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Alastair Jamieson/NBC News
Anya Starovoytov, from San Francisco, likes the music at Saturday's track events
LONDON – Organizers of the London Games on Saturday defended loud music played in the Olympic Stadium while athletes are competing.
Pop tunes with a playlist dominated by British artists were being played constantly between Friday night’s events at the 80,000-seater track and field venue, and also during longer races such as the women's 10,000-meter final.
Some commentators and ticket-holders criticized the decision via social media, calling it “intrusive” and “horribly, unforgivably misjudged.”
Jackie Brock-Doyle, director of communications at the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), said the idea had been approved by the sport's IAAF governing body.
She told reporters on Saturday: “In terms of the music, I think we have the level right, but if you are saying that people are not liking it, then, of course, we will have a look at it, but we have actually had loads of really positive feedback about the atmosphere and the music in the venue.”
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Paul Kelso, sports writer at The Daily Telegraph newspaper, wrote on Saturday that the music was “drowning out the golden moments of London 2012.”
He wrote:
Locog have made much of their use of music in venues, and for the most part it has been well-judged and discerningly selected. Who has ever heard This Charming Man by The Smiths at an athletics meeting before?
But last night, as the women’s 10,000m provided the climax of an exhilarating first day, it was horribly, unforgivably misjudged. The race is one of the great treats of the Olympics, a slowly unfolding drama of tactics and pacing, team strategy combining with individual ambition to provide a unique, always memorable event.
But instead of respecting the athletes and allowing the drama to unfold naturally, the witless gang in the stadium DJ booth decided that techno and twaddle would enhance the experience.
So as a group of four athletes, including eventual winner Tirunesh Dibaba, broke the field and gathered themselves for the finish with 2,000m to run, the commentator, Canadian Garry Hill, encouraged a Mexican Wave to track them round the stadium.
Worse, with two laps to go he dropped some house music. For what its worth it was a decent tune, but it was an unforgiveable distraction from the climax of one of the purest tests of athleticism we will see at the London Games. It might also have been a distraction to the athletes as they calibrated their pace for the final surge.
His comments were echoed by many Twitter users. Athletics Weekly editor Jason Henderson Tweeted: "Not sure about loud, thumping music in athletics stadium. Grands prix, fine. But Olympics should be more traditional, surely."
London journalist Nick Metcalfe posted: “Is the gloss being taken off the Olympic Stadium atmosphere already? Many complaints about intrusive announcements and music.”
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However, the crowd at Saturday's track events was more positive. Tom Wong, from east Yorkshire, England, said: "I really like it - they've chosen the music well and it really helps the atmosphere - it would feel very quiet otherwise."
Anya Starovoytov, from San Francisco, said: "It's getting everyone really pumped up - I can't see that it would bother anyone."
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The music was also defended at Saturday’s press conference by Teresa Edwards, chef de mission at the United States Olympic Committee. She said: “I love it. You can't hear it. In basketball it definitely goes out as soon as the player hits the floor. It entertains the crowd, and we are very used to it in the States, to be honest with you.”
Alastair Jamieson/NBC News
Tom Wong, from east Yorkshire, England, welcomed the music
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Patrick Bauman, secretary-general of the Federation of International Basketball, added: “Personally I maybe agree that it is loud but that is a personal view. The spectators really love it. It does not bother the players and the athletes, they are playing the game.
“In my venue we haven't received any complaints at all. They come in at 9 o'clock in the morning, they leave at midnight and they are all happy, so I think they have the right mix of talent on the field, at least in our sport, and of music and of loudness as well because people like to cheer, they like their kiss cam, and they like singing English songs which are known worldwide, and I think that is really good. It brings more to their experience. It has been excellent, and certainly better than what we had in the past.”
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Leave a Comment:
Why don't some people get sarcasm? If you feel what you are doing is right then someone making fun of you may sound like a complement. Anyone think Romney gets it?
confussed...what the heck are you talking about?...where is a question about romney in this article...keep your politics out of here...
he's got lost on the wrong article... typical Obama fan tribute, lost, dazed, confused, and trolling.
What about the empty seats at events US citizens couldn't get tickets to ? Maybe Romney was right ?
I thought I was watching the men's 10,000 metres final tonight. I didn't know they were women. Please get the facts correct.
