University of North Carolina Athletics
Beijing Blog: If Handcuffed, Be Calm
August 4, 2008 | General
Aug. 4, 2008
While the rest of the Tar Heel football program is sweating through training camp, the normally ever-present Kevin Best is absent. Don't worry, he's got a good--or is that gold?--reason. The Deputy Director of Athletic Communications is in Beijing this month, where he's serving as the Information Manager for all Olympic events at the National Stadium. That includes the opening and closing ceremonies, all track and field events, and the men's soccer final. Kevin will file periodic dispatches from Beijing for THB.com.
Part of my job here at the Olympic Stadium is to escort TV crews to areas where they not normally allowed. On Thursday, for example, a crew from CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) requested field of play access. During the competition no one other than NBC and the host broadcaster (BOB), will be allowed field of play access. The rules are not as strict during the days prior to the opening ceremonies, however, so crews could go to certain areas if accompanied by a member of my staff, which on this day consisted of just me.
A few of the props used in the opening ceremonies were on display on the field and CBC had to film around them. Camera crews are under strict orders by the IOC not to film anything related to the opening ceremonies. You might not have heard about this in the States, but South Korean Television (SBS-TV) snuck in to last week's first dress rehearsal (before many of us were here) and later aired some of the ceremonies. That footage was picked up by a few non-rights holders, including CNN in the States. This infuriated the IOC and SBS was issued a stern warning and could be fined.
Anyway, my venue manager handed off the CBC crew to me and said, "If security comes out to you, be calm. They'll put you in handcuffs, but just give us a call and we'll work it out. It's happened before."
Oh, that's all. I wasn't sure how I was going to call for backup with handcuffs, but I said, "No problem" and went ahead escorting CBC to their necessary position and held my breath for about 45 minutes during the setup and filming.
Other camera crews that have come to the venue in the last few days include NBC in Los Angeles, the BBC and NBC Telemundo.
