British Swimming And BBC Announce Deal
British Swimming has announced a four-year rights deal with the BBC to broadcast swimming and other aquatic sports in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics, the Commonwealth Games 2014, and beyond.
Coverage on the BBC over the next year will now include the FINA Diving World Series and LEN European Synchronised Swimming Champions Cup in Sheffield, and the British Gas Swimming Championships at the Olympic Park next year – the Olympic trials for Team GB.
The event coverage will span across TV, the red button, and the BBC Sport website.
British Swimming will also be partnering with the BBC to launch ‘the Big Splash’, a UK-wide mass-participation campaign designed to encourage people to get in the pool.
British Swimming chief executive David Sparkes said: ‘The BBC has worked with swimming for many years and we welcome this renewed commitment from them as we follow the journey of our elite athletes to the Games in London and beyond’.
‘Everyone at British Swimming is also extremely excited about the launch of the Big Splash as we try and encourage more people to be more active through swimming’.
The BBC will be providing a wide range of on-air initiatives in conjunction with some of its most popular programming brands.
Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport said: ‘We have a rich heritage of covering aquatic sports on the BBC and are delighted to be in a position to continue this commitment at what is a key time for the sport with the London 2012 Olympics on the horizon’.
