And Now for Something Completely Different

I really like racing cars. You probably know that. But when I got the call asking if I was available to commentate at the London 2012 Olympic Games, I leapt at the chance. Technically, I had never commentated on any sport other than racing before – although I’d been honing my craft on the PlayStation since FIFA 98 – so to enter into the biggest sporting event in the world with zero experience was quite a daunting prospect. Indeed, the producers made it pretty clear that I was a bit of a gamble, which only increased the pressure.

The Olympic Park on the opening day

Perhaps the thing I’ve been asked most often is the difference between motorsport commentary, and that of other sports. As I’ve illustrated, I can hardly profess to being an expert in these theories, but the main difference is that with the team sports I was doing, you talk a lot less. I covered hockey, basketball, handball, volleyball, water polo and beach volleyball, all of which require you to let the action do the talking a lot more than in motorsport. For some reason, and I don’t know why, motorsport demands (or is accustomed to) a more play by play commentary style. In volleyball, though, you tend to let the whole point develop, before then commenting on the action that the audience have just seen. Well that’s what I did anyway.

My commentary booth for handball

As far as my commentary highlights were concerned, the most fun I had was Australia v Britain in men’s hockey. Australia – one of the best teams in the world – moved into a 3-0 lead with about thirty minutes left to play. Incredibly, Britain brought it back to 3-3, sending the crowd into raptures and ultimately moving them through to the semi-finals of the competition. Away from the booth, I was fortunate enough to have access to the Velodrome, where I watched Britain win Gold in the men’s team pursuit. I’ve been to a few sporting events in my time, but nothing compares to the atmosphere and emotion I experienced that day.

My view of the Velodrome medal ceremony

I find with blogs that I want to keep them short, but I could go on all day. So this is the end of it. It’s perhaps more of a memoir to myself than something that is of great interest to you, but it’s been the most incredible two weeks of my life. Things are looking good for the future, as far as the 2016 Olympics are concerned, but even if I’m lucky enough to end up in Brazil, commentating at the London Olympics is undoubtedly a once in a lifetime opportunity, one that I feel massively privileged and proud to have experienced.

About 1/4 of the Olympic Broadcasting Services production area