The International Olympic Committee has enraged broadcasters worldwide by considering NBC’s request for several events at the 2008 Games, including the swimming and basketball finals and a number of track and field events, to be moved from their traditional evening slots to the morning. That would allow them to be broadcast live during US primetime.
And Australian broadcasters have warned that should the IOC go-ahead with the changes, the timetable switch may be imposed upon many lead-up events to Beijing, such as next year’s Swimming World Championships in Melbourne, so that competitors can become familiar with the new arrangements. Australian sports minister Justin Madden confirmed that a scheduling change for the Melbourne event was being discussed with the sport’s governing body, FINA.
