Doha 2019: Inside the IAAF World Athletics Championships with IAAF Productions By Heather McLean, Editor
Thursday, August 15, 2019 - 11:57
Print This Story
With teams readying themselves for the biennial IAAF World Athletics Championships 2019, IAAF Productions is in full preparation for the seventeenth edition of the Championships, scheduled to be held between 27 September and 6 October 2019 in Doha, Qatar.
IAAF Productions is a joint venture that commenced operations in January 2018 between the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and ITN Productions for host broadcasting and media production of IAAF events. This Championships is the highlight of the joint venture to date.
Breaking new ground
On IAAF Production's strategy for producing the broadcast content for this prestigious event, Alastair Waddington, general manager at IAAF Productions, told SVG Europe: Our watchwords are innovation and storytelling. Doha will break new ground: midnight marathons complete with a one-kilometre wirecam; a fully produced Super Integrated Feed aimed at younger viewers; use of virtual graphics in our storytelling; improved integration with event presentation. These will be the largest and most ambitious World Championships production: more feeds, preview shows, up-close access to athletes and data-driven.
The stadium for the prestigious event, the Khalifa International Stadium, was renovated in 2017 and is home to the Qatar national football team, nicknamed The Maroons'. Khalifa Stadium is a well-established centre of sport, having hosted the Asian Games in 2006, and it is set to be a World Cup venue in 2022.
Speciality equipment being used for the event abounds. IAAF Productions' one kilometre-long wirecam is of particular interest, as well as drones that will be used on outside races (no helicopters).
There will be UHD-HDR in use, as well as Hawkeye, Bodycam on officials, rail cam backstage, more cameras behind scenes and in athlete warm-up areas, speed data and newly developed speciality cameras, and RF SSM
In total there will be over 100 HD cameras set up in the Khalifa Stadium and a further 23 UHD cameras on the outside races on the Corniche. The feed is getting back to the compound via IP over fibre.
The Khalifa International Stadium in Doha where the IAAF World Athletics Championships 2019 will be held
Logistical and cultural challenges
The challenges in producing the athletics in Doha are numerous, but the team is experienced in working in this region, said Waddington: There are logistical and cultural challenges which require some thinking on our toes and a joined-up strategy with the LOC. Many of us have worked in Doha and Qatar before so very little is new to us and nothing is insurmountable!
He went on: It doesn't matter where we are in the world, there are always cultural differences and challenges which need to be handled sensitively and appropriately. We have a high percentage of women in our core team and have faced no specific issues relating to operating in Qatar.
Overall, the main challenges the team is facing in producing the broadcasting for the event, is said Waddington, location, climate, heat! .
Broadcasting highlights
There are a couple of broadcasting highlights at this event, Waddington stated: If you ask the tech team, they will say producing the road races under lights at midnight in UHD-HDR. The production team will say unique levels of access to athletes and the editorial deployment of cameras that have never been seen before. I'll let you know after the event!
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will play a major role in the production of this event. Waddington explained: AR and VR will play a significant part in our production graphics package and we are excited about the storytelling potential for field events for instance. We are developing new analysis tools with our partners Hawkeye. We will be using AR from Hawkeye on long throws.
IAAF Production's technical production partner is NEP, and the production will be based on a Fly-Pack. NEP UK is our regular athletics partner and worldwide leaders with experience of, for instance, the Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games, and FIFA World Cup, noted Waddington. We will also work closely with the IAAF's partners, Deltatre, Seiko, Hawkeye and Angular Velocity.
IAAF Productions will have 13 production galleries producing every event at the World Championships, live. This includes: super integrated programme feed, integrated feed and individual event feeds.
Impressive live output
The live output is impressive. Depending on the territory there will be approximately 30 hours each day being produced, much of which will be in European prime time. Waddington stated: We will produce approximately 300 hours live across 10 days of competition. The sessions are in the afternoon, evening, and late-night local time depending on the events. The road races will be held under lights at midnight. Pictures will be available live to rights holder broadcasters in their home markets and time zones.
Also, in addition, to live coverage, IAAF Productions will produce daily highlights and preview shows.
Over the 10 days of this event, IAAF Productions will have around 400 staff making up the host broadcast crew, and it expects over one thousand television personnel operating in the IBC. Rights holding broadcasters have booked studios for their own coverage on-site, so there will be seven or eight broadcasters with studios on-site during the event, meaning viewers globally will get to see every moment of the action from Doha.
The countdown continues .
The IAAF World Athletics Championships 2019 takes place from 27 September to 6 October in Doha
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Doha 2019: Inside the IAAF World Athletics Championships with IAAF Productions By Heather McLean, Editor 