The sports writer was commenting on the women's 10,000 m final which was run on Friday night. I think the article made that clear.
leave the sport venues alone the audience and the athletes will supply their own entertainment, like in tennis no one makes a sound and now they want to silence even the players, so who's the goose and who's the gander...
just call out what's happening and the scoring, the front office always trying to put their two cents in, especially where they don't belong. did anybody ask the players prior, you notice they asked the commitee what dirt bags they ask the powers that be but don't ask the athletes that may be affected. might as wellas bring back the gladiator slaves...
Thanks IOC
If I go to an NFL or NBA game, they play music during timeouts, halftime, etc, but while the game is going on it is considered a big distraction. Same is true of every high school game of any kind I have attended. Music while the athletes are performing IS a big distraction, at least in America. We come to watch the game, not to listen to music.
I can see how music with a heavy beat could be annoying, particularly if it is too loud. I could also see how this could actually throw off the runners' pacing as there would be a subconscious tendency to shift your footfalls to time with the beat. I do not think they should be playing any music at all while an event is taking place. It is OK as filler between events or between competitors in field events so long as the volume is kept reasonable.
I think worse is that gawdawful mexican-sounding trumpet that repeats endlessly during beach volleyball.
as well, any sporting event here in the USA as soon as the players hit the field, its music off. players in track pace themselves in different manners, and despite ethenticity of music should be left for between rounds, and scoreing.
I also noticed they threw up the straw man of the IAAF approved it.
Just because something is approved, regardless of the body that does the approving, does not mean it should be done. It's annoying and it probably throws more then one runner off.
Until the athletes speak out, this story is of no value.
Wisest comment of them all.
This article writer (Alistair) sounds biased and prejudiced.
Why did he state the DJs nationality, what value does that that have to this article?
Also its not a "Mexican Wave".. its a just a WAVE and it is performed in every stadium and at any event, it gets the spectators involved. So if the spectators followed the athletes around the track with a wave I think that's AWESOME, it proves they are paying attention to the event! As for the music, that sounds more like a personal rant only, we can all see that most athletes are plugged into their owned canned music anyway so what's the big deal?
Playing loud music while people are focused on competing doesn't seem very smart.
I can't fathom why the iPod is so popular among so many runners - they must all be doing it wrong. I used to run track and field - and I would have preferred music over spectator noise anyday.
Well, gone4now, you might have a point except for 1 thing, YOU select what music is played on your Ipod, not the IOC! Also, if the music on your Ipod started to distract you, even if you couldn't change the song selection, you could always switch it off or remove the earbuds from your ears & continue on without music! I guess it comes down to which is less distracting, music not of your selection (maybe of your liking, maybe not) or crowd noise (it may be just noise, but, at least you know they're there to see YOU!).
The IOC needs to can the music during the competitions and reserve it for inbetween at a reasonable level.
Don't get me wrong on this as I appreciate music but I don't want to have to hear it all the time especially when it thumps and blares out of my neighbors kids pulls up, cars on the road, etc. etc.. I guess that is why I like to go camping deep into the mountains off the beaten path. We are inundated all day and night with man made noise and a week in the woods is a great reminder of what quiet and tranquility is all about. Ever noticed during a power failure how nice and serene it can be without the sound of electricity humming throughout the neighborhood from the transformers, pool pumps and so on. You can actually hear your own heart beating and blood pumping past your ears.
Man, London is really blowin' it.
London, US or China, the world is full of complainers & whiners then add the media who goes looking for negativity. All except the media reminds me of parent jerks at little league games.
DKJ, i think it is more appretiated for players competeing for a title to have a uniform competition. This means rather appretiation for the music, appretiation for the sport, and the players.
if you get bored not hearing music during an event, you have your ipod/mp3 player to turn to for personal satisfaction. just because one or 2 people like it, and one or 2 people dont, we dont favor who we want to. its an infrigment of rights.
of course coming from the country of entitlement (UK) i exspected no less, trust me.
London has been fantastic. Atlanta blew it man.
Doug - I agree! They could have handled things much better.
DJK - Isn't it possible the "complainers" (most often coaches of the players) are (usually) just trying to get a fair shake for their athletes from what they believe are judges not necessarily being fair & impartial?
Mossy - I've read your entry about 10 times now & still can't figure where you were going based on your grammar & spelling. Your last line really ices the cake, too. Do you mean the YOU come from the land of entitlement or DJK? In DJK's entry, reference is made to "...little league games." I may be mistaken but I don't believe they have "little league" in the U.K. That's a product of the USA (I'm pretty sure) & not a reference likely to be made by someone from "that side of the pond", as it were. Also, again referring to your last line (at the end), not knowing you at all, sorry but, no, I'll NOT trust you (nothing personal)!
