Finishing first means everything at the 2012 Olympic Games, whether you’re an athlete outpacing competitors or a reporter hitting a story deadline with the latest results.
With so much criticism still surrounding NBC’s coverage of the Games, hardcore fans are flocking to the internet to get timely results and, when possible, stream competition as it happens. But when piecemeal information just isn’t enough, many people are turning to Wikipedia for comprehensive results, including detailed biographies of the athletes.
Despite being staffed entirely by an army of volunteers, Wikipedia — which is not, strictly speaking, a news site — is keeping pace with conventional media outlets. Official results make their way to athletes’ Wikipedia pages within hours, and sometimes minutes, of their finish. With dedicated editors working 24/7, Wikipedia pages are proving to be faster, leaner and more popular alternatives to traditional reporting.
"Even though Wikipedia isn't a news site, I think some readers tend to look at it that way," Wikipedia editor Evan Henry told Wired. "Particularly with it being one of the most popular sites on the internet, and the Olympics obviously being a huge media event, there is an expectation that the information we have is going to be as up-to-date as possible."
Real-time encyclopedia pages focused on sporting events are not new, and Wikipedia had dedicated efforts during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Although the site updated pages quickly during the 2008 Summer Games, the turnover “seem[s] almost sluggish compared to the editing pace we’ve seen with London 2012," Henry said.
Editors don’t make any money for their efforts, but their work is viewed on the international stage and most feel a heightened sense of duty to keep pages up-to-date and accurate, Henry said. They strive to meet those personal expectations. With no official organization or structure for the pages, editors rely on experts in each field to keep information flowing and provide oversight to a potentially fickle machine.
In some cases, pages must be created on the fly when an unexpected athlete makes the podium. For example, Wikipedians created a page for Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen on July 19, 2011 during the World Aquatic Championships where she burst onto the scene, placing first in the 200m individual medley.
Likewise, Olympic swimming dark horse Camille Muffat’s Wikipedia page was largely empty at the start of the Games. But after capturing gold in the women’s 400 freestyle in a race she wasn't expected to win, her page quickly updated with her accomplishments, including the silver and bronze finishes in London. As Henry noted, many Wikipedians start with the gold medal winners’ pages and work their way down the podium.
It’s striking to see how Wikipedia can chronicle athlete popularity, not to mention fan expectation. On the page for one highly touted Olympic favorite, gymnast Jordyn Wieber, editors slowly began cobbling together facts from the dawn of her career. For others, such as women’s all-around gold medalist Gabby Douglas, readers can see the budding gymnast emerge from the revision history of her Wikipedia page.
We’ve learned that it’s not enough to have a hammer and look for a nail, as shown with the Olympics limited understanding of social media in this year’s Games. But the social web, on the other hand, thrived on its own terms, morphing to give users what they really wanted: speedy results.
