Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
Television coverage of Olympic rowing and canoeing will be revolutionised over the next fortnight following the development of the world's longest cable-camera.
The £250,000 US military camera is suspended on three wires stretched between two 92-metre high towers, which have been erected at each end of the 2.5kilometre lake at Eton Dorney.
The system has been used in Formula One and at four previous Olympics - Salt Lake City, Athens, Beijing and Vancouver - but never before on this scale.
"The overhead wire camera is going to put rowing into a completely different realm for showing our sport," said GB Rowing performance director David Tanner.
"I am sure the BBC are going to be showing some outstanding pictures of our outstanding crews and others."
The wire system can propel the birds-eye camera at speeds of up to 130 kilometres per hour, although it will be limited to 70km per hour during the Olympic Games.
The camera can rotate 360 degrees and drops to just eight metres above the boats, offering television viewers a new perspective on the racing.
The footage will supplement the more standard race coverage from cameras fixed to vehicles which follow the crews along the side of the lake.
Stefan Boisjoly, the broadcast venue manager for the Olympic Broadcasting Service, said: "We always try to bring the most dramatic and best quality images to the world.
"We want to honour the work and the efforts of the athletes by showing the sport in the most beautiful, high-tech fashion possible."
PA
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments