Olympics-European broadcasters could challenge Beijing schedule

BERN, Switzerland, Nov 9 (Reuters) European broadcasters could mount a legal challenge to the controversial swimming and gymnastics schedule planned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the 2008 Beijing Games.

The IOC should reconsider its decision to hold swimming finals and much of the gymnastics in the morning or risk causing ''long-term damage to the Olympic movement and spirit'', said European Broadcasting Union (EBU) president Fritz Pleitgen.

''We have instructed our legal department to go over the contracts with the IOC to see if the rescheduling of these sports constitutes a breach of contract,'' Pleitgen told Reuters today.

''We hope to avoid a court case as we have always been loyal partners of the IOC in the past but our members are furious about what has happened.'' The IOC announced the calendar on October 26, delighting American broadcasters who will be able to show the popular swimming finals and the gymnastics team and all-round events during prime time in the United States thanks to the time difference.

The decision has angered broadcasters in Europe, Asia and Australasia who now face the prospect of televising major events at a time when few viewers will be watching.

''We have had no explanation from the IOC as to the reasons for this change, and whether it is being done just to suit US audiences, but we are worried that it marks a new rule where the schedule is arranged according to who pays the most money,'' Pleitgen said.

The Beijing schedule has also been criticised by several national swimming and gymnastic associations who say the new competition times end a long-standing tradition of holding finals in the local evening time.

LIVE COVERAGE NBC, which owns the exclusive US broadcast rights for the Olympics, paid 3.55 billion dollars for coverage of the 2000-2008 Games and will pay a further 2.201 billion dollars for the 2010 and 2012 rights The EBU, representing 74 broadcasters, has agreed to pay 614 million euro (4.7 million) for the 2010 and 2012 Games.

''We realise that money is an important issue but we think the IOC are failing to take into account the contribution that EBU broadcasters make to Olympic sports in the years leading up to the Games and the amount of live coverage we provide in comparison to NBC,'' Pleitgen added.

''It seems that whoever pays the most money gets the best seats but the Olympics are supposed to be about more than just money. They are meant to also reflect equality and democracy.

Yet this schedule is ignoring the wishes of the athletes and the 2.2 billion people in Asia, Australasia and Europe in favour of 560 million potential viewers in the US'' Pleitgen said he had written to IOC president Jacques Rogge on October 27, urging a rethink, but had not yet received a reply.

The letter argued that the new schedule ''will result in a substantial reduction in the value of the programming for our viewers and also of the rights acquired by the EBU and we have already begun receiving strong requests from our members to reassess the value of the rights.'' The EBU president said the possibility of a legal challenge was supported by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and would be considered in detail by the EBU at a two-day administrative council meeting starting in Geneva on November 30.

The IOC said last week that it had discussed the schedule with all the stakeholders and its decision was final.

Reuters SAM GC1845