Alexis Madrigal looks at the extensive use of live and recorded sound in Olympic telecasts. On diving:
"You can really separate the 'above' sounds in the swimming hall and the 'below' sounds, the underwater sound. It really conveys the sense of focus and the sense of isolation of the athlete," http://engineer%20Dennis Baxter continues. "We have microphones on the handrails as the divers walk up. You can hear their hands. You can hear their feet. You can hear them breathing." Then, as they reach the water, a producer remixes the audio track to pull from the underwater hydrophone at the bottom of the pool. Now, you are literally pulling audio from in the pool. "You can hear the bubbles. You get the complete sense of isolation, of the athlete all alone," Baxter concluded.
On a related note, Adidas is pioneering technology that broadcasters could conceivably use to convey more real-time data:
It works by inserting a "player cell" into a pouch located in the shoulder blades of the base layer of player uniforms. That unit uses a 3D accelerometer, RF radio, GPS unit, magnetometer, gyroscope to gather the data, and is complimented with conductive fibers throughout the rest of the shirt. The RF device communicates with all the other player cells as well, piggybacking with the others to strengthen the signal. The hope is that it will let coaches and trainers "better understand optimum level of performance, player fitness level, and physical activity's impact on the body."
The Dish 