The Olympic Games are at a crossroads between the reading of centuries-old traditions and radical changes that can change the world’s attitude towards sports.
Recent experiments with formats have divided the sports community. The pressure comes from a shrinking young audience, demands from broadcasters, and a change in entertainment habits in favor of shorter and more dynamic content.
The numbers speak for themselves
According to the International Olympic Committee, Paris 2024.il The number of TV views between the ages of 18 and 34 decreased by 15% compared to Tokyo in 2021. The mood that Olympic sports once evoked among young people is turning to other entertainment.
“We’re competing with videos from TikTok and Instagram,” the NBC Sports co-chairman said. “The format must be changed, otherwise we risk losing an entire generation.”
Successful changes are already underway
The mixed swimming competition is the most successful innovation in the recent history of the Olympic Games. Mixed swimming teams have increased their prime-time ratings by 18% in all major Tokyo populations in 2021.And
the IOC added 18 mixed events in Paris in 2024, double the number in Rio in 2016. These competitions create natural stories that will appeal to viewers fighting for gender equality in sports.
3×3 basketball was another winner. The rapidly developing format implied significant participation of urban youth in social networks, which was not easy for traditional basketball to achieve.
Freestyle skiing and skateboarding brought street culture to the Olympic arena. Both sports attracted viewers who had never seen an Olympic branding competition before.
Data analysis pepetaaviator.com These urban sports increased the overall attendance of the Olympic Games by 23% among viewers under the age of 25.
Where innovation meets resistance
Athletics will have to compete in a larger format. 2020. In 2009-2009, World Athletics opened its doors to “innovative” formats for major championships, but the athletes met strong resistance.
Experiments with single elimination races have attracted sharp criticism. In these races, the participant who takes the last place in each race is eliminated, with the exception of the last 400 meters, there are only three left.
Christian Taylor, a four-time triple jump world champion, led the athletes’ protest against the modified ski jumping competition at the Diamond League stage in Stockholm.
“I hope this idea stops after this season,” Taylor tweeted after seeing the format in which, after five attempts, only the top three finalists are eligible for the finalists’ jump.
“I would like to understand how it can be better than the traditional format?”
His feelings resonate throughout the sports community. A survey of 1,200 Olympic athletes conducted by World Athletics showed that 68% prefer traditional formats to experimental variations.
Revolution in speech leads to changes
The real pressure is exerted by television partners who have paid record amounts for Olympic rights. ABC 2032.it During the year, $7.75 billion was allocated, and the European Broadcasting Union spent $1.3 billion over the same period.
These investments require the development of applications that meet Moderna Television’s expectations.Modernist. Partnerships with the Olympic brand now include performance terms in terms of audience and social media engagement value.
“Traditional formats don’t work on platforms where attention is measured in seconds rather than hours,” explained the CEO of Discovery Sports.
The result has been experimentation with compressed schedules, team evaluation systems, and real-time fan interaction elements that would have been unthinkable ten years ago.
Technology is changing everything
The experience of working on a construction site goes beyond just sitting in public. The organizers of Los Angeles 2028 plan to integrate augmented reality displays so that fans can access biometric data and analyze athletes’ results in real time.
Virtual reality visualization capabilities allow a global audience to see events through the eyes of athletes. These successes represent the biggest change in the presentation of the Olympic Games since the days of color television.
“The next location will provide a much more immersive experience,” said John Coates, Tokyo 2020.Chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission.
“You will not only see what is happening live, but also get access to all analytical materials thanks to development capabilities such as augmented reality.”
Youth Olympic Laboratory
Many of the format’s innovations will be tested for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games before they reach a higher level. This approach of the innovation incubator allowed to hold 13 events, which successfully received the status of full-fledged Olympic events.
Monobob made his debut for Lillehammer at the 2016 Summer Youth Olympics.and then he joined Beijing in 2022. The 3×3 basketball team participated in the 2010/19 season at the 2021 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, eight years before participating in the 2021 Summer Youth Olympic Games. Olympics.at The 2009-09 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Financial reality influences decision-making
Cost considerations are increasingly becoming a crucial factor in format decisions. Reform NYE’s CIO regulations aim to reduce organizational complexity through 118 specific measures.
These include the reduction of sports facilities, the optimization of existing infrastructure, and the reuse of equipment for various sports. Reducing the duration of the trip reduces the cost of rent. The modified command formats allow for the use of smaller spaces.
However, economic difficulties are leading to tension in the sports tradition that has led to Olympic mood olympic sport competition for over a hundred years.
What do athletes really want?
Despite the demands and high cost of broadcasting, athletes’ benefits still focus on traditional formats that emphasize fair competition rather than entertainment value.
American world record holder Ryan Krauser bluntly said: “You can’t fix anything that isn’t broken. This competition has crowned Olympic champions for decades.”
Cathy Nigott expressed similar concerns: “Some of the changes seem forced and mysterious. We must remember that athletes, not TV presenters, should be at the center of these decisions.”
The interests of athletes are often overshadowed by commercial considerations, which create a constant contradiction between honesty in sports and entertainment needs.
Looking at Los Angeles in 2028
The next major testing ground will be Los Angeles in 2028, where organizers promise to push innovation in the format further than any previous game.
The planned experiments include a compressed race schedule, a team-based rating system, and fan voting elements that may affect certain aspects of the race.
“We must find a balance between respecting Olympic traditions and the need to remain relevant in a changing world,” IOC President Thomas Bach said at a recent press conference.
The Paradox of innovation
The challenge is to find changes that will improve the Olympic experience, not diminish it. Mixed relay races look natural and interesting. Long-distance qualifying competitions seem artificial and unfair to many athletes.
Successful innovations preserve key elements of competition and enhance narrative tension. Unsuccessful experiments sacrifice athletic integrity for the sake of pleasure.
The atmosphere created by Olympic sports depends on Modernaun-preserving the athletes’ authority and the integrity of the competition, as well as adapting to the needs of modern presentation.
Global perspectives vary
Format changes are perceived differently in different regions. European society generally prefers traditional approaches, while Asian markets show a greater openness to innovation.
American TV channels are increasingly seeking to make drastic changes that reflect the national sports culture, in which, in addition to competitions, special attention is paid to entertainment.
The Verdict
The development of the Olympic format seems inevitable, but the pace and scale are still being discussed. Technology will continue to make changes to the presentation, regardless of the athlete’s preferences.
It is important to distinguish between innovations that truly enhance the Olympic experience and those that serve only commercial interests.
It has been found that changes such as mixed competitions are associated with increased participation and improved competition opportunities. The mysterious formats of single-elimination competitions cause justified skepticism among athletes and fans.
