How OBS Uses FPV Drones, 360-Degree Replay To Enhance Storytelling

The technologies, including AI, allow fans at home to see the athletes, feel' the speed, and sense the skill

With four years from one Winter Games to the next, there is plenty of time to bring in new camera and imaging technologies to help tell the story of the Games in a unique way. This year, the visual strategy for Milano Cortina 2026 is based on the concept of Movement in Sport, which serves as the creative inspiration.

During the opening weekend of the Games, that concept was on full display. Images captured by FPV drones in downhill skiing, luge, and the Snow Park enabled viewers not only to see the athletes but also to feel the tremendous speeds and sense the skill needed to be an Olympian.

It's about capturing the motion of the athlete, explains Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) Chief Content Officer Mark Wallace, not just the result but the sensation of speed, the tactics, the technique, and the environment in which they compete. Sometimes that means slowing things down to reveal intricate details; other times, it's about placing the camera right in the heart of the action.

The coverage relies on two primary dimensions: fixed or semi-fixed cameras that provide stable, ground-level perspectives, and cable cameras, cranes, or helicopters that deliver smooth, linear tracking shots. FPV drones bring a true third dimension.

Adds Wallace, The aim is to inspire, to educate, and to consistently deliver the Olympic wow factor' that audiences expect.

Drones have been part of Olympic broadcasting since their debut at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, their use and capabilities expanding with every subsequent edition. At Paris 2024, FPV drones were introduced into live mountain-bike coverage, delivering an unprecedented, immersive vantage point for fans worldwide. Milano Cortina 2026 is their Winter Games debut, with as many as 15 FPV drones deployed across the venues - both outdoors and indoors. Thanks to advances in design, transmission, and low-latency systems, drones now deliver broadcast-quality footage in real time, making them one of the most powerful storytelling tools in live sports production.

FPV drones have made a big difference in Alpine coverage at the Olympics.There are multiple ways that drones enhance storytelling. In Alpine skiing, FPV drones can chase athletes down steep courses, capturing their line choice, how they absorb compressions, and their technique through blind crests and turns. In freestyle skiing and snowboarding, they can follow athletes as they launch over the kickers.

In ski jumping, drones follow the athlete down the in-run and into take-off before peeling away mid-flight to reveal body position, stability, and distance. In biathlon, FPV drones are planned to be used at the start, following the group of athletes as they set off. This perspective makes the gaps, the scramble for position, and the fight for the lead more visible, providing viewers with a clear sense of the race dynamics from the very beginning.

Most excitingly, FPV drones are also being used for the first time ever in sliding sports, which traditionally have been very hard to cover because they entail dozens of camera cuts as the slider flies down the course. Drones give the production team a chance to hold a single shot for multiple curves, diving into and out of curves to convey both the raw speed and the extraordinary precision required to hold the racing line.

The aim is to inspire, to educate, and to consistently deliver the Olympic wow factor' that audiences expect' - Mark Wallace, Chief Content Officer, OBS

According to OBS, delivering these dynamic shots requires a highly specialized setup. Each drone team consists of three specialists - the pilot, the director, and the technician - working in sync via a dedicated communication channel to manage flight paths, timing, and technical adjustments. They stay in continuous contact with the director in the production truck and the technical crew, enabling real-time video-filter adjustments to adapt to weather and light conditions. The result: consistent image quality, no matter the terrain.

OBS used FPV drones to capture Breezy Johnson's gold-medal-winning downhill run yesterday.Outdoors, drone pilots operate from elevated positions to maintain line-of-sight with the athlete on both approach and departure, ensuring precise tracking at high speeds. Nearby, a heated support cabin serves as the operational base, equipped with a battery-charging station, spare drone, receiver, and dual monitors. This setup allows the team to monitor both drone-signal integrity and race developments in real time.

The FPV drones used for sports broadcasting are custom-built. Their inverted-blade design, with propellers mounted beneath rather than above, enhances aerodynamic efficiency and enables smoother flight curves, which is especially critical when following athletes through steep descents or tight turns. The batteries are engineered for rapid replacement, typically lasting two athlete runs before needing to be replaced.

FPV drones are much smaller and much more nimble than traditional broadcast-quality drones.Alongside these dynamic FPV shots, up to 10 traditional hovering drones remain essential for scenic and transitional coverage. A hovering drone might capture the broader atmosphere of a slopestyle course or the sweeping Alpine landscape. FPVs dive directly into the heart of the action. Together, they complement each other: one providing context, the other full immersion.

Many of the venues - Stelvio, Tofane, Anterselva - are iconic, almost sacred within their disciplines, having hosted generations of champions, notes Wallace. Then there are the locations themselves, from the vibrant, cosmopolitan energy of Milan at the heart of the metropolitan region to the Alpine towns of Cortina, Bormio, Livig

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/02/09/how-obs-uses-fpv-drones-360-deg...
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