Geraldine Pillay-Viret wants to broaden her horizons as she embarks on her latest conquest. The sprint queen will head to Milan, Italy in June as she forms part of a group of former athletes who are set to receive broadcast training ahead of next year’s Winter Olympics that will be held in the same city in 2026.
Pillay-Viret is well-known on our screens in South Africa as she made a successful transition from athlete to sports broadcaster. The International Olympic Committee launched the Athlete 365 app which aims to provide support through relevant advice, tools, and services to Olympians and Paralympians, past and present. In Pillay-Viret’s case, she applied for an Olympic Broadcasting training opportunity and was pleasantly surprised she accepted.
“As an athlete, you only know, like, one area of the Olympic Games, and you don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. I’m looking forward to learning a little bit more about the behind-the-scenes, and how this amazing spectacle is broadcast to so many different countries, so many different media houses, and also just to learn a little more about the Winter Olympics.”
The former Olympian will travel to Milan where she will participate in the three-day training course which will be held at a local university with its broadcasting students.
“It is such a cool experience to be out of my comfort zone, and to go back to school, albeit for three days. I am very excited, and I know what I’m going to learn during this will stand me in good stead, not just for the Winter Olympics, but also for coming back to South Africa.”
“For the past two years, I have been freelancing for SuperSport during the athletics season; last year, I was a studio analyst for the Olympic Games. Doing this is going to also open other avenues and more opportunities for me, apart from just presenting and field reporting and maybe even venturing behind the camera, and who knows, you know?”
She said taking up broadcasting allowed her to still be part of athletics even after she retired.
“I always said to myself, once I’m done with athletics, I want to stay a part of the sport. Yes, I want to stay in the sport. At that point in time, I didn’t know what role I would want to fulfil after hanging up my spikes.”
“I thought I wouldn’t mind being the one on the other side of the camera, asking the questions, that way I still have a connection with the sport, and not too far removed from the action.”
Pillay-Viret also shared that her experience as an athlete is one of the reasons she wanted to be part of broadcasting. She feels that delving deeper into interviews is what was needed.
“I wanted to be personal and I wanted the viewer at home to feel that they know they’re getting to know this athlete on a more personal level. So that, for me, is what has always been the aim, or I would say the focus, to get to know the athletes.”
“Athletes in South Africa are not household names. Everybody knows Usain Bolt and Sha’Carri Richardson but they don’t know our domestic star,” said Pillay-Viret. “For me, it was all about those two minutes, or however long I’m going to have with you, to make sure that walking away from this interview, people know a little bit more.”
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The former sprinter conveyed the following advice to athletes who are looking to make the transition from their sport to broadcasting: Pillay-Viret explains that, much like race preparation, preparation for interviews is key, provided you are well-read on the interviewees.
“Reading up about athletes is one way to learn about what is happening. Also, just to keep abreast about what’s happening around the world, especially around the world of athletics, with the Diamond League, the World Relays that just took place.”
“Just keep track of how our athletes are doing, because then you can build a story around the athlete. You cannot just show up on the day and interview an athlete, because then it’s going to be those generic questions.”
She urged those getting into broadcasting to find a mentor or someone they look up to. This will help them figure out how they should conduct themselves and what is needed from them to be successful in the industry.
“I had a lot of role models outside of athletics in the broadcasting world and will follow those people. Today it’s so much easier to follow them. If I think back, I’m thinking about Romy Titus and Cynthia Tshaka.”
“When I looked at Cynthia, and I looked at how she would conduct herself in interviews, I said I wanted to be like Cynthia, and if I wanted to be like Cynthia, I needed to know what Cynthia was doing. I needed to watch Cynthia on TV.”
“Kass Naidoo came along, and is such a phenomenal woman, and her being a cricket commentator at the time was groundbreaking. I look around and learn how they do it and this is how they are presenting themselves on TV.”
“Not forgetting Carol Tshabalala, I thought I would want to be like them one day when I’m done with athletics,” said Pillay-Viret. “So find a role model in the industry, we are blessed in South Africa, as we have a plethora of female broadcasters, and you can look up to all of them and you can learn from them.”
Main Photo Caption: Geraldine Pillay-Viret is broadening her horizons as she embarks on her latest conquest. The sprint queen will head to Milan this June as she forms part of a group of former athletes who are set to receive broadcast training ahead of next year’s Winter Olympics, to be held in the Italian city next year. All Photos: Supplied
Photo 2 Caption: Pillay-Viret is well-known on our screens in South Africa, as she made a successful transition from athlete to sports broadcaster.
Photo 3 Caption: She urges aspirants to find a mentor, to help them figure out how they should conduct themselves, and what is needed for success.
Photo 4 Caption: Pillay-Viret explains that, like race preparation, interview preparation is key, making sure that you are well-read on the interviewees.
Photo 5 Caption: The former Olympian travels Milan for a 3-day Olympic Broadcasting training opportunity training course, ahead of Winter Olympics 2026.
