In a press briefing yesterday Director of Technology for the IAAF World Relays Local Organizing Committee (LOC),, left and LOC Director of Event Media Services Stefan Thies, right assured that all of the technical components for the event will be up and running the weekend. The World Relays is set to be the biggest sporting event ever held in The Bahamas.
Photo by: Bianca Bethel -Sawyer
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Nassau, Bahamas – With less than three days until the inaugural IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2014, organizers for the upcoming event shared the details of the large-scale end-to-end IT infrastructure that will be implemented across the competition and non-competition sites Tuesday. Designed to support business critical functions, as well as connecting athletes, volunteers, journalist and officials from around the globe, the technology will help to ensure a seamless experience for everyone involved over the two days of competition.
Trevor Moss, the Director of IT Technology for the IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2014 Local Organizing Committee, explained that technology underpins everything at the IAAF World Relays and multiple sites throughout New Providence besides the stadium requires a fit-for-purpose technology solution.
“The World Relays is a technology driven event. Not only are we responsible to provide services at the stadium, we have to provide services around the stadium, the warm-up track, the swim complex, Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium, three hotels, the airport, all of these require services and some of these services are interconnected and so those services have to speak to each other,” said Moss. “We have suites that have to speak to ballrooms and so it is a very technology driven event. It is so technology driven that even the track itself has technology components built into it.”
Adding that special attention has been placed in two main areas – one is our athletes and secondary is the media, Moss said: “We’re looking for an awesome showing of technology in The Bahamas.”
The main media center will have all of the amenities necessary for journalists to do their jobs effectively, and the press tribunes are outfitted with about 150 work stations inclusive of television monitors and commentary information systems (CIS) touch screen devices. In terms of the internet, there is a main (local area network), LAN connection, back – up systems and two Wi-Fi portals which will not be open to the public to avoid overcrowding of the system.
“We are trying to ensure that technology is reached around the world within seconds,” Moss said.
LOC, Director of Event Media Services, Stefan Thies said there are a number of guidelines that the IAAFhas in place that will ensure that the event runs smoothly.
“The IAAF is applying very high standards for this event in terms of technology, and all of the installations that have been made will be available for access for future events. For instance we set up a really nice media tribune that will be part of the stadium in the future, including all the tables belonging to it. In the tribune every three (3) media representatives will share a CIS this a touch screen that will provide results on the spot in real time, which will provide biographies of the athletes,” Thies said. In regards to power and cellular services, Moss said infrastructure has been beefed up, and all providers are in place.
“All providers are in place and cell service has been increased. There are things out there called COWS, (Cellular on Wheels) one to the north and one to the south they have already been turned on and they are directed towards the stadium only,” he said. “The Host Broadcasters (ISB) required so much power that the present state of the gym couldn’t provide that, so we had to bring a special generator into the country to provide the power that was needed,” he said.
The IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2014 will take place on May 24th & May 25th at The Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
The world's top athletes are expected to be in action in front of an estimated 30,000 spectators and about 150 journalist from around the world.
