Games Nine Can't Lose

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday February 7, 1994

MONIQUE FARMER

KEN Sutcliffe is as excited as a small boy with a new toboggan. It is not only his impending trip to Lillehammer as host of Nine's coverage of the Winter Olympics that animates him, but a particular memory of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Sutcliffe leans forward in his chair in a Nine boardroom, his eyes crinkling, smile broadening.

"I had never been to the Winter Olympics before and I don't even think I'd been to the snow before. And there I was, up to my head in snow, sitting on the side of this mountain, and I remember asking the cameraman where they were skiing, and he said: 'They're skiing there.'

"I said: 'You're kidding, that's a cliff-face.' And as I was saying that this guy went shoooooo," Sutcliffe sweeps his hand towards the ground, "straight past me, and I was absolutely mesmerised. I spent two hours standing in the one spot just watching these guys and girls going downhill at these incredible speeds."

From that moment, Sutcliffe was a fan of the spectacle that is the Winter Olympics. After attending Calgary as a reporter, he was chosen to host the coverage of the Albertville Olympics in 1992, and now Lillehammer.

Sutcliffe says he "sort of expected" to be host, but takes nothing for granted in television.

"I think I'm getting good at it (reporting the Olympics). I don't mean that to sound immodest, but I understand sports that aren't mainstream in Australia, and I have an understanding of the magic of it.

"Even though mum and dad back here may not be well versed in everybody that's competing, for me the Winter Olympics goes beyond knowing people; it is the fact that someone is skiing down a cliff-face at over 120 kilometres an hour, or throwing a little girl high in the air to land on a thin blade in ice skating."

Sutcliffe stresses that as much fun as the assignment will be, "it's not a junket. If anyone thinks you're going there to swan around drinking champagne, rattling bells and going skiing ... no way in the world."

He grins. "If I did that, Mr Packer would be on a plane, no, he'd be on the phone fairly quickly; he'd let you know: 'You look as if you're having a good time - get home, NOW.' "

Sutcliffe and his co-host, the Today show's Liz Hayes, will spend their first few days in Lillehammer familiarising themselves with the event locations and watching rehearsals for the opening ceremony.

As Sutcliffe sees it, the pair will act as "tour guides", giving on-location reports, analysing Australia's medal chances and sharing personal impressions of Lillehammer.

"I'm very happy that Liz Hayes is joining me," Sutcliffe says, "because I think it eases the workload and I think it's essential to have a woman's presence.

"To me the Winter Olympics is fashion; it's all the beaut clothes that the athletes wear; it's their bravery. Aesthetically it's fabulous because of the snow, the slopes, the trees, the lakes, the wonderful buildings."

The Games telecast will be delayed, with the most interesting events shown in Australia during the evening.

"A lot of people might think, 'We're not getting it live and instantaneous, therefore it's not as good', but I disagree with that," Sutcliffe says. "I think it will be a tighter package. Things that aren't quite as interesting for the Australian public, they won't have to put up with as long."

Australia will be represented in eight events, from ice racing to bobsleigh, and although we have never won a medal at the Winter Olympics, Sutcliffe hopes this may soon change.

"It's a good team, and I think young Nicholas Cleaver in the moguls is a definite prospect, as is (freestyle skier) Kirstie Marshall."

Sutcliffe believes that if the Winter Olympics' coverage proves a ratings success for Nine, it will be mainly due to appearances by the skaters Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean and Katarina Witt, not to mention the fallout of the Nancy Kerrigan affair.

"(Channel Nine) had a tremendous success with the Winter Olympics last time, but if I had one problem with Albertville it was that nobody got up and sort of took you and said: 'I'm a superstar.' There were some great individual performances, but none of that aura that Torvill and Dean have got, and Katarina Witt has."

The XVII Olympic Winter Games will be shown on Channel Nine from Sunday for 16 days, beginning with the opening ceremony at 8.30 pm.