A day in the life of … Young Reporter Jeroen Adriaanse

First foreign assignment

“I was excited but also nervous before the YOG. I had covered the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 competition in Holland as part of the International Sports Press Association’s Young Reporters Programme, but I’d never travelled to South America before or worked on a multi-sport event. Although I knew the YOG was an amazing opportunity, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.”

In front of the camera

“The Young Reporters were divided into four groups – print, photography, broadcast and audio, and social media. My first chance to work with the mentors in the broadcast department came on 15 October, the day of the quarter-finals of the beach volleyball tournament in Green Park – definitely my most memorable assignment in Buenos Aires.”

My video vision

“My idea was to create and present a short video which would take people behind the scenes at the beach volleyball at Green Park, giving them an insight into what was required to stage the event, as well as interviewing some of the athletes to get their thoughts on the YOG. I wanted to approach the event from a different angle and hopefully provide a fresh perspective on the tournament. I pitched the idea to my editor in the morning and got the green light to make the video.”

Early introductions

“I travelled from the hotel by shuttle bus, provided by the Organising Committee, to Green Park and got to the venue at 10 o’clock in the morning. I made contact with the press officer, who introduced me to the venue director, and I started my research before we began filming.”

Technical discoveries

“Talking to the organisers was really interesting. I discovered that weeks of research had gone into selecting the sand for the event and that it had been specially transported from the Río de la Plata near Buenos Aires. Every competition has different sand and I learned the Plata sand was stiffer and harder than beach sand. Some of the athletes told me that meant they were able to jump higher because of the firmer playing surface. I also spoke to the event technicians who showed me the equipment they use to check that every ball is at the right pressure and also perfectly round.”

Positive response

“I spent seven hours in Green Park filming and interviewing the competitors and the event staff. The video was posted on the IOC Young Reporters Facebook page. The feedback was really positive and I hope I did a good job. Broadcast journalism took me out of my comfort zone but the chance to direct my own story, to be in control of the whole process, was a great learning experience.”

Final edit

“I came up with an idea that the initial introduction for the video would be me ‘interviewing’ a beach volleyball to get its ‘perspective’ on the sport. We filmed the segment but, when I sat down with my editor and watched the footage, we decided it didn’t quite work and we used a different intro. It taught me that ideas don’t always translate onto the screen as you expect and that you’ve got to be flexible.”

Career plans

“Since attending the YOG in Buenos Aires, I have reported on the FINA World Swimming Championships which were held in Hangzhou [China] in December last year. I’m currently studying for a Master’s in marketing at the Rotterdam School of Management. I don’t yet feel ready to go into the job market full time but I definitely want to pursue a career in sports journalism in the future. Until then, I’ll continue to do freelance work.”