Two Takes on Tokyo Katie Smith and Rebecca Lowe

TWO TAKES ON TOKYO

Alumnae reporting from the Olympic Games

Katie and the Paralympics Agitos outside the Olympic Stadium

Katie Smith (NHEHS 2013) is a journalist with BBC Sport. She works mainly in radio as a sports reporter on BBC World Service and Radio 5 Live. While working at the BBC Katie has covered a number of major events for radio including the Women’s World Cup, the Athletics World Championships and the Paralympics.

What was your role for the BBC in Tokyo at the Paralympics?

My role was to cover the athletics action at the Paralympics for radio, so for the majority of my time there I was stationed in the magnificent National Stadium. Every day on BBC World Service radio we had an hour long show dedicated to live Paralympic action and rounding up the stories of the day. So my role within that was providing live race commentaries from inside the stadium as well as reporting on other things that had gone on that day, and interviewing some of the big global stars we had been looking out for. Due to the pandemic there was no crowd able to watch the racing live so I felt incredibly lucky to be one of the few who could and, therefore, had an important responsibility to bring that to life for our listeners around the world. Radio commentary is all about painting pictures and bringing your audience with you in the dramatic sporting moments so I enjoyed the heightened responsibility of that within the pandemic context. I was also able to attend the brilliant Opening Ceremony and brought live coverage of that to BBC Radio 1, 2, 4, 5 and World Service. It was surreal but exciting to speak to so many different radio stations as the greatest show on earth began!

Had you been to Japan before? How did you find it?

I’d never been to Japan before and had been really excited to have an

opportunity to explore the country. Unfortunately, but necessarily, we had a lot of restrictions on our movements and activities while we were there so there was no opportunity to go to other parts of Japan or do much within Tokyo. However, my brief highlights were visiting Tokyo Tower and also seeing a number of the awesome sports venues. It was so humid and hot and we had to wear masks inside and out so walking around was tough at times. The people though are lovely, incredibly helpful and I would love to go back in the future.

What impact did Covid have?

Unfortunately everything we did was tainted with changes brought about by the pandemic. Getting into the country required double vaccination, several PCR tests, several official signed documents and various apps and GPS trackers so our movements and health could be checked at any time. Once we were there we had to do spit tests almost every day, plus we were not allowed to be in contact with the general public or use public transport. That being said, the actual sporting action was almost unaffected and the quality of the racing was the best it’s ever been.

What was the highlight of your time in Tokyo?

I got to interview several huge Paralympic stars and listen to a number of inspiring, heart-breaking, wonderful stories of tragedy but also perseverance and courage. Plus I was at the aquatics centre when Japan won their first gold of the Paralympics and that felt hugely special. Despite there being no crowd present, there were hundreds of local volunteers who really made up for that by making noise and getting really excited. For me it showed that regardless of Covid, sport can really bring people together and shine brightest in the darkest times. Additionally a career highlight for me was doing live commentary of Jonnie Peacock’s 100m race on the flagship 5 Live Saturday Sport programme.

What was the strangest/funniest thing you saw at the Olympics?

For me it all revolved around the food in Japan! I would say I’m not a fussy eater but because not many people speak English there, choosing meals became a bit of a guessing game. Now I’m not saying I don’t love an adventure, but there’s definitely a few things I tried that I will swerve going forward. One day I bought a pot of noodles on the go thinking it looked fairly harmless… turns out it was sitting on a bed of black congealed jelly. I pushed through because it was all I had but I later found out it was supposed to be microwaved before being eaten! Never again! Another food related discovery is that in Japan they wrap peaches in individually knitted woollen jumpers, very cute!

Rebecca with US swimmer Katie Ledecky Rebecca with US gymnasts Jade Carey and Suni Lee

Rebecca Lowe (NHEHS 1998) is a television presenter and anchor working for NBC and NBC Sports in the US as the lead studio host for the network’s weekly coverage of the English Premier League. She has also been the Daytime host at NBC for both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games since 2014.

What was your role for NBC?

I was the Daytime host for NBC. So if you were watching in New York I was on 12 noon - 5pm on weekdays and 8am-6pm on weekend days. But of course with the time difference that meant the nightshift for me in Japan. I never got used to it and it certainly made the job harder.

Had you been to Japan before? How did you find it?

I’d never been to Japan before and to be honest in a way it doesn’t really feel like I’ve been even now. The restrictions were so strict that I was on soft quarantine for 14 of my 22 days and that meant I was only allowed in my hotel room or studio. For the final 6 days when I was allowed out, the show had got really busy which required a lot of prep and I needed to sleep so badly to be on form to host such a long network show that I never got to see really anything of the country. The one thing I would say is that the Japanese people I came across were incredible. I’ve never met people so polite, gracious and happy. The world would be a better place if we all adopted those traits.

What impact did Covid have?

A massive one in terms of not having a ‘normal’ Olympics experience. I worked hosting shows in Sochi, Rio & Pyeongchang and got to see events every day after my show. Not in Tokyo - I couldn’t see anything which was such a shame because that’s really where the memories are made. I couldn’t see much of the country either sadly. The constant testing and a ton of paperwork and at least 3 apps in your phone related to Covid were draining at times. But the positive was that Team USA officials did allow athletes who’d won medals to be interviewed in person so getting to talk to athletes every day in the studio was amazing.

What was the highlight of your time in Tokyo?

It had to be the interviews. Suni Lee who won the All around Gold in female gymnastics after Simone Biles pulled out came to chat along with teammate Jade Carey. They were true superstars so that was fun, but Katie Ledecky was also a real highlight. She was weighed down with medals! But perhaps even better were the interviews I did with athletes nobody had heard of before the games…every single one had overcome adversity so that is an interviewer’s dream!

What was the strangest/funniest thing you saw at this Olympics?

It’s not really strange - it’s actually lovely. But just unusual to us in the West…every single time you pass anyone in Japan they nod, bow or say hello. It means a lot of greetings every day but it really does put a spring in your step. The atmosphere is straightaway one of pleasantness. I’m not used to that - I’m used to the London Tube or the streets of New York where it’s “head down and don’t look at anyone!”

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