BBC Athletics commentary is dire because.......

[Pipsquiggle]

Of the crowd noise!

Trying to hear Gabby, Denise, Jess & Michael but it sounds like they are in the crowd - lots of clapping and cheering, you can't hear them speak.

The sound department need to sort this out ASAP. It's really ruining the programme.

Some of the lockdown Olive and Mabel videos are doing the rounds again on SM just now and they are still brilliant.

My only commentator complaint is how negative Johnson can be about people.

I also think there is too much waffling going on, staying with the Rowing commentators for 15 mins while they were talking rubbish, rather than cutting back to the Hockey Game that was going on, for instance.

Just because sportspeople were great at their sport doesn't mean they will make a great professional broadcaster and commentator.
It's obviously a very different skill set - they may have the knowledge but it's putting it across in a helpful way to an audience that counts.

Oh yes the rowing lady is Very Intense and LOUD! But I agree that Katherine Grainger is brilliant.

Love the Olympics and most of the commentary, especially the gold medal winning athletics commentators (@VeronicaBeccabunga ). Gymnastics commenters are knowledgeable and very fair in their remarks, quick to praise other countries’ competitors and not at all partisan.

Swimming - Clare, Mark n’ Becky are great, the unseen two men (Adrian Moorhouse and partner) are awful - very biased.

Leon Taylor at diving is fabulous, but that bloody woman Kat he is always paired with - she is TERRIBLE. Droning “in gold medal position after the first dive”. FFS there are five or six rounds of dives, and it can all turn in an instant. She’s been reminded multiple times over the years by Leon of this but she persists in doing it. Why on earth was she selected for this role?

Agree the trackside interviewers are insensitive and trite. How do you feel (after seeing your past four years work wiped out in 21.3 seconds)?

But still watch it all!

Five pages in and no one has said how awful Paula Radcliffe is. Breathy and long-winded.

That’s because, as earlier, if it’s not Andrew Cotter I reimagine everything they say in his voice.

Or, if I’m bored, Jeff Goldblum

Many many flat races - she was leading female British jockey for a while

Sports commentary role started with racing, but she branched out, and then became a general sports anchor. So I think her role is to hold it all together (as individual former champs may talk well on their sport, but be less skilled in holding a broadcast together. Plus she seems able to turn her hand to being enthusiastic./appreciative spectator type of comment when there is no expert available.

Claire Balding did a Radio 2 Sunday morning show. It was so awful I stopped listening. Don't know what it was but it just didn't work.

The cricket commentators use those microphones that are a funny shape and they hold right up to their mouths, seems to work. We took out a one month subscription to Discovery+ for £6.99, renewal already cancelled. Well worth it for the volley ball alone

There's a lot of hate for Clare Balding but she is very good at the "holding it all together live while being smiley" role. Very experienced.

Her getting emotional over Andy Murray retiring was lovely. She does genuinely love all sorts of sports.