Nine’s coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been named as the best in the world at the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Golden Rings Awards, held at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, this morning.
The 9Network was recognised with three medals for its record ratings coverage of Paris 2024, which reached nearly 20 million Australians across the two-week event.
With more than 100 submissions from around the globe across 12 Golden Rings categories, the 9Network won Gold for Best Olympic Programme. The award recognised the 9Network’s entire 24/7 coverage.
The 9Network was also awarded Bronze in the Best On-Air Promotion category, with the Tones & I version of Land Down Under winning praise. The promo was used in the lead-up to the Games and utilised the Australian landscape as a background for the athletes training for their shot at Olympic glory.
A Bronze medal was also awarded to the 9Network in the Best Athlete Profile category for its feature on gold medallist BMX rider Saya Sakakibara.
Nine’s Acting CEO, Matt Stanton, said: “We are honoured to receive this recognition from the IOC. Broadcasting the Olympic Games was an enormous undertaking by Nine and these awards are validation that we delivered to audiences what we promised – world-class coverage that reflected the Olympic Spirit. I want to express my thanks and congratulations to everyone at Nine who brought the passion, the excitement, the athletic determination and the beauty of Paris into Australian households and helped inspire a future generation of Olympians.”
Australian Olympic Committee CEO Matt Carroll said: “Congratulations to Acting CEO, Matt Stanton and all the team at Channel 9 on their well-deserved recognition at the Golden Rings Awards. Their world-class coverage of Paris 2024 connected Australians with the remarkable stories of our athletes, capturing the spirit of the Games and uniting us all through the power of sport.”
Nine’s director of television, Michael Healy, said: “I am immensely proud at what our television teams have achieved this year. Being the Olympic Rights holder in Australia is a privilege and seeing our broadcast recognised on the international stage further highlights the incredible dedication, professionalism and passion of our people that brought the Games to viewers. Congratulations and well done to everyone involved.”
Nine’s director of sport, Brent Williams, said: “At Wide World of Sports we are honoured by this recognition from the IOC and our fellow Olympic broadcasters from around the world. It is a great acknowledgment of the dedication and passion of hundreds of people involved in Nine’s coverage of Paris 2024. A special thank you to the record-breaking Australian athletes who not only delivered so many unforgettable moments in their chosen sports but granted us incredible access to help tell their inspiring stories to the whole of the country through our broadcast.”