The biggest stars at the Olympics are drones

Nick Iluzada

Ever get the feeling you’re being followed? For Olympians, it’s not paranoia—it’s a high-tech drone camera trailing close behind. It is, also, an exhilarating (sometimes nauseating) first-person perspective for us couch potatoes…but not without some drawbacks. More than two dozen drones deployed by the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) have been used for high-speed sports like luge and downhill skiing, but have yet to be used for curling (it’s already too electric). Safety first: The drones are controlled by a three-person team with a pilot who has expertise in the particular sport. OBS CEO Yiannis Exarchos said the drones underwent controlled crash tests and are never flown in front of competitors or above them, where they can create shadows. But…some have raised concerns about safety and aesthetics: Several athletes who can’t afford a distraction when operating at breakneck speeds have said the drones are noticeable if they don’t keep their distance. Then there’s the sound of the whirring blades being picked up by microphones. It’s loud enough that viewers have compared the buzzing to the vuvuzelas during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Bottom line: The first-person views of nontraditional sports are a way to draw in viewers to events that they might otherwise skip. Drones are “a big entry point for people, especially younger people,” Exarchos said.