MILAN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The use of whirring drones to capture the speed, skill and close-up action of Olympic competitions at the Milano Cortina Winter Games has enriched viewer experience without compromising performances, Games organisers said on Sunday, brushing off concerns over their noise level.
The FPV (first-person view) drones can beseen and heard, with their trademark high-pitched buzz, chasing skiers down the slopes at 120kph or following sliders down the ice canal in luge or skeleton, offering innovative shots and angles that put viewers closer to the action.
Organisers said athletes and spectators had different levels of sensitivityand some might be bothered by the presence of the dronesbut so far there had been no evidence that they were impacting athletes' performances on the snow or ice in any way.
"We look at this as an evolution of the sport," International Olympic Committee sports director Pierre Ducrey told a press conference. "The expectation of everyone today is to have this kind of experience when you consume a sports event, even more so for the Olympic Games.
"We strive to offer the best viewing experience whether in the stadium or outside," Ducrey said. "We believe... that the drones do not impact significantly the experience of the athletes. We have looked into it to make sure it doesn't. Maybe some people are more sensitive than others.
"We are trying to make sure that the way we improve broadcasting of the Games is certainly not an obstacle for the performances of the athletes," he said.
Drones have been used at previous Games, including the 2024 Paris Olympics, but it is the first time they have been so prevalent in the coverage, including for the first time insliding sports where they fly just centimetres behind the competitors as they speed through the course.
While drone pilots have been heaped with praise for their ability to control the tiny, flying cameras at such speeds, some spectators and viewers have said the noise is distracting. One of the drones crash-landed in the first downhill training, leaving debris on the course.
"We testeddrones before competitions, we have listened to the athletes' community... so that the impact would not affect their performances, would not bother them in any way," Milano Cortina Games sports director Anna Riccardi said.
"Each athlete has a different level of sensitivity, awareness and capability for tackling innovation. So far we have not received any complaints that might lead to the non-use of drones in the future."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, Additional reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Clare Fallon)
