“It’s the name of the game. It’s a competition between the top press agencies in terms of who can get the content out the fastest.
“The two key moments (for us) are the lighting of the Olympic flame and the men’s 100m final, which is always a big high-pressure event.”
The team on the ground a whole raft of “toys” to play with — multiple robotically- controlled remote camera systems traversing the catwalks above the Olympic Stadium and underwater cameras to capture both the diving and swimming.
“For the men’s 100m final we’ll have probably 10 photographers shooting it, but then some of those will also be following remote cameras. We’ve also got a set-up where someone has a pedal where they can fire up eight other cameras all shooting the different running lanes.”
Even with the camera settings tuned down from shooting the highest quality images, the team will still be receiving gigabytes of information every minute during the high-pressure events.
“It’s a lot of data coming in quickly.”
The photos are then distributed to their global network of editors, who caption the images and publish them online.
The agency has installed its own virtual network across the country that staff can access in any Olympic venue, bypassing the Japanese public internet to ensure they have the fastest connection possible.
“They’ve all got to come through to us, through our infrastructure, captured by us then relayed to the teams,” said Robinson.
His role is to lead the team that is responsible for the glue that binds the technical solutions together, “to make sure everything works”.
Since arriving in Tokyo early in July, Robinson says he has already forgotten what day it is in the muddle of working consecutive 12-hour days.
He won’t get a day off until the Olympics wrap up on August 8, but it’s all part of the “fun” of problem-solving complex logistical and technical challenges, he said.
The first time Robinson touched down in Tokyo in preparation for the games was in 2017, for the world press briefing, which is when the technical team starts their involvement.
From there it’s been a process of making sure their hardware is up to date, particularly for the picture team who are “the guys who require the most attention”.
“We’ve been building up to it for a number of years and obviously with the delay and everything that’s happened. . . that in itself is a massive logistical and technical challenge.”
His role has allowed him to travel the world, setting up systems for some of the biggest sporting and political events.
He’s been on the ground for multiple summer and winter Olympics, the Superbowl, Wimbledon and the Cannes Film Festival, to name a few.
“When we’re not working on events, we support editorial globally for Reuters. Particularly the TV department, they’ve got quite a complex network set up globally. . .
“We’re certainly not bored.”
Although he is still based out of London, Robinson’s job allows him to work remotely when he is not required at an event, so he was able to work from his father’s home in Gisborne for the three months leading into the Games.
“I do maintain a tight connection with Gizzy. . . you don’t appreciate it fully until you leave.
I appreciate it more and more every time I come back.”
After finishing Gisborne Boys’ High School, Robinson completed an engineering degree through Massey University in Auckland, but it was not focused on the type of work he has ended up doing.
He said as he was finishing his degree in 1996 he didn’t think he was heading into network engineering, but he learned the ropes on his first job out of university.
He lived in Melbourne for three years before flying to London for “a couple of years” in 2003.
That trip has turned into an extended stay. In 2009 he was first employed by Reuters as a consultant network engineer.
“London was an overseas experience, but it’s turned into a longer stint because of the company I work for.
“The work I do is good and important. . . The people I work with are from all cultures and nationalities. It’s such a melting pot.”
He found out a colleague was part of the Reuters’ team that was about to fly out to South Africa for the Football World Cup in 2010, and Robinson knew that was the department he wanted to work in.
His chance would come a few years later, and after meeting the boss over beers at the pub, he was offered the job as a network solutions architect.
He welcomed the change from working in an office, seizing every opportunity.
In his first few months, he was already learning how to bandage gunshot wounds as part of a hostile environment training course before he flew out to Iraq to update their offices in Baghdad.
The first big event he was involved in was the 2012 London Olympics.
“That was kind of a chance to see how it was done and see the other guys in action and learn from them.
“It was a nice way to learn and it was a great Olympics as well; the way the home crowd embraced it.”
Fast forward to 2021, and after last night’s opening ceremony in Tokyo, Robinson’s systems will be flat out ensuring images and stories find their way to all corners of the globe.
