Summer Games
Andy Taylor – A Voice on Sport’s Biggest Stage.
A VOICE OF THE GAMES ● ATHENS '04 ● RIO '16 ● TOKYO '20 ● PARIS '24
Two years after starting his new career at the U.S. Open in New York, Andy Taylor was invited to be one of two English speaking announcers at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece. There, he worked with Craig Willis of the Australian Open, alongside several other Greek and French announcers involved in sport presentation. He returned for the tennis events at the 2016 Games in Rio, Brazil and the pandemic-delayed 2021 Games in Tokyo, Japan.
In 2024, Andy was invited to Paris as the English voice of Fencing and Taekwondo, held in the iconic Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées.
HOW IT WORKS. VOICE OVER AND ANNOUNCING AT THE SUMMER GAMES
With the Games, stadium presentation can be quite challenging due to tradition and protocol. French and English are the official languages, so when the host nation speaks another language, all aspects of the presentation have to be delivered three times — in all three tongues.
During medal ceremonies and athlete introductions, French precedes English, followed by the native language. The announcers have to work closely together, ensuring that the script-breaks and meanings align, accommodating the multicultural fan base in attendance.
While challenging, it is an absolute honor to work with professionals from other cultures and grow through the common goal of excellence in presentation.
To give you an idea of how it works, here’s audio from the Rio 2016 Women’s Singles Medal Ceremony in Tennis.
