Web
The BBC has to be commended for its efforts in digitising its coverage of this year’s Olympic Games – it’s simply brilliant. www.bbc.co.uk/sport has become my digital hub for this years games, as it offers up to date results, up to 24 HD real time video streams, article commentaries and a full schedule, so that you won’t miss a thing.
Another site I’ve been using is The Olympic Athletes’ Hub – a nifty site which aggregates social streams into one place, where users can connect to their favourite athletes and find out the current buzz on Twitter and Facebook. Users can sign up to The ‘Hub’ using their Facebook or Twitter logins, and can even earn rewards and hidden content by following certain athletes.
Social Media
YouTube provides high quality streams for 64 territories, as far as Asia to Sub Saharan Africa. Footage can be streamed in real-time directly from the official Olympic channel – simply navigate your way to your desired sport or country in the drop down menu, or alternatively search through the vast selection of videos on display.
Being the biggest social network in the world, Facebook is naturally a great place to follow the Olympics. The official Olympic Games Facebook page currently has over 3.4m ‘likes’, and posts regular updates, videos and great photos. A particularly nice feature of this page is the timeline, which allows you to scroll all the way back to 1894, where you will find vintage photos of athletes of old. Also, be sure to check out the BBC facebook app, or for US Olympic fans the NBC Olympics app.
Twitter doesn’t offer the real time video streaming features of Youtube, or rich media like Facebook, but for the latest updates in results, news, gossip, opinions and more, there’s simply nothing better. Be sure to subscribe to the official accounts of the Olympic Committee (IOC): @Olympics and @London2012. There are also heaps of athletes, teams, journalists and reporters on Twitter, so you’ll never be short Olympic news. For a list of competing Olympic athletes, or to add your own, check out www.tweeting-athletes.com.
Apps
To keep up with the games on your mobile, I recommend trying:
The BBC Olympic Mobile App, which allows you to access digital content on the go, including real time streams, up to date written coverage, photos, event highlights and more. This app is supported on both iOS and Android, however the BBC has not release an iPad version.
The London 2012: Official Results app provides all the latest news, results and schedules. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, this is a great app for catching up on results.
With so many ways to watch the Olympics – at home, in the office, or on the go – you’ll never miss a throw, run or punch.
Enjoy the rest of the Olympics!
