not there because they are more attractive or sexy or whatever. They are there because they are elite athletes.”
Exarchos explained that the decision to update guidelines stemmed from recognizing unconscious bias in the industry. Camera operators and editors often focus more on close-up shots of female athletes than male athletes. With the increased prominence of women’s sports in the Olympics, OBS aimed to prevent any unintentional bias in its coverage or scheduling.
[Yahoo]
