LAUSANNE.- From 19 February 2015 to 26 January 2016, The Olympic Museum presents “The Olympic Games: Behind the Screen”. This exhibition explores the history of broadcasting the Games on radio and television, as well as looking at how the Games will be experienced in the future.

Thanks to their audiovisual coverage, each edition of the Games creates a global community around the host city. The exhibition looks at this universal dimension of broadcasting from two angles: the new technology used in the cause of sporting excellence to develop original solutions for viewers around the world; and the creation of emotions made possible by systems to broadcast content above and beyond the purely sporting performance.

The first part of the exhibition, which is devoted to what the public experiences, is called: hearing and seeing the Games. Here, the focus is on the pioneers of radio broadcasting, those whose words allowed their listeners’ imaginations to take flight as they followed the champions in action. With images, the way the Games were seen on television was gradually influenced by the camera positions in the stadiums and technological developments. The key contributions of figures such as German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl changed the way the Games were filmed, and had a decisive impact on how sport was seen.

The second part of the exhibition takes visitors into the magic world of Games broadcasting. Transported to London on 29 July 2012, between 3 and 4 p.m., they get to experience one hour of broadcasting the Games. They see the journey taken by the images and sounds of the 20 sports competitions under way at 18 different venues, from the field of play to screens around the world. Original features reveal the technological skills and creativity of the technicians and those filming on the ground, and the importance of each camera to the narration of the athletes’ performances and emotions. Two animated films by Belgian director Denis van Waerebeke take visitors into secret places like the outside broadcast vehicle and the International Broadcasting Centre, which perform their magic to produce the images that we see on our screens. Interactive elements illustrate the vital role played by the broadcasters, who take into account the diversity of their audiences by offering content adapted to each culture. Visitors can also test their talent for commentating on a competition at the Games.

Finally, the exhibition looks ahead to the future of broadcasting. This third part gives visitors a foretaste of the new ways of experiencing the Games live, with a glimpse of what will be happening in the years ahead. In partnership with the Lausanne Federal Polytechnic (EPFL), this part reveals how the emotions generated by the Games are seen on social media, future image quality and a surprising 360-degree way of filming sport.

The interactive scenography created by the Paris-based company Projectiles, which won a special jury prize at the 14th Venice International Architecture Exhibition, takes visitors behind the scenes of broadcasting the Games and the magic of live coverage by using innovative interactive features.

This unusual exhibition makes use of the IOC’s vast range of images and videos, and reveals the spectacular camera systems used for the 2012 Games in London. These high-tech machines, coupled with the skill of those who operate them, ensure an emotional experience going beyond the realm of technology for its own sake.

The Scientific Commissioner for the “The Olympic Games: Behind the Screen” exhibition is Jim Owens, Dean, School of Communication Arts & Professor of Media Communication at Asbury University in Wilmore, USA. The exhibition has been developed in partnership with the Lausanne Federal Polytechnic and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the IOC company which coordinates production of the images of the Olympic Games.