This metal paperweight was manufactured in Australia by Benson House as a souvenir of the Sydney Olympic Broadcasting Organisation (SOBO). SOBO was the official broadcast company that provided all radio and television coverage of the Sydney Olympic Games. The paperweight represents the Olympic mascot, 'Syd', working as a SOBO cameraman, and wearing the identification bib for SOBO personnel. This and similar souvenirs were available to the 3300 SOBO staff that worked at the Olympic Games.

In 1996, the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) established SOBO as a complete broadcast company and as Host Broadcaster of the Olympic Games. The organisation comprised an operating charter, a board of directors, and a corporate mission, and aimed to "provide outstanding levels of service to Rights Holding Broadcasters, and to produce more than 3400 hours of live, visually stunning and technically superior coverage of the Games of the New Millennium."

From 13 September to 1 October 2000, SOBO produced all television and radio coverage of Olympic competition for the 200 broadcasters that held rights to the Games. During this period, it was the largest broadcasting production company in the world, supporting 3300 local and international personnel across eight divisions: Executive, Production, Technical Operations and Engineering, Broadcast Information, Support Services, Venue Management, Business Affaires and Booking.

The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) was the hub of SOBO operations, and was equipped with 35 studios, 1600 broadcaster rooms, a commentary switching centre, a video archive and a satellite farm. Here, at Olympic Park, SOBO monitored 40 simultaneous international signals, and televised to a worldwide audience of around 30 billion people.

Matthew Hatten designed the Olympic mascot, Syd, in 1998 for SOCOG.

Benson House

Unused

Made for and owned by the Olympic Coordination Authority/Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, and donated to the Powerhouse Museum after use in the Games.

Paperweight and drawstring pouch, Sydney Olympic Broadcasting Organisation, Olympic Games, Sydney, 2000, pewter, velour, made by Benson House, Australia, c.2000

Paperweight and bag. Cast metal paperweight of Olympic mascot 'Syd' the Platypus holding a camera and wearing a t-shirt with 'SOBO' engraved across it. The paperweight is contained within a blue velvet drawstring bag.

Made: 2000

2001/84/471

2000