Engineering the Future: New OBS programme promotes gender equality in broadcasting

05 November 2024 – Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is continuing to address the gender imbalance in sports broadcasting through its new “Engineering the Future” programme. Applications are now open for the 24-week internship, which offers women the chance to contribute to the broadcast operations for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Participants in the Engineering the Future programme will play a direct role in one of the most complex sports broadcasting projects in the world during the planning phase of the broadcast operations for Milano Cortina 2026. They will gain practical, hands-on experience in a professional broadcast setting, learn about the latest broadcast technologies, and develop the foundational skills needed to succeed in an evolving industry.

Women pursuing studies in broadcast engineering, telecommunications or related fields are encouraged to apply. The internship will begin on 10 January 2025 at the OBS offices in Madrid, Spain. The schedule is designed to accommodate the academic commitments of the candidates and the needs of the broadcast engineering department. Applications are open until 19 November.

Find out more and apply for the Engineering the Future programme.

More female broadcasters at Paris 2024

At the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reached a gender equality milestone by allocating equal quotas to female and male athletes, encouraging all stakeholders to advance gender equality in their respective areas.

In the broadcasting sector, OBS was at the forefront of tackling gender imbalance, implementing several successful programmes to maximise opportunities for women ahead of Paris 2024.

OBS launched targeted programmes such as the Framing the Future programme, which trained more than 70 female camera operators in the run-up to Paris 2024, with 25 of them working at the Games.

The Olympic Commentary Training programme equipped Olympians and Paralympians transitioning into a new career with commentary skills, resulting in 15 trainees, including 12 women (80 per cent), working as freelance commentators at Paris 2024.

While only 26.42 per cent of the 18,438 OBS and Media Rights-Holder representatives at Paris 2024 were female, OBS ensured a more gender-balanced team for the host broadcast operations:

• OBS hired more women for key broadcast operational roles and increased the number of women in venue production teams, particularly in image-generating roles.

• Two-thirds of the 42 OBS Broadcast Venue Managers and Deputy Managers were women, up from 50 per cent in Tokyo 2020. Similarly, two-thirds of the Broadcast Operations Centre staff were women.

• Female commentators made up 37 per cent of OBS commentators at Paris 2024, nearly double the number at Tokyo 2020.

Find out more about OBS