Sky Sports prevent World Half Marathon Championship UK TV blackout
SKY Sports have stepped in to show next month's World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham after the BBC elected not to broadcast the event.
NO BLACKOUT: Sky will screen the World Half Marathon Championships but terrestrial viewers will miss out (Getty Images)
As Steven Downes revealed here more than a month ago, it will be the first time in 40 years that the British broadcaster has not covered a major athletics event when it is staged in the UK.
They claim resources were stretched due to their coverage of yesterday's Great North Run but the move raised eyebrows at the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Sky is also eyeing rights to next year's new-look IAAF Diamond League but their valuation of the event has been downgraded because the BBC hold the contracts for both the UK-based events, at London and Gateshead.
Paula Radcliffe will lead Great Britain's team at the event on Sunday October 11th.
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To say Brendan Foster has a
To say Brendan Foster has a conflict of interests is an understatement.
He is the man behind the Great North Run, City Games (Ashes Athletics) - both of which shown on BBC (the latter rightly so).
The way the other presenters were pouring over him on Sunday was sickening. "You must be so proud right now Brendan."
Proud he might be but the whole license-fee paying nation doesn't need to hear about it.
Surely a World Championship
Surely a World Championship takes priority over a "fun run". Has the BBC lost the plot totally??
Surely it is time also that Brendan Foster stepped down, he has a conflict of interest working for the BBC and (if as I believe) being involved in the promoting of this race.
I also found his comments in Berlin were starting to smack of "grumpy old man" viz the mascot and the blue track.
Get a new unbiased, less grumpy and not (possibly) conflicted presenter please, oh and probably save money on contracts as a side benefit.
So BBC employee Brendan
So BBC employee Brendan Foster's race gets BBC coverage, but a world championship doesn't. Right....
I don't have Sky
QED
The BBC's athletics coverage
The BBC's athletics coverage has been pretty good of late. The World Champs was excellent and I enjoyed yesterday's Great North Run. This should have been on the agenda too but Sky have picked up the pieces so cut them some slack.
Your joking aren't you there
Your joking aren't you there are too many egos in the BBC, Eurosport coverage is so so much better for Athletics, All you get with BBC is Jackson and friends sitting and talking. At least with Eurosport they show the races in the background whilst talking.
BBC
The beeb should be holding their heads in shame. All that was needed was a decent highlights program with one commentator/narrator (e.g. Crammy) which would have costed the minimum. There would have been no need for a selection of pundits/commentators/crew etc... There would have been no requirement to cover the mass start EDF HM after the elite race.
Less than 3 years until the olympics and the BBC is pulling stunts like this, in THE Olympic sport.
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