From Paris to Dakar: How Framing the Future is opening pathways for women in sports broadcasting
The Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) Framing the Future programme was established to open pathways for women to build lasting careers behind the camera. As four participants who took part in the programme at Paris 2024 rejoin the broadcast operation for Dakar 2026, their experiences demonstrate how a single opportunity can become a foundation for professional growth in sports broadcasting.
At Paris 2024, Jade Lévin, Elisabeth Jolly, Elizaveta Luzina and Coline Soulier were among the women selected to join Framing the Future, an OBS initiative designed to increase representation of women in camera operating roles.
What began as an introduction to Olympic broadcasting has since evolved into an ongoing professional journey for each of them. As they prepare to join the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) broadcast operation, they bring new skills, broader expertise and expanded professional networks gained through assignments across the sports production industry.
Together, their stories show how a first opportunity in Olympic production can become the start of a lasting career.
From training to new possibilities
Launched ahead of Paris 2024, Framing the Future combines practical camera training with Games-time assignments, enabling participants to develop their technical skills and confidence, while gaining insight into the demands of Olympic broadcast production.
More than 70 women took part in the first edition, with 40 per cent advancing to work as camera operators in mixed zones during Paris 2024. A second edition ahead of Milano Cortina 2026 trained an additional 20 women, around a third of whom went on to work in mixed-zone operations during the Games.
Across its first two editions, more than 90 women have now taken part in the training.
For Karen Mullins, OBS Head of Production Management and Framing the Future Programme Manager, the aim has always been to create opportunities for more women to enter, develop and progress within the industry, rather than simply deliver a standalone training experience.
Finding confidence behind the camera
For Jade Lévin, the journey began at the intersection of journalism and sport. A former BMX athlete and graduate in international journalism, she works as both a camera operator and broadcast journalist. Framing the Future gave Jade the chance to bring those interests together in a new professional environment.
After completing the training, she was selected to work at Paris 2024. The experience provided more than exposure to Olympic broadcast operations; it also strengthened her professional confidence.
It gave me confidence, it gave me skills, and the ability to tell myself, okay, I'm able, I'm capable of doing this. I have the skills and I deserve to do this.
Since Paris, Jade has gone on to work at a number of international sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup 2026. After returning for Milano Cortina 2026, she is now heading to Dakar, where she will work as a camera operator covering badminton and archery.
“I’m super happy because it means that I’m completing the trilogy after the Olympic Summer and Winter Games, and now the Youth Olympic Games.”
From cinema to sports broadcasting
Elisabeth Jolly came to Framing the Future from a different starting point. A graduate of the Louis-Lumière film school in Paris, she was pursuing a career in cinematography and had not considered live sports production as a potential professional path.
When she discovered the initiative, she saw a way to combine her interest in visual storytelling with the unique demands of sports broadcasting.
“Framing sports is incredibly challenging, a performance in itself. As a sports lover, and someone who's always been fascinated by sports broadcast aesthetics, I was interested right away."
Paris 2024 introduced Elisabeth to television and sports broadcasting while also expanding her professional network. Since then, she has continued to work across both cinema and sport, including outdoor productions covering mountaineering and climbing in the French Alps.
I met wonderful, open people who let me into their world and gave my name to others.
At Dakar 2026, Elisabeth will take on new responsibilities covering table tennis and fencing, marking another step into sports production after her first Olympic experience in Paris.
Discovering live production
Before joining the programme, Elizaveta Luzina already had extensive camera expertise. A filmmaker, cinematographer and camera operator, she had worked mainly across fiction, documentaries and advertising. What was new to her was live, multi-camera production.
Framing the Future was a perfect opportunity to be introduced to live production.
Paris 2024 marked Elizaveta’s introduction to live sports production. She subsequently returned to work with OBS at Milano Cortina 2026, further strengthening her live production credentials.
Elizaveta says working on Olympic broadcasts has given her credibility in the job market and opened doors beyond the sports industry. Among the opportunities that followed were multi-camera productions for fashion events, teaching roles and other media projects.
“When people hear me say I worked at the Olympic Games, that's definitely something that stands out.”
At Dakar 2026, Elizaveta will take another step forward as a camera operator covering live competition, including archery and wushu.
Taking a step into Olympic broadcast operations
Coline Soulier already had experience in live sports production before joining Framing the Future. Working primarily as a camera operator in France, she has covered a wide range of sports, including football, rugby, road cycling, mountain biking and winter sports.
For her, the programme provided a route into the Olympic broadcasting environment, building on the skills and expertise she had already developed.
Framing the Future allowed me to get a foot in Olympic broadcasting.
Following Paris 2024, Coline returned to work with OBS for Milano Cortina 2026 and has now been selected for Dakar 2026. At the YOG, she will take on a broader role, working on the Opening Ceremony as well as rugby, skateboarding and taekwondo.
“I'm very grateful to work again and again at the Olympic Games.”
Beyond the Games
The programme itself is only the starting point. What follows can lead to new broadcast assignments, freelance projects and, in some cases, continued involvement in Olympic broadcast operations.
For Karen Mullins, one of the most rewarding outcomes has been seeing participants establish themselves within the industry.
“It’s very encouraging to see so many participants building successful careers in the industry.”
From Paris to Dakar, the stories of Jade, Elisabeth, Elizaveta and Coline show how Framing the Future can open a door into Olympic broadcasting while giving participants skills, confidence and professional connections that support long-term careers beyond the Games.