Saxony - good point! At least London got the Olympics to come there. Having never been to the U.K. myself, I'm sure it must be amazing. For visitors, (assumption - you're from the U.S.A.), it must be incredibly hectic being there to see the Olympics, but, knowing it's unlikely you'll ever get back again, also wanting to see the HISTORIC sites (England, alone, has so much history to see)! Have fun!
I think almost any music would improve watching a very boring 10,000 meter race, anything over 400 could use some good music. People just sit through the boring long races, waiting for the more exciting moments of track and field, so why not some music.
So, if it is boring, then why are you watching it? - Or, if you have to have music blaring in your ears, wear
it yourself and let the rest of us get carried away with the excitement of the event.
It's like Nascar... without the car. Don't they blare music and get obnoxiously wasted at Nascar events?
the diffrence with nascar, and track... nascar you dont hear the music over the engine, and headset. if you want to hear music, go to a concert. if track is boring due to no music, why bother watching, or, maybe... bring your own personal music w/ headphones.
Again, it's the athlete's opinions that matter - nobody else's. I highly doubt you can blame the music for the unfilled seats.
If there is change, there will always be people who resist it - just ignore those types.
I've seen many interviews with t&f athletes who have competed in Zurich and every one of them said it was their favorite venue because of the crowd participation. It pumps them up. I would think it's magnified 10x in an Olympic venue.
I personally like music to pump me up for doing things, but that's me. And when I use an mp3 player, it's my choice to the content and volume.
If you go to most any hockey/soccer event in Europe, there is a "fan band" playing music throughout. No PA music at all. Fans jump up and down and chant and it's AWESOME.
The olympics is about the athletes, not the fans, politics, etc. At least it should be.
the brits need to let the yanks know that what romney did was not alright and should he become the president that you don't want him to visit again I would put him on a no entry watch list he really sucks at being human
The brits should be thrilled that Romney stuck his foot in his mouth and helped distract the world from concentrating on the total mess they made of the games.
I think your post went to the wrong article - since it had absolutely nothing to do with it. And you're a week late.
don...why bring politics into this?.....this is about the olympics, don't read more into it...douche.
London seems to be desperately, even frantically, trying to make SOMETHING about this set of games memorable. Too bad most of their attempts are so poorly thought out. These games will go down as an example of how not to run Olympic games.
I think you hit the nail on the head, "ohwow." The Olympic Games in Beijing felt a lot "free-er" than these in London. I wish the 2012 Games were held in an American city. Sixteen years ago in Atlanta was the last time the Games were here in the States. Time to bring them back home.
They don't show you the games in the USA, so you have no idea what-so-ever how successful they are. While the rest of the world watches hours of uninterrupted live coverage with no edits at all and no commercials at all, what you see in the US is a disjointed slaughter of the games, the events, the ceremonies, featuring mostly commercials (and few minutes of actual sport events around them). I'm sorry you can't watch the BBC non-stop live coverage (no commercials at all) over 14hours daily in 5 channels showing every single second before, during and after the events. Sorry if what they're showing you ruins the games.
right on alante98, Why would i want to watch 100 minutes of the brits vs s korea soccor? or 90 minutes of sand volleyball?....this nbc coverage really sucks....
Sorry London is London - and if they play the right or wrong music to your ears - A BIG SO WHAT?
What the devil is this so fuss about?
Slow news day?
JMagnum, the USA didn't invent the Olympics, so it's meaningless to talk about bringing them "back home."
Barbara Adams, I have been to events (not Olympics) where it's necessary to wear earplugs unless you want permanent hearing loss at an early age. I don't know at what point it was decided that blasting music is necessary to have an exciting experience.
Are you suggesting that the LIOC seeded this ridiculous story to make the games memorable?
Where as you're desperately, even frantically trying to find some way to pretend these games aren't going well. Presumably so you can scream 'MITT WAS RIGHT' from the rooftops. The article itself even says no-one actually minds it and they're enjoying how it gets the crowd going.
The Games are going incredibly well. The crowds are amazing, the atmosphere is sensational, the athletes are having a brilliant time, the world is reporting it as a huge success, the venues/locations are stunning, the doomsayers have been proved wrong so far, the organisation has been phenomenal...why don't you please get a life and accept that actually we've pulled it off quite nicely.
Spectators would like to talk to each other during some events. If you want a rock concert,go to a rock concert. Let the fans enjoy the event. Baseball games in St. Pete Florida are the same way. Blaring music during every break. You can't converse with the person next to you with put screaming Give it a rest.
