2016 Rio Olympics Venue Preview: Inside NBC’s Plans To Cover the Games

With 306 events played across 42 disciplines in 37 venues around Brazil, NBC Olympics has its work cut out over the next two weeks. Although the Peacock will rely heavily on OBS-produced feeds of live competition from every venue, it has targeted 22 venues for additional resources ranging from one unilateral camera to a full production deployment comprising a mobile unit, multiple cameras, replay servers, and edit capabilities.

Within Rio de Janeiro, four Olympic Zones have been designated to host the majority of events: Barra Olympic Park, Deodoro, Maracanã, and Copacabana. Only football will be played outside the city limits: in Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Manaus, Salvador, and São Paulo.

Below is a list of the 22 venues at which NBC Olympics plans to commit resources during the 2016 Olympic Games, as well as those that will host the Games’ much anticipated football competitions.

A Venues

NBC Olympics’ A Venues will have the largest unilateral complement of any in the Games. A-level facilities will have a U.S.-based mobile unit, at least six unilateral cameras, three EVS XT3 replay servers, graphics systems, edit systems, and the ability to take in OBS-provided video/audio feeds.

Maracaña Stadium

Maracaña Stadium

Maracanã Stadium
Event: Opening and Closing Ceremonies
Location: Maracanã
The centerpiece of the Olympic Games, will host tonight’s Opening Ceremony before transitioning to host the semifinal and final matches of the men’s and women’s football competition. The venue was modernized prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Olympic Stadium
Event: Athletics
Location: Maracanã
The Olympic Stadium, also located in Maracanã, was constructed in 2007, when Brazil hosted the Pan American Games. Rio’s Olympic organizers have temporarily expanded seating capacity to accommodate crowds for athletics and football competition.

Rio Olympic Arena
Event: Gymnastics
Location: Barra Olympic Park
Sure to be a popular venue, the Rio Olympic Arena is a product of the 2007 Pan Am Games. In addition to artistic gymnastics, it will also host rhythmic and trampoline gymnastics events.

Olympic Aquatics Stadium
Event: Swimming
Location: Barra Olympic Park
One of the Games’ temporary venues, the Olympics Aquatics Stadium has two pools — one for warming up, one for competition — that will be used for swimming and water polo competitions. The building will be dismantled when the Games conclude.

B Venues

Venues with a B classification will feature a similar deployment to A Venues but with fewer cameras and record devices. They will not be able to accommodate as many OBS-provided video/audio feeds as A venues.

Beach Volleyball Arena

Beach Volleyball Arena

Beach Volleyball Arena
Event: Beach Volleyball
Location: Copacabana
Another temporary structure, the arena sits on the Copacabana Beach and features a center competition court, five training courts, and two warm-up courts.

Olympic Golf Course
Event: Golf
Location: Barra (Outside Olympic Park)
Golf returns to the Olympics in 2016, and the inaugural competition will take place on a course built specifically for the Games. The 18-hole facility, part of an environmental recovery project, will be open to the public after the Games conclude.

C Venues

Unlike A and B Venues, which are based on a mobile unit, C Venues will rely on flypacks with limited unilateral camera coverage and reduced record and replay servers. They will rely heavily on the OBS-produced world feed for the bulk of its live event coverage.

Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre

Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre

Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre
Event: Diving
Location: Barra Olympic Park
The Aquatics Center harks back to the 2007 Pan Am Games and has been renovated. In addition to hosting diving, it will house the water polo group stages and synchronized swimming competition.

Maracanãzinho Arena
Event: Indoor Volleyball
Location: Maracanã
Although the venue was renovated prior to the 2007 Pan Am Games, Olympic organizers added a temporary court and refreshed a training court to ready the venue for the 2016 Games.

Carioca Arena 1
Event: Basketball
Location: Barra Olympic Park
Carioca Arena was built for the Rio Games and measures more than 38,000 sq. ft. Arena 1 provides the main stage for the Games’ basketball competitions, Arena 2 will be used for judo and wrestling, and Arena 3 will host fencing and tae kwon do. Following the Games, the venue will be part of the Olympic Training Centre, housing facilities for 12 sports.

Pure World With a Camera (PWF w/C)

In PWF venues, NBC will take the world feed and supply its own commentary system, camera facilities that will allow announcers and reporters to appear on camera, and the ability to accommodate OBS-produced video/audio splits.

Lagoa Stadium

Lagoa Stadium

Lagoa Stadium
Event: Rowing and Flatwater Canoeing
Location: Copacabana
Prior to the Games, a new finish tower was installed for rowing and canoe sprint events. In one of the city’s most beautiful locales, the stadium offers views of Corcovado Mountain and the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue.

Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre
Event: Water Polo Prelims
Location: Barra Olympic Park

Olympic Aquatics Stadium
Event: Water Polo Semifinals and Finals
Location: Barra Olympic Park

Maracanã Stadium
Event: Football Semifinals and Finals
Location: Maracanã

Olympic Tennis Centre
Event: Tennis
Location: Barra Olympic Park
Newly constructed for the Games, the Tennis Centre stands at the heart of Rio’s Olympic Park. The venue houses 16 courts, including some temporary courts. According to Olympic organizers, it will be one of the Games’ most important and lasting legacies.

Flash Lite

In previous Games, Flash Lite venues would roll in a small mobile unit for short periods, providing one or two days of competition coverage as needed. For the 2016 Olympic Games, these venues will benefit from IP-based encoding and transmission, and the events will be produced from the IBC via “at-home” workflow. The only people onsite at these venues will be a handful of NBC camera operators, announcers and a reporter, and engineering maintenance personnel.

Youth Arena

Youth Arena

Youth Arena
Event: Basketball
Location: Deodoro
Purpose-built for the Games’ modern pentathlon fencing matches, the venue — situated on one of Rio’s busiest streets — will host the group stage of the women’s basketball tournament.

Fort Copacabana
Event: Road Cycling
Location: Copacabana
This open-air venue sits at the southern end of Copacabana Beach and will provide the road cycling race, marathon swimming, and triathlon competition with a breathtaking starting point.

Sambódromo
Event: Archery, Marathon
Location: Maracanã
Olympic organizers transitioned this existing venue — traditionally used for Carnival samba-school parades — into the competition venue for archery and the marathon by installing new stands and refurbishing the structure.

Fort Copacabana
Event: Triathlons
Location: Copacabana

Off Tube With Video and Audio (VandA)

As the name suggests, venues with this designation will not have onsite commentary teams; rather, announcers will call events from a monitor either at the IBC or at NBC Sports’ facility in Stamford, CT. A reporter may be onsite at the venue. Coverage of these events will comprise NBC VandA, an OBS dirty feed, and the off-tube call and can be produced either in Rio or in Stamford.

Riocentro – Pavilion 6
Event: Boxing
Location: Barra (Outside Olympic Park)
The newly constructed Pavilion 6 of the Riocentro facility spans 7,500 sq. meters and is intended to host the boxing competition. In total, Riocentro houses four Pavilions that will be used in Olympic competition; in addition to boxing, the facility will host badminton, table tennis, and weightlifting.

Deodoro Stadium

Deodoro Stadium

Deodoro Stadium
Event: Rugby Sevens
Location: Deodoro
This temporary venue was constructed around an existing polo field and, besides rugby sevens, will host equestrian and the modern pentathlon’s combined running and shooting sections.

Whitewater Stadium
Event: Canoe Slalom
Location: Deodoro
According to Olympic organizers, this venue is among the most complex at the Rio Games. The stadium features a 250-meter competition course and 200-meter training course for canoe slalom competition.

Olympic BMX Centre
Event: Cycling – BMX
Location: Deodoro
Built for the Games and intended for post-Games use, the BMX Centre spans 4,000 sq. meters and features a 400-meter course packed with ramps and sharp turns.

World Broadcaster

These venues will use basic commentary facilities provided by OBS.

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Mineirão

Mineirão
Event: Football
Location: Belo Horizonte
The stadium — one of Brazil’s most iconic — was renovated prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It will host six group matches (four women’s, two men’s), two quarterfinals (one men’s, one women’s), a women’s semifinal, and the men’s third-place playoff.

Mané Garrincha Stadium
Event: Football
Location: Brasília
Located in Brazil’s capital, Mané Garrincha Stadium will host eight group-stage matches, including the opening match of the men’s tournament and one men’s and one women’s quarterfinal match.

Amazônia Arena
Event: Football
Location: Manaus
Amazônia Arena, located in the Amazon Rainforest, was built for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and returns to the world stage as the host of six group-stage matches (four men’s, two women’s).

Olympic Stadium
Event: Football
Location: Rio de Janeiro

Fonte Nova Arena
Event: Football
Location: Salvador
This stadium, constructed in 1951 in Brazil’s original capital city, was renovated for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It will host eight group-stage matches and one men’s and one women’s quarterfinal match.

Corinthians Arena
Event: Football
Location: São Paulo
Bringing the Olympic Games to Brazil’s largest city, the venue was built for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and will host group and quarterfinal matches in both the men’s and the women’s tournaments, as well as a men’s semifinal match and the women’s bronze-medal match.

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