It’s no secret that there has been disappointment over coverage from mountain biking at the Tokyo Olympics. From helicopter noises to cutting footage at the end of races. There has also been a lot of dissatisfaction surrounding the commentary at the races.
This is bound to be the case, as mountain bikers we only want the sport to be shown in its best light. We will also stand in defence of other professionals to say that their knowledge is most often broad rather than specialised. But should this be the case? Shouldn’t every sport have experts to elevate the coverage? This argument is a lot deeper than it seems on the surface, of course, it is rarely ever simple.
Following a Twitter post from Channel 5 News in which fellow Olympian, Jade Johnson calls Tom Pidcock, “a bit jammy,” there has been some backlash about the comment that suggests he has only been “doing it a few months.”
Although Channel 5 are at fault here. We can forgive if it’s not Jade’s area of expertise, but perhaps more research could have been done in order for the presenter to direct the conversation. There’s also no harm in saying you don’t know something. Time is often short when finding people who can come on to give comment, as it is during the broadcast, so there will often be gaps in people’s knowledge.
Tom’s Gold Medal
In comparison, Rob Warner gets interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live, and of course, given his knowledge and experience, gives a great insight into who Tom Pidcock is.
With that in mind, who would be your pick for commentating at future Olympic mountain bike events? And who would you bring in as an expert to discuss athletes?
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