GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN // Matt Knighton of the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team has won the Inmarsat on-board reporter (OBR) award for the 2014/15 Volvo Ocean Race, celebrating one of the most challenging sports journalism jobs.
Knighton, 31, was cited for excellence in delivering seven hours of video, 315 photographs and 30,000 words to Volvo race headquarters in Alicante, Spain, during the course of the nine-month, round-the-world race won by Azzam, the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ador) boat.
The American received a €20,000 (Dh82,000) cash prize and a trophy by Inmarsat’s chief executive, Rupert Pearce, at a gala dinner in Gothenburg.
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The award is based on creativity, quality and storytelling. The runners-up, Amory Ross of Team Alvimedica and Sam Greenfield of Dongfeng Race Team, were presented with €8,000 cash prizes.
“The journey of each team has reached us onshore for the past nine months, and that would simply not have been possible without our reliable, global communications network and the grit, determination and hard work of the OBRs,” Pearce said.
Knut Frostad, the Volvo race chief executive, said: “The work of the OBRs is pivotal to all communications for the race. Without them, we simply couldn’t tell the story of the sailors as they take on this incredible challenge so many miles from land.
“The OBRs need to be diplomats and cheerleaders for the crews, as well as multi-talented, cross-media professionals, as they share the adventure of the Volvo Ocean Race over nine, gruelling months.”
The award was validation for Knighton’s work, who was Ador’s second choice for the OBR position.
In December, he said the OBRs work in something of a vacuum.
“The hardest part is you have no idea how the audience is receiving the content,” he told The National. “We live in a black hole where we send our stuff every 24 hours but have no idea what they are doing with it.
“Every now and again I’ll get an email saying you’re in the newspaper or this video has this many views and that will really make your day. But for the most part, you’re in this black hole, which is rare in this day and age, especially in media.”
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