The buzz of Milano-Cortina? Olympic drones offer dizzying perspectives

As canadian river Megan Oldham dropped in for her endure go at the freeski slopestyle rivalry that would unafraid her an Olympic bronze medal, a buzzing was heard loudly and clearly by those tuning in to the broadcast.

Tailing Oldham closely was a drone, offering a new perspective to Olympic play deployed by the Olympic Broadcasting Services.

And viewers have taken note — from the luge track to the alpine downhill slopes.

"We strive to offer the best viewing experience whether in the stadium or outside," International Olympic Committee sports director Pierre Ducrey said Monday. 

These are not your average drones moving only up and down or sideways. They are first-person view or FPV drones that allow for high speeds following the athletes' every twist and nauseating turn, even matching their pitch and angle on the slopes, jumps or ice. 

While the Olympics have used drones since 2014 in Sochi, Russia, the first-person view drones are new.

The drones, operated by pilots wearing headsets and using controllers, have been the talk of the Olympics so far.

From reaching up to 75 km/h to be able to follow alpine downhill skiers to navigating the enclosed space of a luge track, the teams behind the drone coverage have been busy.

And it's no mean feat.

Getting up close to the Olympic athletes

"It's bringing the viewer super close to the athletes. It's almost an intimate view and experience of the best way to show what the athletes are facing speedwise. It's just an amazing way to bring the audience into the moment."

While the International Olympic Committee has yet to detail just what it took to be able to provide this kind of coverage, drone experts say hours and hours of work have been put in via simulation and at the competition sites themselves.

One criticism the drone use is facing is the noise.

At some points during the women's downhill finals, the only noise heard on the broadcast was the buzz of the drone blades rotating. 

Even spectators at events are hearing the whir.

On social media, some have compared the drone buzz to that of the vuvuzelas of the 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa, where any sound was drowned out by the horns.

Then there is the reaction from athletes.

"I went like: 'Go away, it's pretty close to us,'" Canadian freestyle skier Julien Viel said, swatting the air like he would a fly.

"As mogul skiers, we would like to see more front-of-view frames so we could see what the judges see because it's easier to differentiate."

Still, Viel said, "the drone shots are pretty cool."

Ducrey, from the IOC, says the drones add much value to the experience of the Olympics, but it may take some getting used to.

"It is an evolution for sure. People are not used to seeing the shadows on the field of play or to hear the noise. It's different, but the integration of the [athletic] performance and this seems to us to be something we can absolutely manage."

National Reporter

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