Dramatic or distracting? Olympic drone footage catches the eye

If you were watching the downhill skiing or luge at Milan-Cortina 2026 over the weekend, you will have noticed the dramatic new camera angles being provided at these Games.

Drones have been used in Olympic coverage since 2014, but they have been much more prevalent at these Winter Games.

Carrying cameras, the drones have been flown close behind athletes as they ski or slide, capturing dramatic footage which has never been seen at a Games before.

But they have proved divisive for audiences, with social media split between admiring the footage or being put off by the noise.

The whirring of the drone blades is audible in the live coverage. Some have described it as the Winters’ answer to the vuvuzela, the infamous horns heard throughout the football World Cup in 2010.

It has led to concerns that the sound might be impacting the athletes, putting them off as they compete in the biggest events of their careers.

“I spoke to a USA skeleton and luge coach and he said that the athlete can’t hear it and aren’t affected by it, but I think if I was competing with a drone I would be super aware of it,” Lizzy Yarnold, two-time Olympic gold medallist in the skeleton for Great Britain, told BBC Sport.

However, Games organisers say they have had no complaints from athletes or teams.

Pierre Ducrey, International Olympic Committee sports director, said: “When you prepare a broadcast, you take a lot of time to test things, including with high-level athletes, to make sure there is minimum level of disturbance. That is something we have worked at a lot.

“You saw the action at the weekend. We have to make sure it does not come in way of performance.

“It is an evolution. The integration seems to be something we can manage, so we are very happy.”

Games sports director Anna Riccardi said: “We tested drones before competitions.

“We have listened to the athletes’ community so that the impact would not affect their performances – would not bother them in any way.

“Each athlete has a different level of sensitivity, awareness and capability for tackling innovation.

“So far we have not received any complaints that might lead to the non-use of drones in the future.”

While drone pilots have been heaped with praise for their ability to control the tiny, flying cameras at such speeds, things have not been completely perfect.

One of the drones crash-landed in the first downhill training, leaving debris on the course.

The drones are controlled on site. For the sliding events, the pilot and their assistant sit in a tiny tent near the course and fly it from there.