Entries were reviewed by an international jury headed by IOC Member and Chairman of the Coordination Commission for London 2012, Denis Oswald. The winners received their prizes in Lausanne in the presence of IOC President Jacques Rogge. Members of the IOC Radio and Television Commission were also in attendance, along with representatives from the rights-holding broadcasters, the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games in London, Sochi and Rio, International Federations and the city of Lausanne.
Gold, silver and bronze trophies were awarded in five categories: Best Olympic Sports Production by Olympic Broadcasting Services, Best On Air Promotion, Best Olympic Feature, Best Athlete Profile and Best Olympic Programme.
It was NBC’s night as the broadcaster scooped three gold medals, including a win in the Best Olympic Programme category for its overview programme “The Games of the XXX Olympiad”. It also won gold for Best On Air Promotion and in the Best Olympic Feature its film “Measure and Motion” also took a gold medal. NBC was also runner-up in the Best Athlete Profile category, receiving a silver medal for its feature on David Rudisha, the Kenyan runner who won the men’s 800 metres in London in a new world-record time.
Created in 1976, the Olympic Golden Rings is a prestigious international contest through which the IOC seeks to promote and recognise excellence in television broadcasting of the Olympic Games. The contest is organised every two years, on the occasion of the Summer and Winter Games, under the aegis of the IOC Radio and Television Commission.
The full list of awards (title / director / producer), in order of presentation on the night, was as follows:
The Best Olympic Sports Production by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS)
Gold: Sailing / Christopher Lincoln / Gary Milkis, Ursula Romero
Silver: Canoe Kayak-Slalom / Jaime Garrido Rubira / Ursula Romero
Bronze: Rowing & Canoe/Kayak-Sprint / Matthew Coliandris / Makoto Nakamura
The Best On Air Promotion
Gold: NBC “The Games of the XXX Olympiad – NBC On-Air Promotion” / John Miller / Joseph Lee, Roger Guillen
Silver: Foxtel “Foxtel on Platform TVC” / Ash Bolland / Graham Burrells, Chantal Walker
Bronze: ZDF “Olympia Live” / Anke Scholten / Severine Rapp
Special Award
“MDS” Multi Channel Distribution Service / Kostas Kapatais, Jorge Pickering
The Best Olympic Feature
Gold: NBC Olympics “The Games of the XXX Olympiad ‘Measure and Motion’ / Mark Levy, Brian Brown, Joe Gesue, Philip Parrish
Silver: Sky Italia “Mosaico Olimpico” / Francesco Zupi
Bronze: ZDF “Olympia Live” / Anke Scholten / Nils Kaben
The Best Athlete Profile
Gold: TV Record “Sarah Menenzes – Piaui’s Pride” / Douglas Tavolaro / Thalita Leite, Fábio Harbacher, Marcos Cabral, Odair Marquesolo, Cristina Luckner, Ivana Perecin
Silver: NBC Olympics – “David Rudisha” / Jack Felling, Brian Longenecker
Bronze: ESPN Latin America “Pursuing a Dream – Miguel Correa and Ruben Rezola” / Carlos Sepiurca / Mariano Welch
The Best Olympic Programme
Gold: NBC Olympics “The Games of the XXX Olympiad” / Bucky Gunts / Mark Lazarus, Gary Zenkel, Jim Bell, Mark Levy, Joe Gesue, Molly Solomon, Rebecca Chatman
Silver: BBC Sport “Super Saturday” / Paul Davies / Carl Hicks, Dave Gordon
Bronze: Nine Network Australia “London Live – Day 16” / Shane Street, Alex Rolls / Steve Crawley, Lesley Tapsall, Tim Cleary, Matthew Callander, Brent Williams