I'm assuming you are/were a spectator at the Olympics this year? How does it compare to a St. Pete baseball game? Please do tell...
I bet they will squelch the muzak at the events.
I can understand playing music prior to the start of games/races. I can understand playing music during breaks between games/races. But to play music as games/races are in progress is marginalizing the athletes on the field. These athletes train/practice years for this one moment. This shows absolute disrespect for the games and the athletes who participated.
I have a prediction: Athletes who didnt' get a medal are going to complain. Those who did won't. Put some $$ on it?
They're not playing music as the games/races are happening...
I agree with you, Bill.
This sounds like sour grapes. I am not sure, I am not in London; however, the British do not need to apologize for their choice of music. It is their country, they are hosting the Olympics, and in my opinion I believe the British have a great bunch of musicians to play from. Go Great Britain! jwt
In all actuality, I haven't had much chance to witness enough of the track and field competition. It seems between NBC's insistence to have more interviews than airing of competiton and overabundance of commercial breaks, very little of the competitions are being aired. So i can't complain about music I haven't heard. I can however hope that someone besides NBC covers the next Olympic games.
Would it be politically correct to play "We are the Champions" during the medal ceremony?
Our entertainment driven world has gone totally crazy!
I'm afraid to think of what is coming next.
The brits really sux, always have, always will!
I would not be the least surprised if the Music was to help you drown out any and all thoughts of the empty seats, the over-priced everything, and the crappy weather.
Forget "We are the Champions"....
I want to hear " Fat Bottomed Girls " after the women's bike races....
I don't think I'd stop laughing for 3 days...
loud music should be banned from the world forever
And bored trolls should be banned from the internet.
Speaking of which - how many of you would have even complained about it if not for this story?
Probably plenty - just not here!
see the thing is, if you're a world class athlete, like all of the ones here at the olympics, music should not distract you. If that kind of stuff throws you for a loop, you shouldn't compete. My personal beliefs anyway, I just think if you compete at such a high class you should not be paying attention to background noises.
thats just one of the many reasons i hate golf and tennis.
Are you kidding? Golf is way better when you're on the tee with your mp3 player turned all the way up. Especially when you smash the ball to a cresendo! Keep your eye on the ball and that guy yelling "jacka$$" isn't that much of a problem. People just grasp onto any excuse they can when they don't win.
In tennis, you don't have time to pay attention to music - if it's that distracting, the player's priorites are out of balance.
The Brits can't seem to get anything right. From making their healthcare system part of the opening ceremonies (Huh)? to placing the Olympic torch where it is not visible outside of the stadium. To quote a British official "the torch is not a tourist attraction". To now adding music to the events. To the mayor being suspend on a zipline. These may be the most forgettable games. It's a good thing they used a double for the queen when she leaped out of a helicopter or given how things were going they did not want to take the chance.
Sorry you feel that way. They did a good job.
Oh hi Mitt! *yawn*
The NHS was founded in the year of the last London Olympics. It was a thank you for 64 years of hard work by our doctors and nurses in something that is widely regarded as a beloved national institution. If you could just try and use a small section of that grey matter between your ears to recognise that healthcare is not a political issue in Britain, the existence of the NHS is never in doubt and so therefore including it in the Ceremony is not a political statement. It may well be one in the States but the UK really couldn't care a less about healthcare over the pond.
The vast majority of previous Olympic games haven't had the torch suspended above the stadium, it's a new thing. The cauldron is beautiful and has a resonance with the one in Wembley Stadium, London for the 1948 Olympics. Frankly we can put it wherever we want. You've got to be really clutching at straws to say that represents London getting something wrong.
The Mayor on a trip wire was a gimmick to attract people to the Live Sites. Thankfully we have a sense of humour and all thought it was hysterical, regardless of whether you like Boris or not.
PLEASE, get over yourself. Things are going amazingly well. Just enjoy it.
The Olympics is not a venue for concert goers.What is wrong with this world when everything has to have blaring music.I love all types of music but am sick and tired of having it blasted in every store and every sporting event.
this is a symptom of our overstimulated lifes . Everything must have a soundtrack or it is preceived as "boring" as in giving people space to think. we as a species have lost our appreciation of silence, and with it much of our ability to be creative and orignal. I personaly drive long distances in complete silence and use the time to work on designs, and projects. a sound track in entertainment can be ok if it does not detract from the story. in sporting event to get the croud pumped during breaks in the event, ok. but it should never distract the viewer or worse the competitors
Designers always critique others and that's healthy. Just realize that what works for you doesn't work for everyone else. This must be the most accessible Olymics ever and I've been loving it. You want to talk about something distracting - the branding was done well but NEON PINK??? Agh, the loudest music can't possibly drown that out.
