The Korea Herald has provided the Asian Games News Service to over 7,000 members of the media reporting the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. The service provided by the AGNS team spanned from previews, reviews and results of every competition, to press conferences and key quotes from the athletes.

The AGNS team typically traveled to more than one venue each day. In order to provide live coverage of each match, the reporters and sports experts were the first ones on site and the last to leave, making sure each of the competitions and press conferences was attended and important quotes recorded.

The AGNS website, located on the myINFO homepage of the Incheon Asian Games website, received on average 77,000 views a day during the Asian Games. Including daily views for Korean articles, press conferences and important notices, the total views surpassed 110,000 views a day.

The AGNS team interacted with the thousands of media reporters, photographers and press managers from across Asia.

“One of the strong points is when you have a program like this, it helps because most often you are caught up for time. When you travel, your body takes a beating going all around to different venues,” said Alaric Gomes of the United Arab Emirates Gulf News. “Quick quotes, you need it. The gold medal result comes out, you look at the quote, you add it in and in five minutes the article is up.”

“For the Asian Games, it’s just me alone for Gulf News. I’m normally a guy who doesn’t sit in one place. I go to at least three different events a day, and that is too much for anyone. I can’t be everywhere at once, so the AGNS service is definitely something I need,” Gomes said.

“I trust the service enough to use it in our newspaper. I’ve used it in the past, I know it is reliable. It’s here to help, and I appreciate the work they do. For one person to do it, it’s impossible. This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon, I really appreciate the help I can get.”

“We have a team of eight here at the games,” Lee Hoo-min of NewsOne said of using the AGNS website. “When I, or my team, cannot make it to a particular competition, or if we miss the chance to interview an athlete, AGNS has been very helpful. I was satisfied with the information given.”

Yoshiaki Shichino of Kyodo News also complimented the AGNS team’s speediness. “They are really good and quick. When I need some quotes or important info, they are really helpful and they really give good information beyond the scoreboard,” said Yoshiaki. “The reporters also speak fluent English, which is a big help to reporters, especially when trying to interview other athletes.”

In addition to reporters using the AGNS website, live broadcasters have shared their account of using the services.

“We have an office in the IBC but we go out to the venue and do the live broadcast for the competitions. We have certainly used the AGNS during our broadcasts because it provides live updates, especially quotes from athletes that are needed especially when we do a broadcast right after the game has finished,” said Daniel O’Hagan of Asian Broadcast Union.

“Everything we have that can help the broadcast is useful, and the AGNS being there certainly helps. We’ve certainly used them in broadcasts for volleyball, beach volleyball and football. We trust the information enough to use it in the broadcast.”

Press managers, who handle the countless press conferences given after each awards ceremony also shared their experience with the AGNS.

“AGNS has been a big help, especially when the press isn’t there or the press do not provide the questions needed to proceed with the press conference. They were always very reliable. At the weightlifting venue in particular, there would only be one or two reporters in the conference room with the medalists. Without AGNS being there, we might not have been able to have a press conference at all,” said press manager Jung Su-na.

“In my experience with the AGNS reporters, they have always acted professionally, and always gave their best efforts, even to athletes who had not earned a medal, they had gone out of their way to interview them and congratulated them on their efforts,” said another press manager Hwang Hyun-jung. “I was a translator for the press conferences, and the AGNS reporters had provided sharp questions for the athletes, and they were a pleasant surprise at the press conferences. At times when I was not able to attend competitions from the beginning to the very end, I could turn to one of the reporters for in-depth briefing on what had happened.”

By Alex Isacc (isacc.alex@gmail.com)