Remembering Charlie Jablonski, an Olympic Broadcasting Legend

Members of the broadcast and tech communities share four decades of memories of the technology leader

The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics are upon us, and every Olympics provides a touchstone of sorts, not only for technology but for the relationships, friendships, and expertise in producing and delivering the Olympics to sports fans around the globe.

Charlie Jablonski, having joined NBC in 1983, worked Olympic Games for 36 years.At the center of that effort is the International Broadcast Center, and this year the halls of an Olympics operation will be absent a key figure: Charlie Jablonski, a stalwart in NBC Sports' efforts since the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Jablonski died unexpectedly last year at the age of 69, and, in his honor, we have spent the past few weeks gathering thoughts about him from key figures not only with NBC Sports but also with others involved with the Olympic Games, where his presence, truly, was felt on a global scale.

Sotiris Salamouris, CTO, OBS: I met Charlie for the first time in Athens in 2004, but I really got to know him starting from the Games in Beijing 2008. During these Games, and understandably so, NBC was quite apprehensive about the delivery of power for broadcast needs, considering that, up to this moment, there was no strong experience in China in delivering such vast amounts of power on a temporary basis and with such high-resilience expectations.

Charlie was dispatched to Beijing with enough time before the Games to start understanding what was going on but also to contribute his own expertise on behalf of NBC. Since I was already a few years in Beijing and knowledgeable about the local conditions, I tried to explain to him about the Chinese way of making things happen and reassure him that things will be fine in the end, despite all challenges. He wanted to believe me, being the positive character that he was, but he was also reasonably doubtful that all the plans laid down by the Chinese organizers will be ready on time.

And then a rather big thing happened: just few months before the Games and during a test event in the Table Tennis venue, there was a full blackout that lasted many minutes. A few days later, I received a call from Charlie. I was expecting him to bombard me with questions, express anxiety, and remind me that he told me so. Instead, he was beaming with joy. Now I am confident, he told me. Once the problem hits you in your face, you start getting your things together and prepare for the solution! He was right. The power failure had a drastic effect on the organizers: energy became their main concern, and they did everything possible that the Games would go without any single hiccup when it comes to power. Charlie did not just know about engineering and broadcasting; he equally understood how things play in a humans' world.

David Mazza, former CTO, NBC Sports and Olympics: Charlie was one-of-a-kind in our business. He understood the technical side, the production side, the business side, and the human side.

In addition, he had a historical view that dated back before all of us got into the business. He had a quick wit that constantly added levity to the room, no matter how bad things were going. With all those skills, I think one of the things he liked the most was the adrenaline, energy, and reactionary mode that comes with chaos - especially when the chaos is highly charged, pressure-driven, and incredibly high-profile chaos. He loved to help solve big problems and bring things back to an even keel.

He loved to dig into a difficult problem, even if it was seemingly unsolvable. We went through many of these together and always came out the other side, usually laughing - when we were successful. And, if we were not, critically looking to improve for the future.

Charlie could be welcoming and mentoring the newest member of our crew one moment, and the next he'd be speaking with a senior leader about matters of remarkable complexity. That extraordinary range of humility and insight were only some of the endearing qualities that made him so special to all of us. Charlie's unique combination of personality, intellect, and skills simply cannot be replaced. All of us will miss him dearly.

Darryl Jefferson, SVP, engineering and technology, NBC Sports and Olympics: Not only was Charlie's uncanny technical acumen relied on by NBC, but he was often called on by the Organizing Committees and the Olympic Host Broadcaster in both the power-design phase and the execution. Charlie loved the Olympics, he loved the technical complexity and challenge, and he loved the unique camaraderie we feel in the Olympic trenches. He did it always with his wry sense of humor. Walking the hallways of the Milan IBC will be a bit different without the constant presence of Charlie, but his wisdom and influence will no doubt continue to keep the engines running and the troops smiling.

Gary Zenkel, president, NBC Olympics: An NBC Olympic giant who loved the Games, the extreme challenge of Olympic tech complexity, and all of us. And he was always a critical resource not just for NBC but for OBS and Olympic Organizers. I believe he was part of the entire NBC Olympic run since 1988 and a fixture in the hallways of the NBC IBC, always good for a chuckle or, when things were a bit sideways, the needed words of reassurance. Charlie was always going to keep the engines running. Walking into the IBC for the first time [in Milan] will feel different, although I have no doubt his presence will continue to be felt.

Haris Poppsi, senior manager, power, OBS: Charlie was always an important customer but, above all, a good work companion. Charlie was absolutely hands-on and was never discouraged by any type of challenge. He even welcomed the problems, always with a unique sense of humor to help through the struggle.

In one of our many joint troubleshooti

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/02/05/remembering-charlie-jablonski-a...
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