Musco Lighting - An Olympic Team Effort

An Olympic team effort
2000 Olympic Games • Sydney, Australia

The Olympic Bridge became a familiar landmark for the thousands of people in Sydney, Australia watching the 2000 Summer Olympic Games and for the billions of television viewers around the globe.

Project Facts

Lighting Services
Temporary systems:
•	10-meter pistol finals
•	Basketball (at the Dome)
•	Badminton
•	Modern Pentathlon
•	Rythmic Gymnastics
•	Table Tennis
•	Team Handball
•	Triathlon
•	Volleyball
•	Water Polo
Supplemental lighting:
•	Baseball
•	Softball
•	Cycling
Re-aimed existing lighting:
•	Gymnastics
•	Basketball (at the Super Dome)
•	Swimming
•	Diving
•	Soccer (Musco permanent lighting re-aimed for international broadcast)
•	Tunnel entrance for marathon
Additional locations & events:
•	Sailing medal ceremony
•	Projection of Olympic Games logo at the bottom of the diving pool
•	Mixed zones for media interviews

The world witnessed great individual and team athletic efforts in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games broadcast around the world. But the behind-the-scenes efforts of the Musco Lighting team allowed the on-air performances to shine.

Requiring nearly two years of preparations for 19 events at 14 facilities, the 2000 Olympics was like none other Musco had lighted. The entire undertaking required one of Musco’s best team efforts. A total of 17 team members dedicated four months of intense effort in Australia, working 14-16 hour days to install and operate the equipment. Musco crews aimed over 1,400 fixtures, many of them more than once to accommodate different competitions in the same venues.

The primary consideration was to provide a quality environment for the the most important performances of the athletes’ lives. Musco’s lighting solutions were as varied as the number of sporting events. Based on test events conducted at a Pavilion in August 1999, Musco’s lighting designs proved correct for athlete and television requirements, and demonstrated that a changeover between events was physically possible. The success of these early events solidified the Olympic Committee’s faith in Musco’s ability to handle the visual and physical requirements of each phase.

Musco’s international team shined, not by standing in the spotlight, but by supporting the Sydney Olympic Games in reaching unparalleled success in event after event and broadcast after broadcast. Despite the hurdles, the whole world watched in awed wonder, seeing only the power, speed and grace of the athletes. •

Soccer semifinals were held at Bruce Stadium in Canberra. Musco technicians re-aimed the venue’s permanent Musco lighting for international broadcasting requirements.

See more . . . 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5