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The amount of available information, procedures and rules to follow in the first days of the Olympics can be overwhelming for any journalist. The MPC is filled with notices, the venues have plenty of somehow confusing signs, and you are absorbing too much information before being able to check how things actually work. So here’s some relevant information that AIPS has found valuable since arriving in Paris.
App #1 – Max. Available in some countries, but not in others, downloading the Max app is fundamental to stream and watch every discipline live, with the chance of rewinding, reviewing and fast forwarding. Never before for a journalist on the site has the TV been so close. If you know the feeling of having to check Twitter for some footage, now there’s a much better option. The IOC offers a media package for free. Information is available at the Media Guide.
App #2 – TransportAccred. Feeling lost? Needing a quick understanding of how to get from here to there? Then this app is crucial to know all the shuttle buses leaving from the MPC and arriving to the chosen venue at the time selected. It’s a key tool for planning ahead and also for understanding how achievable your plans of being at five events in one day are. A small piece of advice? While the timing is precise, you need to take into account that it can take you several minutes to leave to the departing platform in the TC area nearby to the MPC.
App #3 – Paris2024 has the results and schedule, with some extras. It’s intended for all fans and followers, not just for journalists. But it’s still useful if you are not with your computer.
App #4 – S.E.A.T. P24 is your monitor for high demand tickets. When your organisation requests a high demand ticket for you, you receive a notification and can download the electronic ticket on your phone. Be aware that as an individual working for an organisation you can’t request from the app, only download what has been requested and approved on your behalf.
Website – myinfo.paris2024.org is accessible to all accredited journalists. This monster digital hub in which you can check from schedules to flash quotes, from news to profiles, unfortunately doesn’t have an app version. It’s very comfortable for laptop users, but not quite comfortable to browse from your phone. The downside: you are log out very quickly and you need to re-enter several times a day.
WhatsApp – The whatsapp group created by Paris 2024 International Media, which you can request to be added in the MPC help desk, has been useful to follow some ceremony details and to receive notifications about official information.
Newsletters - If you're reading this, then you know the value of being subscribed to AIPS Media newsletter. There's also another useful newsletter provided by the Olympic Information Service, with morning and evening briefings. If you are accredited you should be getting it on a daily basis.
What else? Of course, depending on where you are staying and where do you plan to eat, you might feel forced to download many other apps. From a washing machine app to order a cocktail at a bar that only accept QR requests, the digital world can be a little exaggerated sometimes.
Martin Mazur - AIPS Media
