Huddersfield duo ready to bring Tokyo 2020 to the world
Two University of Huddersfield teachers are about to experience working on the Tokyo Olympics from very different perspectives, with their students set to reap the benefits
Dr Daghan Irak and David Easson, who both teach on the BA in Sports Journalism course, will be both working across the multisport event that was postponed from last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
David will cover track, road and mountain cycling from Japan itself, in the city of Izu around 150km to the south of Tokyo, for the Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS).
Meanwhile Daghan is all set to cover the women’s football tournament - but he will be based in Istanbul, providing Turkish language commentary for the Eurosport network.
Women’s football at this year’s Olympics will, unlike the men’s tournament which is played between squads limited under the age of 23, be contested by full-strength squads and the standard is such that it is widely seen as a mini-World Cup.
Women’s football profile higher than ever
Reigning World Cup holders USA are favourites but Great Britain, featuring much of the England squad who were knocked out of the 2019 World Cup in the semi-finals by USA, are considered to have a good chance.
“It’s a really important moment for women’s football,” says Daghan. “There’s been a lot of toxic masculinity around football, and we need a different approach and mentality. Women’s football is enjoying the highest profile it has ever had in Britain, and the Olympics could raise it even further around the country and internationally.
The University of Huddersfield's Dr Daghan Irak pictured in the commentary booth reporting on his first game at the Tokyo Olympics“It would be great if it helps improve the profile of women’s football in the region as well. We don’t have a Women’s Super League club locally, but some of the clubs nearby like Huddersfield Town and others are working hard so the Olympics could help. I was raised by and grew up with women who love football, so it’s my duty to try to help!”
Preparation is key for live coverage
This will be the fifth Olympiad that Daghan has worked on, and his years of experience working across a range of sports and the need to adapt quickly while working in a live environment are factors he says will feed into his teaching.
“This gives me insight for the students in our department, and I am grateful that I am still part of the Eurosport family,” he adds. “It teaches you a lot about continuity, which is a big thing in television. Football is the least of our problems, whereas in other sports things can be cancelled and you need to know what to do if you have to speak about a different sport.
“It’s the same at the Olympics, we never know if they might switch to another event at half-time of your football game – and you need to know about it. That happened to me during a handball final, and we had to switch to cover an athletics world record. It creates a different sort of insight for both me as an academic and for the students.”
Less can be more in post-event interviews
Tokyo 2020 is also David’s fifth Olympics Games, where his role for OBS will cover both uncovering the stories behind the athletes as well as speaking to competitors immediately after the cycling events have finished.
David is pictured in Sochi in 2014, while on the right is the view towards Mount Fuji from near where this year's Olympic cycling events will be held.“My job once competition starts is to be the live interviewer for the world feed, so literally any country in the world could be hearing the answers to my questions as I am one of the first interviewers an athlete will speak to as they come off the track. I’ve done cycling before but also table tennis, ice hockey and curling so you’ve got to be prepared.
“That’s a great bit of the job. At London 2012 I had six nights in the velodrome, and one of the best interviews was with Australia’s gold medallist Anna Meares. I still show it to students, as she is one of the hardest people I have ever spoken to in sport, always stone cold and focused. Yet she broke down in tears with me about the pressure, and I just let her carry on. Knowing when to be quiet in an interview is a great lesson to learn.”
The interview with an athlete in the aftermath of an event is a staple of sports coverage, but can be notoriously tricky. Balancing several elements, such as an emotionally and physically drained athlete and the need to get more than just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers out of them, can be delicate as David continues.
“We need to get the question into six words as it has to be translated around the world, but the main query is ‘how do you feel’?
“An alternative is ‘what does that medal mean to you, what does it mean to your family?’ It’s hard for an athlete to straight-bat that one.
David Easson outside the famous Fuji Speedway, venue for the road cycling and the site of many Japanese Grand Prix including the rain-soaked battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda in 1976..“When you interview an athlete that has worked for four years to get to this minute putting everything into it, I cannot help but be impressed by them. These Olympic athletes are so impressive and it changes your mindset. They have the desire and emotion that you do not get in other mainstream sports, and I am trying to get the students interested as it can take them in so many different directions.”
Varied interests can lead to freelance opportunities
The variety of Olympics sports offer a range of opportunities that David hopes sports journalism students will grasp, together with the options that working as a freelancer can present.
“The BBC, Sky and 5 live are routes into the industry but there are so many other options that can be taken. There is a lot of employability and opportunities with sports organisations, or something like the OBS, and I advise students that finding a non-mainstream sport to work in is a great option.”
Daghan agrees that there are many spin-offs for students from what he and David will discover in the coming weeks.
“I think this is really beneficial for the University, the students and myself. I am really happy I’m not the only one working at the Olympics with Dave doing it as well, and is shows the strength and diversity of our department.”