Well said! I think nowadays silence makes people uncomfortable because then they have to relate(talk) to one another and they don't want that. Or heaven forbid, they actually might have to "think"! Loud music(for example)just fills in that "awkward" silence gap for those kind of people. Whatever happened to "Silence is golden"???
And they said Romney should not criticize, well, everybody else is... empty seats, music during events(really sick), the mayor stuck up in the air, guards spitting on soldiers, firing the entire security company, border guards on strike, Americans unable to buy tickets, etc. it all adds up to poor planning and management.
At least they don't let bombers in. Still trying to trump that failure, are we?
Actually everybody else isn't. Romney supporters on American websites are as they're DESPERATE to find something to criticise. The world is raving about the London Games.
Empty Seats: Happens at every single Olympics. A host city is contractually required to reserve an amount of seating for the Olympic Family i.e. the different nations Olympic Organisations. If they don't turn up and take their seats or return them then they're left empty. No previous Olympics has been so sold-out to the public as the London Games.
Music: No athletes are complaining and the atmosphere at the Games from supporters is trumping anything that's gone before. Re-read the article...
Security Company: They weren't fired. They didn't provide enough guards and a contingency plan to use the armed forces was implemented. Unfortunate but I'm afraid it's turned into a non-story. The staff at the entrances are amazing.
Border guards on strike: They didn't strike.
Americans unable to buy tickets: Each country is responsible for selling it's own allocation of tickets. You'll have to take that up with your countryman.
Sorry about that. Who needs a fact eh when you can throw out a partisan rant?
For anyone that is a runner or who has run races, music definitely can be distracting in setting your cadence. Often in your head, you have a beat that you have trained with and that you try to match with your stride in order to ensure that, especially for long races, that you are not paced too fast at first and do not run out of energy by the end. Runners do practice cadences with coaches in training to ensure strong finishes and although they learn to keep the beat in their head, if the music is loud, no matter how much you concentrate, it gets in the way.
Some music, especially that with a faster beat, interferes with counting and you pace too fast and run out of energy even when you try to block it out. It is natural for people to tap and keep pace with music...that is also why they sell music specifically timed for runners so that all songs have the same beats per minute. So, while maybe not as big a deal for short events like the long jump...for long runs, it might definitely interfere with the outcome.
I would probably think that if athletes find it a distraction if the stadium insists on blaring it, they might actually wear ear plugs as long as they are allowed and as long as they can hear the starting signal.
The fact that we are reading about it here in the United States is evidence enough that some people found it distracting enough to complain loud enough that a news article was written on it.
Very interesting comment, thank you.
I'll concede that it does make much more of a difference for longer, paced events. Thanks for pointing that out.
I'd also like to add that everyone thought that Katie Ladecky was doing the wrong thing by giving it everything in the 800. Not only did she prove traditional thinking wrong - her performance made a mockery of it. Perhaps the younger kids actually like the music. Let them be the voice that matters.
G4N - it doesn't mean quite as much when you "chime in" with your own agreement on the coattails of a NBC commentator. Just sayin'.
Also, why must there be "A" voice that matters? I'm sure Katie wouldn't want to be the one to choose it, nor would she want someone else to choose her music, either. If a kid (even younger than Katie) was considering making athletics a serious part of their lives, should they forget about it if using Katie's model for success (since you feel Katie should "be the voice that matters") didn't work for them? What ever happened to "marching (or racing) to the beat of your own drum" (which is considerably more difficult with a P.A. system blaring music)? I'm not sure I agree with your opinion of it being more critical to longer events, either. If music "messes" with your cadence in a shorter event, there would be much less time to do anything about it compared to a long distance one.
JRS-619990 - Very, very well put!! nuf said!
Thanks...
and if anyone is wondering what I am talking about referring to music specifically sold according to beats per minute for pace running and how to get into training with beats per minute to train yourself to ensure you pace yourself to finish the race, see sites like these below.
How to get started to choose the beats per minute based on your stride length and distance run...
http://run2r.com/Technical+linking-bpm-to-running-speed.aspx
BPM Music for pace training...where ""BPM" refers to the tempo of a tune and the number of foot falls per minute, not your heart rate."
http://runningmusicmix.com/
http://www.hellasound.com/site/read/running-music-bpm-an-open-letter-to-runners-world/
http://jogtunes.com/
Loud music seems to be their Vuvuzela equivalent.