Witnessing the sheer opulence of the games, the various cultures of nationals from every corner of the world, the rushing adrenaline of the world’s best sportsmen, is what dreams are made off, a dream that this Karnataka reporter has witnessed seven times in a row.
KN Shanth Kumar, the Editor of Prajavani, is the only Kannadiga who has a been fortunate enough to report from the Olympic stadiums seven times in row; right from the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
Twenty-eight years and seven Olympics after, Kumar’s eyes still twinkle with excitement as he readies himself to attend the Rio Olympics.
In an exclusive interview with Kannada Prabha, Shanth Kumar gives us an insider view into the Olympic experience
Kanna Prabha: Tell us your first experience of Olympics reporting
Shanth Kumar: The twenty-fourth Olympics, that was held in Seoul, South Korea in 1988 was my first experience. The magnificence, superiority and complexity of the system bewildered me then. I got an opportunity to see world’s most famous athletes. I had an exciting opportunity to work with renowned photographers and journalists from across the world. I learnt a lot from their professionalism, I got to know about various photographic equipment and devices.
KP: Tell us about the games village and the infrastructure that the organisers provide to the media.
SK: They provide us with all the amenities that a journalist needs; like computer, internet, a relaxation room, food and snacks, at the Main Press Centre. In some Olympics events they would create a separate Press Village, but, we had to pay for our accommodation. However, they do provide free transportation to journalists to reach the respective stadiums.
KP: Many sports events take place simultaneously. How do you manage the reporting?
SK: It is impossible to watch and report all sports events that take place at the Olympics. We choose the events where athletes of our country participate and the events that our readers prefer. Today, the number of events our athletes participate in have increased substantially and it has become impossible for us to cover all those events. I have faced this quandary many times.
KP: Which Olympic has made a deep impact on you so far.
SK: The 2000 Sydney Olympics in Australia; the Australians’ passion for sports is incredible! Every stadium in Sydney was filled with spectators. They enjoy each game irrespective of the nationality of athletes participating in them, I found many people standing outside the stadium with long faces as they were unable to get tickets. I have never seen this kind of passion in any other country. This reflects the significance that the country gives to sports.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China provided state of art infrastructure and management. I didn’t find a single blunder in the entire administration. The structure of some of the stadiums was outstanding, not only technically; they were also marvellous pieces of architecture. I think this was possible because of their good governance.
KP: What are the challenges of reporting?
SK: The events are generally scheduled across the city. They provide good transport facility to connect each and every stadium, but a reporter needs a lot of preparation and equipment to cover all the scheduled events. Besides skills and expertises in reporting, one also need to be physically fit to shuttle across all the stadiums and follow the athletes.
KP: Tell us some incidents that appealed you the most in Olympics events.
SK: I witnessed an unbelievable incident during a diving event in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Greg Louganis, an American diver and former Olympic Gold winner, slipped while diving in the preliminary round. His head struck the diving board and he came out of the pool bleeding. Doctors rushed to his aid and had to have four stitches, before he could complete his preliminary round. The next day he participated in the final round and won the gold medal again. In the last 28 years, I have attended seven Olympic events and I have photographed many sports legends. For me, it is a great opportunity and an outstanding achievement.
